December 2017

FAMILY TRADITIONS

We’re all in this together OUR L A ANNU

y a d i l o H SUE IS

The White family keeps holiday traditions strong

YOUR G UIDE TO A KI D-F RIE NDLY CIT Y

A HUGE CALENDAR OF HOLIDAY EVENTS!

R S E AT T L E S C H I L D.C O M

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>>Contents Seattle’sChild

December 2017 // Issue 459

WHAT PARENTS ARE TALKING ABOUT......... 7 DAD NEXT DOOR..................11 ROMP............................................13 CHOMP........................................15 SHOP............................................17 FEATURE.................................. 20 CALENDAR..............................27 NEW MOM DISPATCH...... 39 q Making Home is on vacation until January/February.

PHOTO COURTESY OF XXXXXX XXXXXXXXX

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„ Find us online at seattleschild.com Cover photos by JOSHUA HUSTON D e c e mbe r 2 0 17

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Seattle’sChild December 2017 // Issue 459 “Seattle is my town. I know this city inside and out… or so I thought until I had kids.”

Seattle’s Child is your guide to getting to know your city all over again. Finding things to do, places to eat, and how to get around — it’s a whole new ballgame with kids in tow. We’re interested in how parents make homes in a space-challenged urban environment, how families create community, and what parents are talking about. Seattle’s Child reflects real Puget Sound families and their broad range of parenting experiences.

ANN BERGMAN Publisher, Founder abergman@seattleschild.com BOO DAVIS Art Director bdavis@seattleschild.com MAGGIE TRAPP Executive Editor mtrapp@seattleschild.com NICOLE SANTORA Calendar Editor calendar@seattleschild.com MIKE MAHONEY Copy Editor JEFF LEE, MD, BECCA BERGMAN BULL Columnists JO EIKE, REBECCA MONGRAIN, ANDIE POWERS Contributing Editors ERIKA LEE BIGELOW, JIAYING GRYGIEL, KATHLEEN HEDLAND HANSEN, SYDNEY PARKER. NIKI READING Contributing Writers AMY CADWELL Publisher’s Assistant ADVERTISING KIM LOVE Ad Production Manager klove@seattleschild.com MELIA WILKINSON Senior Sales Account Manager mwilkinson@seattleschild.com 774-253-2219 STEPHANIE KONAT Sales Account Manager skonat@seattleschild.com 425-770-4768

Seattle’sChild Seattle’s Child has been providing useful information to parents since 1979. In addition to our monthly magazine, look for our special themed publications — Explore, FamilyPages, School and SummerTime — distributed free throughout the Puget Sound area.

VOICE 206-441-0191 MAIL c/o USPS #112 1463 E Republican St. #193 Seattle, WA 98112 ONLINE seattleschild.com Like us on Facebook facebook.com/seattleschild Follow us on Twitter @SeaChildMag TO ADVERTISE advertise@seattleschild.com STORY IDEAS editor@seattleschild.com CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS Deadline is first of the month, one month prior to publication (Jan. 1 for March publication).

Include date, time, cost, appropriate ages, address, contact information and description.

E-mail to calendar@seattleschild.com Seattle’s Child is published monthly with combined issues in January/February and July/August.

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„ Find more education and health news on seattleschild.com

GET OUT! Find December outings for your family with our complete online calendar of events. It’s mobile-friendly, constantly updated, and searchable by location, age, cost and more » seattleschild.com E D U C AT I O N , H E A LT H , D E V E L O P M E N T & M O R E

»What Parents

BY NIKI READING

Are Talking About

Kids naturally understand and embrace spirituality.

A spiritual side P H OTO BY JOS H UA H U STO N

HOW CAN WE HELP CHILDREN DEVELOP SPIRITUALITY — WITHOUT NECESSARILY GOING TO CHURCH? For the past 13 years Heidi Ingersoll has worked to help kids create a spiritual practice. Yet she doesn’t currently take her 2-year-old son to church.

Ingersoll, who has a Ph.D. in education,

recently moved with her husband and son for work. They left behind a beloved faith community in Seattle. But she isn’t stressed about finding a new church.

That’s because, like many parents, she

knows spirituality can happen anywhere.

In recent decades church attendance has gone down, particularly among the generation that’s now raising children, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. While attending church has become less of a priority, many parents still want to ensure their children are developing spiritually. But how do you introduce kids to spirituality? And at what age?

“A transcendental experience where something inside you connects to something greater than yourself” is how CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

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What Parents Are Talking About <A

spiritual side

CONTINUED

Ingersoll defines spirituality. For her and her son, connecting to something greater often means simply strolling outside to examine leaves and rocks.

“Song, art, music, exercise — my son will spend 30 minutes hitting a ball. All of those things have the potential to be a spiritual practice,” she says.

Jennifer McLaughlin, Director of Family Ministries at Edmonds United Methodist Church, agrees. “Spirituality in childhood includes playing in a way that gives a child life.

That extends to any gifts and interests they

have,” she says, like playing an instrument.

