West Seattle, Washington
26 Tuesday
Maybe you’ve seen that sign but didn’t have time to stop and investigate. It’s for Winter Wander, which organizer Alice Kuder has turned into a holiday-season tradition. It’s free, fun, and starts in less than a week – here’s the announcement, if you’re not signed up already:
The Winter Wander Scavenger Hunt is a free, 10-day community event designed to bring friends and families together for holiday fun. Wanderers download instructions, a Bingo-style clue sheet, and a map, then scour West Seattle to identify the locations that solve the clues, and upload selfies in front of those locations to qualify for prize drawings. Open to everyone of all ages! Winter Wander starts at 5 PM Fri., Dec. 5h, and concludes at 7 PM, Sun., Dec. 14th, 2025. Sign up anytime between those dates by registering at wondersinaliceland.com.
(WSB photos)
The Duwamish Tribe Longhouse and Cultural Center (4705 West Marginal Way SW) is midway through its annual three-day Native Art Market. We visited toward the end of day 1 to see some of the creations that artists and crafters are selling both in the main hall and in the year-round exhibit space. Some are from Northwest tribes, like Denise of the Skokomish:
Jonny is selling items primarily from Ecuador and Peru, including beaded leather bands:
These are made with alpaca wool:
Shelly is there with ceramic miniature holiday trees:
And at other tables you can find creations from Native-themed art to quirky stocking stuffers including these keychains made of letters from old license plates:
The longhouse market continues until 5 pm today and again 10 am-5 pm on Sunday; they’re also planning a one-day market those same hours on Friday, December 19.
(WSB file photo)
That’s the highest-elevation Christmas tree in Seattle, yards away from the highest elevation in the city (520′), outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church on the southeast corner of 35th SW and SW Myrtle. One week from tonight, you’re invited to OLG’s annual “Light Up the Night” celebration, where the tree is lit along with the shrubs outside the sanctuary. You can sing Christmas carols with OLG students and guest musicians, and bring nonperishable food to fill the sleigh in the lobby of the Walmesley Center across Myrtle from the tree. Plus: Pizza for sale, kids’ craft tables, story time with Santa, and hot chocolate and cookies.It all starts at 6 pm Friday, December 5.
The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s main mission is to support local youth – including local Scout troops and Key Clubs at local high schools. One way to help them do that is to buy tickets for their annual holiday Pancake Breakfast, coming up December 6 (one week from tomorrow, with Santa photos as part of the deal). Another way: Bid in their online auction, with items up for grabs including shopping sprees at West Seattle businesses. The auction is open now and you can bid by going here! You can also buy Pancake Breakfast tickets at the Kiwanis’s booth at the south end of the West Seattle Farmers’ Market this Sunday – 10 am-2 pm, California/Alaska. (WSB is a community co-sponsor of the Pancake Breakfast.)
(WSB photos: Above, peninsula’s first tree arrivals, at West Seattle Nursery in mid-November)
Though some tree sellers started early – West Seattle Nursery (5275 California SW; WSB sponsor) had some when we covered their Open House two weeks ago, and the inventory has increased since! – today is the traditional start of Christmas tree season. Returning this year, as reported here earlier this month, Tony’s Trees at 35th SW and SW Barton:
Proprietor Anthony Morella says he’s a relative of the Genzale family, which had a tree lot here until last year (not to mention the renowned produce stand).
Tony’s is the southernmost West Seattle tree lot. The northernmost is Trees By The Sea, back at 2536 Alki SW this year, the spot that holds Wheel Fun Rentals during the warmer months:
Trees By The Sea’s Tiffany just told us their hours while the trees last will be 10-8 Fridays (though they opened at 8 today), 8-8 Saturdays, 8-7 Sundays, noon-7 Mondays-Thursdays. Also back this year, the Holy Rosary School Tree Lot:
It’s on the north side of the school, next to the playground, and a percentage of proceeds goes to nonprofits. Other tree sellers in West Seattle and White Center include hardware stores – Junction Hardware (44th SW and SW Edmunds), McLendon Hardware in White Center, and The Home Depot (Delridge Way SW and SW Orchard). Some years there are pop-ups – there was one at the Farmers’ Market, for example – so if you see a tree lot we haven’t mentioned, please let us know! (And we’ll keep updating the list in our West Seattle Holiday Guide.)
