West Seattle, Washington
07 Sunday
One week till Christmas Eve! If your dream would resemble a warm Christmas more than a white Christmas, check this out:
Thanks to Becky for the photo, which she reports is from “36th or 37th just south of Roxbury” — we’ve added that approximate location to our clickable, printable West Seattle Christmas lights map (find it on the WSB Holidays page), will try to nail it down more closely with an in-person visual tomorrow. With your help, we’ve now featured 30 displays, all archived here.
This is one of the flashiest displays in the greater Admiral area — 45th and Stevens, just west of PCC. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed us to make sure it made the WSB roundup! While snagging this photo tonight, we noticed several other well-lit houses along 45th north of this spot. Please keep sending in suggested locations – we’ll continue featuring local lights nightly through Christmas; you’ll find them all on our clickable, printable West Seattle Christmas lights map, viewable on the WSB Holidays page, with the nightly features archived here.
Jodi e-mailed WSB (thank you!) about a house in the 4000 block of Fauntleroy, which runs parallel to the end of The Bridge; we hope this is the right one — impossible to see street numbers in the dark, and there are several nicely lit homes on the block, but this one is the brightest, and the photo barely does it justice because there’s a whole lot of blinking and strobing going on. It’s the latest addition to our clickable/printable West Seattle Christmas lights map, linked from the WSB Holidays page and now featuring 28 locations, all around our peninsula, and all also archived here.
First, the 3400 block of Walnut; thanks to Wendy for the tip:
Lots of nicely decorated homes in that general area between Admiral and The Junction, including this one on 42nd north of Spokane – not splashy, just nicely arranged.
We’ve added both these homes to our updated-nightly West Seattle Christmas lights map, which you’ll find on the WSB Holidays page, and you’ll find all featured displays archived here.
Again tonight, two pix – have to double up to get everything in before The Big Day:
The first one is a beautiful tree, one color of lights for each branch, pointed out to us by The Velvet Bulldog; it’s on Hinds at 62nd. The second one is a photo from CA Joyce, described as a treehouse dressed up for the holidays, 53rd & Dakota. Both are now added to our clickable/printable West Seattle Christmas lights map, which you can find any time on the WSB Holidays page; all previously featured lights are archived here. And thanks to everyone for continuing to send in all the tips and pix!
Two pix again tonight – this first one hit the WSB inbox just as we were getting ready to publish this item:
First one is from Greg, and it’s at 4117 38th SW, east of The Junction; second one is on Gatewood Hill, on 37th SW north of Kenyon. Both are on our updated-nightly clickable West Seattle Christmas lights map, viewable any time on the WSB Holidays page, but getting to be so lively, we also wanted to show it off here:
Two photos from the WSB inbox tonight (thank you!):
First photo, an electric menorah — sent by Lyn and Les — fully lit for the final night of Hanukkah. Second, just part of what looks like another truly spectacular Christmas-lights display, photographed at 10th & Barton by “a neighbor.” It’s now on our clickable, updated-nightly Christmas lights map, viewable any time on the WSB Holidays page.
Tonight, two featured homes, one theme:
On the fence in front of the first home, along Thistle east of 42nd (Upper Fauntleroy), are big white snowflake lights. Dangling from the eaves of the second home, along 106th near 31st (edge of Arbor Heights; thanks to Vickie for the tip), are blue-and-white snowflake lights. Both homes are now added to our clickable West Seattle Christmas lights map, viewable any time on our Holidays page; plus, you can find all previously featured homes on this archive page. And we’re still thrilled to get your tips about the best of the brightest, homes and/or entire neighborhoods!
Thanks to Katie for e-mailing to tell us about this house in North Admiral (west side of 45th SW, south of SW Seattle). This is a camphone photo; the real thing is exponentially more festive. It’s the latest addition to our clickable, photo-embedded West Seattle Christmas lights map, viewable any time on our WSB Holidays page.
The picture doesn’t do it justice but this is one of our favorite simple-yet-striking Christmas light displays every year – it’s directly east of the Metropolitan Market parking lot, across 41st. The lights alternate red/white, and trace the home’s features quite beautifully. This house is now added to our clickable West Seattle Christmas lights map, which you can find any time on the WSB Holidays page.
OK, so it’s not the splashiest outdoor Christmas tree in West Seattle, but the spirit was certainly there as the Our Lady of Guadalupe tree was lit tonight, as our video in the post below proves. So it’s our official nightly Christmas-lights photo. Its location (34th/Myrtle) has been added to the WSB West Seattle Christmas lights map, which you can access any time from our Holidays page – click any location in the map and you’ll get its title plus a thumbnail photo. We’re also making the rounds of the suggestions e-mailed to us by folks in WSB-land, too. (In addition to clicking the aforementioned map, you can also check out all the West Seattle Christmas lights we’ve featured by going through their category archive here.)