“Children are physical, emotional and spiritual beings. They have something in them that wants to understand the deep questions of the universe,” says Dianne Ross, Minister to Children and Families at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Queen Anne.

Here are some tips for helping children access their spiritual side.

Centering practice “Introduce a centering practice for your child. We do deep breathing when we’re feeling worked up and it’s hard to selfsoothe,” McLaughlin says. “Learning how to

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become mindful is a spiritual practice you can start when a child is very young.”

With her son, who she says is “emotionally spirited,” deep-breathing exercises, either alone or together, are far more effective than a time-out.

She says it’s also valuable to encourage kids to draw or write when they need to re-center. “Help them trust that their voice has something important to say, and make space for them to say it,” she says.

Service and “creation care” Helping kids serve others is an important aspect of spirituality since it reinforces connection and responsibility to something greater than the self. Community service can be as simple as picking up litter during a walk, Ross says.

“We do a lot of what I call creation care,” she says. “It’s important to teach kids the idea that taking care of the earth is an act of social justice,” she says.

Another way to begin service projects with kids is to follow their lead. For an outgoing child that might mean signing up to serve meals at the church or shelter. For a music lover it could mean playing piano at a senior center.

Model the behavior “It can be hard to find time or space to interact with the spiritual aspect of your life. Adults think, ‘Wait, I don’t have time to fit this into my crazy busy schedule,’” Ingersoll says. “And children are constantly going.” She says the more children see their parents slowing down and making time for being centered and connected, the more they’ll want to do the same.

That can be as simple as bedtime yoga stretches with your kids or saying a simple prayer or meditation before meals, she says.

Build community Being part of a community is important for many reasons. “Spirituality is knowing you’re part of something bigger than yourself. A community is a bigger family,” Ross says. She notes that it’s important for kids to regularly be around people from different ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds. That way they understand that not everyone shares their exact experience.

McLaughlin says community is also valuable when many of us live far away from extended family. “We can’t do it alone,” she says. She adds that when children are older, it’s nice for them to have other trustworthy adults they can call on when they need help.

Focus on your own spiritual side Finding time for any spiritual practice can seem daunting for busy parents. But the experts say that taking time — with our kids or on our own — can be just as helpful for parents as it is for children.

“The spiritual journey of parenting is about recognizing the good and the gifts in your child, and helping your child see them and practice them,” McLaughlin says.

Taking time while you’re with your kids to breathe, re-center and find connection to your spiritual side may help make difficult parenting moments easier to manage.

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Help surviving the holidays HAVE LESS STRESS WITH THESE 7 TIPS FOR FAMILIES OF SPECIAL-NEEDS CHILDREN

PHOTO BY JOSHUA HUSTON

BY CHRISTOPHER HIBBELN This season brings a mixture of family joy and stress for everyone. But when you have a child with special needs, especially behavioral difficulties, the holidays can quickly become overwhelming for even the most capable parent. In my 12 years as a counselor at the Overlake Specialty School in Bellevue, I have seen that hardship during the holidays is all too common.

Communicating the reality of parenting a child with special needs takes time and patience — two things that are often in short supply during the holiday season.

Large family gatherings are often planned without consideration for a child’s emotional or behavioral issues. These gatherings can disrupt daily patterns; can involve a lot of socializing, loud conversations and divided attentions; and are generally overwhelming — even for adults.

Behaviorally challenged children often find the holiday season anxiety provoking

Be sure to offer kids an out during hectic holidays.

and might choose to avoid or disrupt gatherings in socially inappropriate ways.

When such problems occur, extended family can be quick to offer advice, make snap judgments or step in to help in ways that

are less than helpful. Extended family may mean well, but they might not be familiar with how you parent a child with autism, anxiety, depression or oppositional CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

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What Parents Are Talking About CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

behaviors. And with everything else going on, it is unlikely that a parent will have time to explain.

Here are seven tips for how to plan ahead and communicate with your family and your child during the holidays: 1. When visiting another home, ask your extended family member to make a room available as a low-stimulation room to which your child can retreat when things are difficult.

2. Let your child know what to expect from the gathering, and discuss with them alternatives and skills they might need when they are overwhelmed or do not want to participate.

3. Bring a backpack for your child with activities or relaxation tools.

If possible, have your child practice using those tools beforehand.

4. Give yourself plenty of extra time for traveling, and explain to your extended family that you don’t know exactly what time you will arrive.

5. Let your extended family know how you will deal with difficulties. Of course, it is not realistic that all extended family members will be skilled when supporting a struggle with your child, but communication can reduce the potential that a child will split the adults and get everyone arguing. Let extended family know that you understand they might not do things the way you do, but that you are trying to follow the advice of professionals and could use their support in doing so.

6. If family members want to share their concerns, ask them to write them down, so you can really take your time and go over their concerns later, not today.

7. And most important for you as a parent, practice your own adult relaxation skills before and during events, so that you avoid falling into power struggles or unhealthy conversations.

For all those who are not the parents of a child with difficulties but will be sharing your holiday with one, please remember to ask about their needs in advance, and then prepare to be flexible. Happy Holidays!