Over the next four weeks, holiday music will ring out abundantly around West Seattle. One big event this weekend: The Byrd Ensemble‘s “Ceremony of Carols“ vocal concert, 8 pm Saturday (November 29) at Holy Rosary Catholic Church (42nd SW and SW Genesee) – here’s the summary:
Join the Byrd Ensemble for an English Christmas program featuring Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols and Gustav Holst’s Four Old English Carols, with harpist Elizabeth Landis. Accompanying these classics are Christmas motets by Renaissance composers William Byrd and Thomas Tallis.
The Byrd Ensemble, under artistic director Markdavin Obenza, is sponsoring WSB right now and offering a 30 percent discount for tickets to Saturday’s concert if you use the code WSBLOG when you check out – go here.
Thanks to MJ for the photo, and thanks to whoever keeps decking the Admiral Way Bridge railings each year with cheery red bows! MJ notes they “look new” this year – certainly the paint on the railings is.
(WSB photos)
The West Seattle Eagles‘ tradition of community giving extends every year to a free Thanksgiving dinner, open to all at their HQ in The Junction (4426 California SW). The feast awaiting you there includes a wide variety of pies:
No membership required, all ages welcome, until 5 pm.
12:59 PM: If you don’t already have plans for Thanksgiving, you have two more hours to get to The Hall at Fauntleroy to enjoy the free community dinner that DSquared/Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering has served for more than 20 years. It’s on the south end of the historic schoolhouse at 9131 California SW and all are warmly welcomed, until 3 pm. More photos soon!
1:44 PM: Above, the kitchen crew; below, today’s menu!
Some of the donated desserts:
And donated warm clothing for anyone who needs some:
Seen on a tabletop:
And a plate on its way to a guest:
If you don’t see this in time to get there, our Holiday Guide features info on two other free community dinners in West Seattle today – the Eagles (no membership required) 2-5 pm, Admiral Pub (21+) starting at 6.
(Hummingbird, photographed by Stewart L.)
Happy Thanksgiving! We are ever-thankful that you are here. As we do every major holiday, we’ve gathered information in hopes of being helpful:
GROCERY STORES OPEN TODAY: The list of what’s open and when is in the Thanksgiving section atop our West Seattle Holiday Guide.
COFFEE SHOPS OPEN TODAY: That list – including more than 15 local indies (as of our research calls – let us know if you find a change) – is here.
RESTAURANTS/BARS OPEN TODAY AND/OR TONIGHT: 20+ on the list – see it here.
PRE-TURKEY RUNNING : Three options in our guide, and the biggest is the West Seattle Runner Gobble Gobble Group Run, 8 am from Alki – bring food donations – enter a raffle for running shoes! Look for the sign pointing you to the WSR gathering place, and get full details here.
PRE-TURKEY DANCING: The West Seattle YMCA (36th SW and SW Snoqualmie) is open 7-11 am this morning (Fauntleroy is closed) and invites everyone 5+ to Zumba Shine Dance Turkey Trot, 8:30 am.
PRE-TURKEY WALKING: Walking for Well-Being decided again this year to change to a morning walk today. Meet by 10 am at 47th/Fauntleroy.
WHERE TO ENJOY A FREE COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER: Three options this year:
*As announced here, The Hall at Fauntleroy‘s legendary sit-down community dinner is happening again, all welcome, noon-3 pm. (9131 California SW)
*West Seattle Eagles are also again serving a sitdown community dinner for all, 2 pm-5 pm (4426 California SW)
*Admiral Pub, free Friendsgiving feast starts around 6 pm, followed by live music. 21+. (2306 California SW)
WANT TO HELP? You can drop off donations of gently used warm clothing, new blankets and socks, and desserts at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 10 am-1 pm, same address as above (south end of the historic schoolhouse).