This balcony display is on the building between Short Stop and the ex-Chuck and Sally’s on California, north of Morgan Junction. We remember seeing it last year too; the lights manage to diminish the dinginess of that block like a glittering multi-layer necklace. It’s on our West Seattle Christmas lights map now, of course (you’ll find that on our Holidays page; click each marker on the map to see the photo from that location). Now, the side note – The famous red bows are up on the north side of the Admiral Way bridge.
We featured the famous Beach Drive Christmas house with a photo on 11/28 … then this week, the Menashe family graciously allowed us to stop by and get a narrated tour, including answers to some of the questions everybody asks (such as, “how many lights?” — the big tree alone has 100,000!). The display’s on 4:30-11:30 pm every night through New Year’s, and its location is one of many on our special West Seattle Christmas lights map (you’ll find it on our new WSB Holidays page). First clip: Josh Menashe shows us what’s new, and talks about what it takes to put this together:
Here are 3 more clips, starting with a longer walk-through:Read More
Tonight, we found ourselves wandering the streets of Highland Park, where we came across this house at 7925 9th Ave. SW (map; also, we have added it to our clickable map of all the displays featured on WSB this season, which you can access any time from our new Holidays page). Rolled the window down to get the picture and even heard Christmas music. By the way, tomorrow evening, we’ll bring you a narrated video tour of West Seattle’s most famous display, the Menashes’ lights on Beach Drive.
As former apartment-dwellers, we particularly appreciate balcony brightness – and you can find a lot of it around West Seattle, especially along Harbor and Alki – but this trio of balconies is from California Avenue just south of Morgan Junction. We’re still scouting for lights and happy to get your suggestions; besides the new archive of featured lights, we also have created a map locating every place we’ve shown – click on each marker and you’ll see its location as well as a thumbnail photo. We’ll continue to update the map as each night goes by. (One more holiday note – it got a bit lost in the weather coverage but we posted our annual West Seattle Christmas tree price check yesterday afternoon.)
Tonight’s spotlight is on the newly lit (see video feature below) West Seattle Community Christmas Tree (44th/Alaska, aka Farmers’ Market parking lot). By the way, we’ve created an archive for all the West Seattle Christmas lights we’ve featured since mid-November; you’ll find them all here.
From just west of Westwood Village, on 30th south of Barton (map). Got bright lights or seen some? Please let us know (and thanks to those who’ve e-mailed sightings already!).
On the west side of 50th, south of Edmunds (map). Got bright lights, or seen some? Please let us know! (P.S. We have updated the photo in last night’s post about the ’07 debut of the Menashe family‘s Beach Drive display, putting in a new one courtesy of Christopher Shoemaker, who took it after helping the family with the finishing touches.)
Earlier than usual tonight because as West Seattle Christmas lights go, this is breaking news – the Menashe family’s famous display on Beach Drive was finally on in full glory when we drove by a short time ago – THURSDAY NIGHT UPDATE: we’ve replaced our original cameraphone photo with a pic courtesy of Christopher Shoemaker, who took it after helping the Menashes with the finishing touches:
The house is on the water side of Beach Drive roughly halfway between Me-Kwa-Mooks and Lowman Beach. Meantime, if you’ve put up, or seen, an especially bright (or unique) display, please let us know about it!
On a hedge west of The Junction, along Erskine west of Hudson (map here; we will have an all-inclusive map shortly showing all the lights we’re featuring). And for those who are on Menashe Watch along Beach Drive — drove by again tonight, they’re not quite there yet, but the first night that house is lit in all its glory, you’ll hear about it here. Meantime, if you have bright lights or have seen some somewhere, please e-mail us about ’em so we can add them to our West Seattle Christmas lights patrol; if you’re looking for holiday events, with or without lights, the list just keeps getting longer on our everything-West-Seattle Events page.
Always a cheery sight on 35th … it’s the holiday lights of historic Fire Station 37 (to be replaced by a new station a few blocks away; that city link says construction should start late next year). Got bright lights or seen some? E-mail WSB!
One of the brightest business displays we’ve seen so far – the little Sleepless shack on Harbor Ave. Got bright lights or seen some? E-mail us!
One of the brightest houses in Fauntleroy is on 44th just south of the Fauntleroy/Wildwood/Brace Point tricorner intersection (map). Got bright lights, or saw some? E-mail us!
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