Christopher Hibbeln has worked as a licensed mental health counselor specializing in children with severe behavioral difficulties since 2005. He is currently a counselor at Overlake Specialty School.

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DadNextDoor

by Jeff Lee, MD

NEW EXHIBIT NOW OPEN

A little encouragement from across the fence

P H OTO BY JOS H UA H U STON

Say something What is it about this time of year that brings out the monsters? A little over 12 months ago I was all ready to write a cute piece about homemade Halloween costumes when a videotape surfaced of a presidential candidate bragging about sexual assault. I ended up writing a very different column that day.

This year, I had a holiday piece about misremembered Christmas carols queued up. It was going to be all kinds of nostalgic and charming. Then Harvey Weinstein happened. With a sigh of resignation, I put “… good king, when his sloth looked down …” and “... in his silky dales…” back into my Future Columns file and sat down to write this instead.

The thing is, I’ve got a little girl named Pippa in my life now, and one day (all too soon) she’s going to be a young woman. If the world doesn’t change between now and then, she’s going to meet men in her life who try to do bad things to her. I can hardly even think about that, much less talk coherently about it. But I have to say something.

When I wrote my article on this subject last year, a good buddy of mine took issue with it.

“I just don’t think most men are like that,” he said. “I’d never do any of those things, and none of the guys I know would either.” But then a couple of weeks later he told me that he’d asked his college-aged daughter if anything like that had ever happened to her, and she’d looked at him incredulously. Yes, she told him — about once a week.

Ask any woman that question, and you’ll get much the same answer. Sexual harassment isn’t the exception in women’s lives — it’s the rule. And given how commonplace it is, our cluelessness as men doesn’t absolve us from guilt. It condemns us. When a problem is this big and this pervasive, anyone who isn’t fighting to solve it is contributing to it.

And for many men who would never admit it, their contribution is anything but passive. One in five women is raped at some point in her life, but most of those rapes aren’t committed by strangers. The majority are date rapes and acquaintance rapes committed by men who either don’t understand consent or don’t think it’s necessary. They would never call themselves rapists or sexual predators. In their minds they’re just playing the game.

They’re just “boys being boys.”

Sexual harassment isn’t the exception in women’s lives — it’s the rule. And given how commonplace it is, our cluelessness as men doesn’t absolve us from guilt. It condemns us. When a problem is this big and this pervasive, anyone who isn’t fighting to solve it is contributing to it.

Sexual harassment in the workplace is on the same continuum. It’s still about power: the power to take what you want because you can. Harvey Weinstein’s accusers may be famous and successful now, but when he first targeted them they were very young, and he had the power to make or break their careers. But like any form of privilege or abuse, those who CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

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DadNextDoor CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

wield it seldom recognize it for what it is. Even someone like Weinstein finds a way to justify his heinous behavior to himself. The same is true of the more commonplace, mundane kind of creep. These are the awkward, clueless but sometimes powerful men who make sexual references or deliver unwanted touches under the guise of jokes or “friendly” gestures, all the while hoping their advances will somehow be welcomed and returned. They lurk in every industry and every „ Read all of Jeff Lee’s columns on workplace. seattleschild.com They’re out there waiting — for your daughter and mine.

In the wake of the Weinstein scandal and other recent revelations about famous, predatory men, waves of women have come forward to tell their stories. There seems to be a genuine shift in the national discussion, and it’s long overdue. But as Anita Hill taught us during Clarence Thomas’ confirmation hearings 26 years ago, the courage of women alone is not always enough to change the world. This is a problem with men. Sooner or later men are going to have to help fix it. And the men who will inhabit the world in which our daughters will someday live and work are already right beside them, under their roofs and in their classrooms. These are the ones we have to reach right now.

We need to tell our sons. We need to tell them what harassment is, and what it feels like to the girls and women on the receiving end. We need to tell them about consent — what it is, what it isn’t and what they can never, ever do without it.

And after we tell them we need to tell our brothers and our coworkers and our husbands. We need to convince them to be vocal role models for every man and every boy they know. Sexual violence in its many forms is literally a silent epidemic. Silence feeds it and allows it to spread — not just the silence of victims but the silence of complicit, oblivious men. There’s only one way to stop it.

Say something.

Jeff Lee lives, works and misremembers Christmas carols in Seattle.

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„ Find more things to do with kids on seattleschild.com Right under your nose!

WINTERFEST AT SEATTLE CENTER Seattle Center’s annual wintertime celebration is a holiday favorite. The event starts the day after Thanksgiving and runs through New Year’s Eve. Winterfest provides lots of free and affordable activities for the entire family. Visit the miniature winter train and village located inside the Armory. Step into the conductor’s booth for a chance to work the controls. Skate on the Winterfest ice rink before checking out the ice sculpting and live performances. And don’t miss the fireworks show on New Year’s Eve! 3seattlecenter.com/winterfest

»Romp THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS

>> Romp > Chomp

qBY REBECCA MONGRAIN

> Shop

5 HOLIDAY ICE SKATING RINKS

1

Bellevue Magic Season Ice Arena

Skate in the Magic Season at the Bellevue Seasonal Ice Arena from Nov. 24 to Jan. 15. This large, open-air holiday iceskating experience has free skate events and lessons. The covered arena means you can skate rain or shine.