WHAT TO DO AFTER (OR BEFORE) DINNER: The Admiral Theater is open this afternoon and evening – see the movies and showtimes here (2343 California SW).
THANKSGIVING TRANSPORTATION NOTES:
*Metro buses are on Sunday schedule
*No Water Taxi boat or shuttle service
*Sound Transit light rail and buses, Sunday schedules
*Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is on a holiday schedule
*No charge for parking today on city streets with pay stations
*Traffic cameras: West Seattle-relevant ones here; citywide views are available via this SDOT map
OTHER INFO:
*No trash/recycling/etc. pickup today – Thursday pickups will happen Friday; Friday pickups on Saturday (transfer station is closed today too)
*Seattle Parks‘ holiday closed-and-open list (including the West Seattle Golf Course, which is open until 2 pm)
*No Seattle Public Library or King County Library System services today
*USPS holiday
*Banking holiday
LOST/FOUND PET? Sometimes it happens with all the holiday traveling, visiting family/friends, etc. – email or text us the info so we can post on our West Seattle Lost/Found Pets page!
Much more seasonal info for today and beyond is in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide. We hope you have a joyful holiday! (And if you see/hear news, please text/call 206-293-6302 – we are forever thankful for your tips, reader reports, calendar listings, photos, questions, etc., every day/night of the year – now WSB’s 19th!)
Tomorrow is not only Thanksgiving, but also exactly four weeks until Christmas, which means time for nightly photos of West Seattle’s holiday lights here on WSB. We love showing photos of West Seattle’s best and brightest, whether you’re aiming for Menashe Family-level density (above is a photo sent by Cindi while they were starting setup earlier this week) or something a little subtler. With a rainless afternoon, we suspect more lights might have gone up today, so we’ll go scouting later this week, but we also welcome your photos – westseattleblog@gmail.com. You don’t have to include the exact address – just the block is fine (xx00 block of xx SW, for example) – as long as that’s enough info for light-sightseers to find it. (Scroll through this archive to see what we’ve featured in past years!)
Every year we check with West Seattle restaurants and coffee shops to find out who plans to be open on Thanksgiving Day, and publish those lists. So we’re reminding you today that both lists for tomorrow are updated – restaurants here, coffee shops here. Caveat – sometimes venues change their plans after we contact them, so some years there’s a holiday anomaly.
(WSB photo by Hayden Yu Andersen: Traffic-directing in WS Thriftway lot today)
Meantime, for emergency shopping on the big day, our Holiday Guide has the list of West Seattle grocery-store hours, plus Thanksgiving morning run/walk/dance events, and of course the rest of the seasonal info, from Santa photos to Hanukkah lighting to Winter Solstice gatherings to New Year’s!
(WSB photo, Thanksgiving 2024)
Just a reminder that the top of our West Seattle Holiday Guide is stuffed with Thanksgiving information, and that includes five ways to work out before you chow down – three runs, one dance-fitness class, and one walk, all with start times between 8 and 9 am. They begin as always with the Gobble Gobble Group Run and Food Drive at Alki, presented by West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), at 8 am (our photo above shows part of the hardy crowd who showed up last year). Is our list missing anything open to the community? Let us know so we can add!
Friends of Roxhill Elementary are gathering community support for families at their “small but mighty” school – here’s the request we were asked to share:
This year, more than any in recent memory, families at Roxhill Elementary are reaching out for support. With rising costs, limited government assistance, and growing food insecurity, more than 50 of our families have asked for help with groceries and basic essentials. That’s why we’re turning to our West Seattle community to help us ensure these families are supported through our Winter Basic Needs Fundraiser.