3 bellevuedowntown.com/ events/ice-arena

2

Sno-King Ice Arenas

Ice-skate year-round at the Renton and Kirkland Sno-King Ice Arenas.

These indoor rinks offer frequent public skate times along with discount sessions. Skating lessons, broomball, hockey camps and birthday party rentals are also available.

3 snokingrenton.com

3

Highland Ice Arena

Shoreline’s Highland Ice Arena, family owned and operated for 55 years, is open year-round for all ages. While not glitzy, the rink is big, with lessons for those 3 and up. Kids under 5 skate for free.

3 highlandice.com

4

Lynnwood Ice Center

The Lynnwood Ice Center offers a rink for more serious skaters, with lessons starting at age 3 along with hockey programs. Their “Find Your Feet” class is free with paid admission.

WE ST S EAT T LE A RT N E ST PHOTO BY J OS HUA HUSTON WIN TE RF E ST: SA DDL E BURN M ED IA

Make a joyful holiday mess at the Gingerhread House Workshop.

Candy houses at Art Nest The Pinterest dream of building gingerbread houses and salt-dough ornaments often fizzles once we attempt to gather supplies and fret over keeping the house clean. West Seattle Art Nest comes to the rescue with its Gingerbread House Workshop.

Gather family and friends, and leave the preparation (and cleanup) to Art Nest. For up to five people, Art Nest provides pre-assembled houses (extra houses can be purchased for $25) along with a cornucopia of candy, lots of icing, tasty treats and seasonal drinks. After the fun CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

3 lynnwoodicecenter.com

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Kent Valley Ice Centre

The Kent Valley Ice Centre is not only a great rink but also offers a putt-putt course and batting cages.

Lessons start at age 3; kids under 3 skate free.

3 familynightout.com

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Romp

< West Seattle CONTINUED

Art Nest

is over, they’ll clean up the mess and send you home to enjoy your very own gingerbread creation! The cost is $45 for hours of fun and years of memories.

Along with their holiday workshop offerings, the community art space offers open studio hours as well as Mess Playdates on Fridays, themed workshops for both children

and adults, private parties and community-building events throughout the year. Additionally they rent out the space for classes and other specialty art-based programs.

The best part about Art Nest? They clean up all the glitter, glue and paint.

West Seattle Art Nest is the perfect place to work off some crafting energy on cold, rainy days. Their six themed rooms allow

Visit The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor in December!

We are open year round and in walking distance from the mainland.

4138 California Ave. SW, westseattleartnest.com

Big Joy

for little people

Dec. 1, 3:30 to 5:00 Come to The Whale Museum for holiday treats, crafts & caroling!

Free and open to the public 62 First Street N., Friday Harbor 360-378-4710 ext. 30 www.whalemuseum.org 14

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Escape from Seattle!

HEAD NORTH FOR A LIGHTED WONDERLAND Starting Nov. 30, Stanwood lights up with more than a million lights spread across 15 acres during the Lights of Christmas, the largest Christmas light display in the Pacific Northwest.

Once the creative light displays and animated scenes have been explored, make sure to enjoy the live music and theater. Buy handcrafted items from local artisans while enjoying fresh mini-donuts along with pony rides, a light maze, a train ride, a make-yourown-ornament event and a visit with Santa Claus. 3thelightsofchristmas.com

ART NEST: JOSHUA HUSTON, COURTESY OF LIGHTS OF CHR ISTMAS

All the fixings for gingerbread houses at Art Nest.

for endless creativity. Kids especially love the splatter room where they’re encouraged to throw Koosh balls dipped in paint at the walls or just paint with regular paintbrushes. Other rooms include a bead room, watercolor area, seasonal craft project and tempera paint table.

“We promote quality family time, and that’s why our space is so awesome,” says co-owner Althea Kalivoda. “Families are exploring together, creating together and being fully present with each other.”

Co-owners Kalivoda and Mary Murphy work hard to make West Seattle Art Nest a place where families and kids can come to explore their creativity.

“Art Nest makes the artist the creator,” says Kalivoda. q West Seattle Art Nest,

„ Find more ideas for eating with kids on seattleschild.com

BOUNTIFUL BEANS The holidays are fast approaching, and if you’re stumped for gift ideas for sleep-deprived parents, look no further. Bean Box partners with Seattle’s top roasters, including Lighthouse, Slate and Herkimer, and offers monthly sampling subscriptions, a Coffee of the

HOLIDAYS AT GREEN LAKE

E NGINE H OU S E NO. 9 BY J OS HUA HU STO N CO U RT E SY O F B EAN BOX , GR E E N LAK E ’S PAT H WAY OF LI GH TS

Looking to light up your December? Head to Green Lake’s Pathway of Lights, a festive annual holiday celebration.

Stroll the loop around the lake, lit by the warm glow of luminaria, and enjoy sounds of the season performed by local schools and artists.

When dinnertime arrives, remember that there are many family-friendly

eateries near Green Lake.

Located a stone’s throw from the playground are three of our favorites.

Rosita’s Mexican Grill (7210 Woodlawn Ave. NE) offers a wide range of quality Mexican fare, a wide selection of margaritas for thirsty parents and complimentary handmade tortillas and salsa. Just down the road, the modern and airy Shelter (7110 E. Green Lake Dr. N) offers upscale pub grub with great views of the lake and park. One block over, Lucia (7102 Woodlawn Ave. NE) serves handmade pasta and a range of pizzas, and their signature truffle spaghetti and meatballs is not to be missed.

Saturday, Dec. 9, 4:30-7:30 pm 3facebook.com/ GreenLakePathwayofLights 3rositasrestaurant.com 3shelterlounge.com 3iheartlucia.com

E AT I N G W I T H K I D S

Month Club, artisanal chocolates and an array of gift baskets. All of their plans can be customized to suit your own tastes with the help of their knowledgeable staff, and their beans are shipped within 48 hours of roasting, guaranteeing you the freshest cup. It might not be an extra hour of sleep, but it’s the next best thing. 3 beanbox.co

qBY JO EIKE

»Chomp > Romp >> Chomp > Shop

The Mimura family enjoys the fries at Tacoma’s Engine House No. 9.

Festive food adventures It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and here in Seattle we’re lucky to have plenty of winter wonderland options for festive, food-filled jaunts right on our doorstep. Here are a few day-trip or weekend-away ideas the whole family will love.

Only a couple of hours from Seattle, Leavenworth makes you feel like you’ve been transported to the middle of Bavaria. For their

annual Village of Lights celebration, Saint Nickolaus greets kiddos on Friday evenings.

Saturdays and Sundays offer a Christmas parade, carolers, sledding and more. Traditional German fare can be enjoyed at Bavarian Bistro, where you’ll find schnitzel, housemade sausages and more than 20 different beers on tap. q 801 Front St., Leavenworth, bavarianbistrobar.com CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

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Chomp < Festive

food adventures CONTINUED

Taking the Clipper to Victoria, British Columbia, from downtown Seattle is an easy escape without a plane, train or automobile. The harbor and historic town are beautifully decorated for the holidays, and Butchart Gardens offers light displays, ice skating, a carousel and more. And no trip to Victoria would be complete without high tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel; q 721 Government St., Victoria. fairmont.com/empress-victoria

For some tax-free holiday shopping, head to Portland. Take the kids to the Oregon Zoo for their impressive ZooLights celebration. Portland is home to a growing fleet of more than 500 food trucks, so lunch and dinner options abound. Potato Champion has a legendary poutine, and kids will get a kick out of the PB&J fries. Some of the city’s best comfort food is inside a school bus at The Grilled Cheese Grill, which even offers a crusts-off version for tiny diners. q potatochampion.com, grilledcheesegrill.com

Closer to home, head south to Tacoma’s Fantasy Lights, the largest drive-through holiday light show in the Northwest. When it’s time to eat, try Engine House No. 9, a charming neighborhood brewery located in a beautiful old firehouse. The impressive menu offers an abundance of family favorites (including firehouse chili, of course), and there are plenty of classic arcade games to keep diners young and old entertained. q 611 N. Pine St., Tacoma, ehouse9.com

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EAT OUT IN EDMONDS Located just 18 miles north of downtown Seattle, Edmonds is a charming seaside town offering views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound, a walkable and adorable city center, and a flourishing culinary scene. Whether you’re passing through to catch a ferry or making a beach day trip with the kiddos, be sure to try some of our favorite places to eat around town.

190 Sunset offers high-quality, seasonal Northwest fare in a location close to the ferry terminal and the Sounder commuter train.

The spacious, welcoming location includes a large, enclosed patio perfect for little ones to roam. Favorites on the kids’ menu are the always-popular sliders, buttered linguini, and steak and fries for larger appetites. 190 Sunset is located in the same complex as the Cascadia Art Museum, so you can follow your meal with a little culture. 190 Sunset Ave., 190sunset.com Chanterelle is a charming neighborhood bistro located in a refurbished historic building in the heart of downtown Edmonds just three blocks from the waterfront. It’s a popular breakfast spot where kids can create their own meal from the “mix and match” option, and parents can choose from a wide range of Benedicts, breakfast bowls, and more. Lunch and dinner options include an impressive selection of seafood. The tomato bisque is some of the best in town, and the grilled cheese sandwich includes a delicious blend of five cheeses, grilled to perfection. 316 Main St., chanterellewa.com Located just across from the ferry, Evviva specializes in Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and prides itself on using all-organic ingredients, both Italian-imported and locally sourced.

The blueberry goat cheese pizza is an unusual but delicious combination, and the fig and imported Italian prosciutto is not to be missed.