Roxhill is a small-but-mighty Title I school in the south end of West Seattle, serving approximately 250 students. 60% of our students qualify for free and reduced lunch, and more than 72% come from BIPOC communities. What truly defines our school, though, is our strong sense of community—our commitment to showing up for one another in meaningful ways.
During winter break, many students lose access to the free breakfasts and lunches they rely on during the school year. Our goal is to bridge that gap so families can keep everyone fed throughout the holidays. If you are in a position to give, please consider donating to Friends of Roxhill. 100% of your contribution goes directly to supporting families.
Together, we can show every Roxhill family that they are seen, valued, and cared for. Please consider making a donation today.
(Reader photo, 2024: Some of the cookies Andrea & kids baked)
If you love to bake, The Christmas People‘s annual cookie-donation drive is your time to shine, and it’ll happen again this year. Here’s the announcemnt we received from The Christmas People:
Home-baked cookies are needed this year for the 18 shelters, centers, camps we serve during Christmas Week. West Seattle Coworking, 9030 35th Avenue SW, will again accept cookies, Monday, Dec. 22, Tuesday, Dec. 23 and Wednesday, Dec. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. No special packaging is necessary. Cookies may also be dropped off at Artisan Community Kitchen, 10836 E. Marginal Way S., Tukwila, Monday through Thursday, Dec. 22-25.
Please label any cookies with nuts, peanut butter, gluten-free, etc. Cookies may be frozen. Contact Fred Hutchinson, co-founder, at 206-719-4979 or pialley@jps.net
We’ll of course remind you when this gets closer, too.
As we do every year, we’ve surveyed West Seattle restaurants and coffee shops to see who plans to be open – even if only for a few hours – on Thanksgiving Day. Our lists are now live – restaurants here, coffee shops here. As we also do every year, we’re alsp reminding you that sometimes venues change their plans between the time we contact them and the actual holiday, but this is the best info we have so far! Our Holiday Guide has other info too, including morning running, walking, working out opportunities to get moving in the hours before you celebrate. (And if you have additions or changes, for the entire holiday season, please let us know, as we’re updating the Holiday Guide often!)
(WSB photo, November 2024)
If you’re a Dick’s Drive-Ins burger fan, you might want to make lunch plans to be at Thunder Road Guitars (6400 California SW; WSB sponsor) on Black Friday (November 28) – TRG is bringing back the Dick’s truck, 11 am-2 pm. And this time, no in-store purchase required; the truck will be open to all, selling burgers and shakes to everyone while they last. Of course, TRG proprietor Frank Gross hopes you’ll step in (and/or shop online), as they’re launching another megasale:
Our biggest sale of the year is coming this Black Friday & Small Business Saturday here at Thunder Road Seattle & Thunder Road Portland.
MEGA size deals! We are offering 20% off select guitars, amps, & pedals (some exclusions apply) in store and online. Use discount code blackfriday20 www.thunderroadguitars.com
Online sale goes live Thanksgiving. Doors open to TRG Seattle and Portland Friday at 10 am.
The Dicks Drive-Ins truck will be back at TRG Seattle on Black Friday between 11 am – 2 pm serving up the best burgers in Seattle and we are giving away two NEW Fender American Vintage ’65 Stratocasters courtesy of our friends at Fender Guitars. All you need to do to enter to win is stop by Thunder Road Seattle or Portland Friday – Sunday to cast your entry.
This weekend is going to be epic and you are not going to want to miss it. The best deals tend to go quick so be sure to get in early, in store or online.
As usual, the Thunder Road crew made a raucous promotional video too – see that here.
P.S. Is your West Seattle biz doing something special on Black Friday? Let us know and we can add it to the Shopping Spotlight section of our West Seattle Holiday Guide!