For a truly special dessert, treat your kids to some D’Ambrosio gelato or housemade tiramisu. 178 Sunset Ave. S, evvivapizza.com

PHOTO BY WALTER SIEGMU ND

JANUARY 5 - 7, 2018

„ More shopping local on seattleschild.com

PERSONALIZED SACKS SANTA WOULD LOVE

STAY DRY AS A BUG THIS SEASON

Bump up the holiday gift-giving experience with a cute present sack from Get the Party Started. This personalized bag features a plaid moose and the gift recipient’s name. Made of cotton canvas with a drawstring opening that keeps everything hidden inside. $18.50 3 Etsy: Get the Party Started

Your little one will be the cutest little bug on the block with Western Chief’s Lucy the Ladybug umbrella. The pop-up antennas will delight, while the ladybug face will keep everyone dry and happy.

Add the matching coat and rain boots for an extra punch of fun! $16 3 shop.westernchief.com

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>> Shop

LOVE IS A SUPERPOWER Show off your kid’s superpower of love with this delightful Free to Be Kids T-shirt. Send the message that love is powerful and strong! Designed in Seattle and ethically cut and sewn in sweatshop-free facilities, these shirts are made of 60 percent cotton and 40 percent polyester. $17.95 3 freetobekids.com

Laura Jennings, Knack founder, curates gifts.

K NACK PHOTO BY J OS HUA H USTON OT HE R IM AGES CO URTE SY O F COM PANIE S

A Knack for gift giving In the season of gift giving, it can often be overwhelming to find that perfect something for your loved one. Seattle’s Knack might be just the solution to this struggle. They help gift givers create incredible presents that can be customized for every kind of recipient, from teachers to friends, kids and college

students. The online gift-giving site provides users with personal curators to help craft the perfect present.

Gift givers can either start their Knack experience with a pre-created set that is fully customizable or create their own gift set from scratch. Each artisan product CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE >

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»Shop BOOK CLUB

SEATTLEʼS PREMIER NANNY AGENCY “Your child deserves the best, and so do you”

Known for our exceptional personal service, long-term support and unique approach to finding just the right fit for your family.

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Heartwarming reads for the holidays

Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott with cover design

by Anna Bond Vintage Classics, 2012 reprint

Grade 3 and up A treasure that measures the weight of tradition and family with the desires in one’s own heart.

An absolute joy that every little girl (and boy) should experience.

318 30th Ave E., Seattle WA 98112 | 206.328.4475

includes a story about its provenance, and every gift set comes with a custom-printed Knackbook containing the sender’s message along with a biography of the merchants and their products.

Knack offers baby and kid gift sets with products that cannot easily be found elsewhere. They have college gift sets for when your kids have flown the nest but still need a remembrance of home. Cuddly sweaters, blankets and special books round out the baby sets while the kid sets are packed full of bright, playful products.

The giant games from Snake Eyes Yard Games and the Doodle placemat from Eat Sleep Doodle are great additions to almost any kid gift set.

Discerning customers can narrow down their selections further by singling out sustainable and locally sourced products, female-owned businesses or even products from businesses with fewer than 10 employees. q knackshops.com

Love, Santa

Written by Martha Brockenbrough and illustrated

by Lee White Grade 2 and up Brockenbrough and White give us a poignant story to help families deal with revealing the secret of Santa — and avoiding disappointment and confusion. This book reminds us that the holidays are about love and magic no matter how enlightened we might be.

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Grade 7 & up

Preschool-Grade 2 Baking cookies, picking a Christmas tree, that sweetsmelling orange in the top of your stocking. All of these traditions are lovingly arranged in this fabulous scratch-andsniff picture book you’ll be reading for years to come.

Start a new holiday tradition by sharing books by the fire with your favorite tween or teen. These 12 holiday stories by YA authors like Rainbow Rowell and Matt de la Peña will coax older kids into hanging with the family for an evening or two.

Golden Books, 2003 reprint

We encourage each child’s innate passion for learning through intellectual exploration, imaginative thinking and the practice of kindness.

Pre-K through 5th Grade

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www.toptentoys.com Decem b er 2 0 1 7

by Patricia M. Scarry

St. Martin’s Griffin, 2016 reprint

The Power of Childhood

Arts & Crafts • Books • Baby Accessories • Dolls • Kites • Puppets Puzzles • Musical Instruments • Science • Games Enviromentally Conscious Toys • Party Favors

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The Sweet Smell of Christmas

by Various Authors

Scholastic, 2017

Fun, e & cre ducationa ative l to the e ntire ys for famil y!

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Celebrate your child’s next birthday at –

How to find great books for your kids

BY MARTHA BROCKENBROUGH We all want our kids to read, but often we have no idea what they should be reading — so we revert to classic books we once loved. Sometimes we even assume these books are better.

Here’s the thing: many beloved classics have serious problems you never noticed when you were young (sort of like you might not have thought twice about riding your bike without a helmet): • Little House on the Prairie is racist and considered harmful by many Native Americans.

• Roald Dahl was not only an antiSemite, he was such a jerk that his publisher fired him.

• Some early Dr. Seuss books have racist images (which Theodor Geisel tried to make amends for in his later work).