(WSB photo, 2024 Hometown Holidays Night Market)
The biggest day of the holiday season in the West Seattle Junction is now exactly two weeks away – Saturday, December 6, begins with the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle pancake breakfast (7-11 am) and concludes with the Hometown Holidays Tree Lighting and Night Market (4-8 pm). As we noted last week, the Kiwanis’s pancakes, ham, and coffee/tea/juice breakfast is an incredible deal; you can buy $8 advance tickets online or at the Kiwanis’s booth at the south end of the Farmers’ Market tomorrow or next Sunday. No tickets needed for the Hometown holidays celebration, presented by the West Seattle Junction Association, as part of a slate of seasonal fun – just show up that night at 42nd SW and SW Alaska. (Lots more is happening that day/night, and before/after that date too, as listed in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide!)
Lindy is one of the Arrowhead Gardens residents selling unique creations at the annual holiday craft fair – garden art and planter stakes made from material including keepsake dishes and tiny charms. Be sure to look into each of the rooms at the community building on the east side of the complex at 9220 2nd SW so you don’t miss anybody. Linda is back with her preserves, from barbecue onion relish to pickled grapes to pineapple upside-down cake jam:
She admits she tends to go for “the unique.” Other creators are selling scarves, books – not used, but rather ones they wrote! – baked goods, gnomes, tree ornaments, photo posters, more.
This craft fair continues until 3 pm.
More handmade holiday gifts! C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor) is hosting its annual holiday arts and crafts fair, where you’ll find everything from poetry collections to woodworking:
Pete Homan‘s creations can be used as cutting boards – or hung as wall art! Lots of jewelry too, including Zoë’s beaded creations:
This show and sale started early, as noted in our list, so get to the coffeehouse before 2 pm so you don’t miss out!
By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Visitors and volunteers have been lined up outside of Eastridge Church since 6 AM this morning for their yearly turkey and groceries giveaway. Between their locations in West Seattle and Issaquah, they plan to distribute 1,500 turkeys and holiday grocery bags to those in need – no proof required.
Eastridge Pastor Craig Mathison was busy greeting people outside of the church, shaking hands, and sharing warm welcomes. Mathison has been with Eastridge as their West Seattle campus pastor for five years, and grew up in the Woodland Park area.
The West Seattle location is stocked with 650 full turkey meals this morning, enough for a family dinner. “The only thing we don’t supply is salt, pepper, and butter,” Mathison joked.
(Two of today’s volunteer helpers)
Because he spends the mornings greeting new people during the turkey giveaways, Mathison has noticed that, as he put it, “this year has seen a higher demand.” This includes more first-time visitors, and he remarked that this is the furthest down the road he’s seen the line
It’s worth mentioning that this year, West Seattle has seen a rise in food insecurity, and other local organizations, such as the West Seattle Food Bank, have already been bracing to support their communities in the wake of cuts to vital programs such as SNAP.
But Mathison and the rest of the volunteers present this morning kept spirits high. “We love doing this,” he said. “It’s no problem at all to find volunteers, and people who volunteer once are very likely to show up again.”
Mathison says that at this rate, he expects the giveaway to last until 11:30 as planned.
Inside the Alki Masonic Center (40th SW and SW Edmunds, lower level right off the parking lot), you can shop handmade items all day at the annual holiday bazaar. That includes bake-sale bargains:
Of the tables we stopped at, we were most captivated by Christyl’s Crafty Creations:
She has a variety of reusable – and made-from-reused-material – items that’ll help you cut down on kitchen/household waste. Many are stocking-stuffer suitable. But also: Aprons made from neckties!
The bazaar is open for browsing and buying until 4 pm.
(WSB file photo)
One more reminder – especially considering more people are experiencing food insecurity right now – tomorrow morning (Saturday, November 22) is the annual Eastridge Church turkey giveaway. Between their West Seattle and Issaquah campuses, they are ready to provide 1,500 turkeys and bags of holiday-meal groceries. No proof of need required; in West Seattle,the line forms outside the Eastridge campus on 39th SW just south of SW Oregon (across from West Seattle Bowl). They expect to be there until 11:30 am unless the turkeys run out sooner.
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