You can still love these books for turning you into a reader. But you owe your kids better books: juicy, well-written stories that truthfully represent our complex world. Fortunately, these sorts of books are easy to find when you know where to look.

Seattle has two independent bookstores dedicated to children’s books: Secret Garden Books in Ballard and Alphabet Soup in Wallingford. Look for the sticky-note “shelf-talkers.” These tell you what booksellers love to read.

And ask for help. Indie booksellers are passionate about books and can deliver just what your child needs.

Look for the award winners.

The Caldecott is for the best-illustrated picture book. The Newbery is for readers under 14, and the Printz is for young adults (readers 12 and up). Find these and more on the American Library Association website (ALA.org).

For kids who love graphic novels: The ALA keeps a list at ALA.org. While parents are often skeptical, these books absolutely count as reading and help boost kids’ visual literacy.

Want stories for and about kids with brown skin? Check out reviews at The Brown Bookshelf: thebrownbookshelf.com. Likewise, the Our Story app features exceptional books with diverse characters and themes: ourstory.diversebooks.org/kids/.

Martha Brockenbrough is the award-winning author of books for young readers. Her latest titles are Alexander Hamilton: Revolutionary and Love, Santa.

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20301 NE 108th St. • Redmond, WA 98053

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ALL FOR FUN, FUN FOR ALL

Welcome to the winter holidays! Christmas carols may try to convince you it’s the most wonderful time of the year, but whether your celebrations include Santa, dreidels and latkes, or Kwanzaa candelabras, the season can include a hearty heaping of stress. To that we say bah humbug! And we offer you a collection of family stories and holiday ideas that will bring the merry back to your December festivities.

Family traditions teach us we’re all in this together

BY KATHERINE HEDLAND HANSEN

The White family suits up for the holidays.

On Christmas Eve Jonetta and Geno White will allow their kids to open one present. These gifts are never a surprise.

As they have for many years, every member of the family will receive matching Christmas pajamas.

The next morning all of them — Zenyia, 17; Geno Jr., 16; Gjianni, 15; and Geron, 10 — will wear their new pajamas. Even as most of the White kids have become teenagers and more picky about fashion, they all don their holiday apparel. “We get fleece bottoms, things like that, so they’re cool enough,” Jonetta says with a laugh.

“They better come down in those PJs!” In their holiday jammies the family gathers to open the rest of their gifts.

When the kids were younger the Federal Way family started a tradition of putting names in a cup to see who would give a gift to whom.

“We were giving them gifts, but they wanted to give something to each other or to us,” Jonetta says. “We try to get something the person would be surprised

to get or that says, ‘You actually listen to me when I talk.’” It might be a book by a favorite author or something the recipient enjoys even if the giver doesn’t. One year the Whites’ daughter gave her brother a Transformers costume because he was really into them months after Halloween.

The White family also volunteers at the annual JDRF Gingerbread Village, which benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The family chooses a day every year to greet visitors, thank donors, answer questions and spread awareness and holiday cheer. One of the White children has juvenile diabetes, for which there is no cure, and the family wants to support the organization working to find one.

“The gingerbread village is so beautiful, but the best part is that we get to give back to a cause that is near and dear to our hearts,” Jonetta says.

Jonetta, who works in social services, and Geno, an IT director at Expedia, strive to create lasting memories for their family, especially as the children get older and busier.

“It helps us to celebrate in our own way,” Jonetta says. “We’re doing this together.”

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Mixing up old and new customs The EisterHargrave family enjoys giving to the community.

The Hill Halvorson family cherishes the past while focusing on the future.

Sharing what we have with those in need

BY JIAYING GRYGIEL When she was 6, Ruby Eister-Hargrave was really into ABBA, so her mom got nosebleed seats to Mamma Mia! at the Paramount Theatre.

They were walking through downtown to the show when Ruby saw a person holding a sign: “Hungry. Can you spare a dollar?”

“She just looked at me and was like, ‘Mom, what do we do?’” says Leah Eister-Hargrave. “And I said, ‘Well, we can give the guy a dollar.’”

That answer didn’t satisfy Ruby, so she and her mom brainstormed ideas about how to help, specifically looking for things a kid could do.

“We wanted to make sure the people we were helping felt helped and not condescended to,” Leah says.

A friend suggested making sandwiches and handing them out at intersections. Ruby took the idea and ran with it.

Leah remembers how Ruby kept coming up with more things: “It’s almost Christmas; let’s make cookies. I want to make a picture and put it in. It’s really cold out; can Making a we put something difference one else in there?” kit at a time.

Ruby filled 35 Ziploc gallon bags, each one containing cookies, a card, clean socks, hand warmers, sandwiches and a

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water bottle. Along with her mom, her brother and a friend and his mom, they drove all over town handing them out.

They stopped along the Pike-Pine corridor on Capitol Hill and walked under the Alaskan Way Viaduct, giving out kits to people setting up for the night.

“It was all really, really nice,” Leah says. “All the people we handed off to were friendly and grateful and so sweet to the kids. And the kids were so excited.”

After handing out the last bag, they wrapped up the holiday spirit experience by driving around and looking at Christmas lights.

The Eister-Hargraves dubbed the project Ruby Cares, and they have carried it out almost every winter since. Ruby, now 13, is very industrious about making packages. Her brother, Wyatt, 9, isn’t so into the assembly-line process, but he’s more outgoing. “When it comes time to hand them out,” says Leah, “he’s the one who jumps out of the car first: ‘Hey! I have something for you!’”

The family, who lives in Queen Anne, asks for donations from friends and has received toothbrushes and toothpaste, hand sanitizer and socks.

One friend made 60 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and brought them over. Another mom friend started making comfort kits with her own kids.

“It just snowballs,” Leah says.

“For us it was important to recognize people who are having a hard time — to recognize that they are human beings just like us. It feels nice to have this interaction. You’re having a hard time, and it’s Christmas. We hope this makes you feel good.”

BY KATHERINE HEDLAND HANSEN Lindsay Hill and Matt Halvorson enjoy family Christmas traditions like decorating the tree and making favorite meals, but they’ve also created new customs around winter solstice and Kwanzaa reflecting their commitment to social justice and creating a strong community for their two sons.

“We’re holding onto the best parts of our own childhood traditions and incorporating new things into the traditions we grew up with,” Lindsay says. “We’re making our

tradition what we want and need it to be.”

Matt and Lindsay take Julian, 9, and Zeke, 3, to a Christmas tree farm, make cookies for Santa and put out celery and carrots for the reindeer just like Lindsay’s family did every year.

“We make the same cookies my grandma used to make, except now we try to make them without gluten,” Lindsay says.

Matt prepares the traditional Norwegian and Swedish dishes he ate with his parents growing up in the Midwest — even lutefisk, the lye-soaked whitefish whose taste and texture are not for everyone.

“That’s how I grew up

celebrating Christmas,” Matt says. “I promised my dad a long time ago that I would keep eating lutefisk. I take about three bites — usually with hot sauce — but Julian loves it.”

Along with Christmas cheer, they also incorporate meaningful rituals around their community activism, which they point out runs throughout the year.

Matt, who writes about educational equity at Rise Up For Students, and Lindsay, a program officer who works on national education strategy and diversity at the Raikes Foundation, are

committed to racial and social equity. Their family traveled to Ferguson, Missouri, to mark the one-year anniversary of the police shooting of Michael Brown, and they spent time at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota this year protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

They want those values to permeate their holidays — even as they take pictures with Santa.

Their family also celebrates winter solstice, gathering friends around a fire in their upper Rainier Beach backyard to honor friendship and express

A house that’s always open

BY SYDNEY PARKER When Noa and Oded Dvoskin moved from Israel to the United States, they brought their favorite family Chanukah traditions with them. Growing up as the daughter of the head of the Department of Jewish Folklore and Comparative Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Noa lived in a home filled with Jewish artifacts, including a wall of nearly 500 menorahs. “There is not a single white space on the wall,” says Noa. “My father knows the story for each one of them.”

Now with three young children of their own (Talya, 7, Nogah, 5, and Moar, 1), the Dvoskins enjoy celebrating the Jewish festival of lights by lighting several of their own special menorahs in their Victory Heights home. They even have one in the shape of an old Volkswagen van. The family tries to make each of the eight nights a little different. “I think it’s rare that we have a single night of Chanukah by ourselves,” says Oded. “Sometimes our neighbor comes over, sometimes it’s Talya’s best friend — we always have friends over to light the candles together.”

The Dvoskins make latkes, traditional potato pancakes fried in oil, to celebrate the Chanukah miracle, which involved the oil of the ancient Temple menorah burning bright for eight days instead of just one. Oded likes to experiment with healthy variations, adding sweet potatoes, carrots and yams to his latkes.

The children play dreidel, a game with a spinning top that has four Hebrew letters on the side.

The letters are the first initials of the words in the phrase nes gadol haya sham, meaning “a great miracle happened there.”

The winner of the game gets gelt — small chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil.

On one night of Chanukah, instead of gifts, Noa and Oded give the children a piece of gelt with their name printed on it.

Bringing light into the darkest time of year is a meaningful tradition to the Dvoskins. The family enjoys sharing the spirit of the holiday with the community. “Our house is always open to others,” says Oded. “We invite everyone to come and experience that joy and that light with us.”

gratitude. A few years ago, they began celebrating Kwanzaa, making a point during the seven-day celebration that starts after Christmas to talk with their children about its themes, such as collective work and responsibility, unity and self-determination.

“We focus on joy and strength and the power in our community,” Lindsay says. “It feels like a better way to end the year — honoring your family and reflecting on your commitments to making the world a better place and being the best version of yourself in the year ahead.”

The Dvoskin family shares light in the darkness.

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Happy ChristmaKwanzaanukkahSolstivus!

BY JIAYING GRYGIEL During the winter solstice, the Holguin family in Magnolia celebrates with a cozy fire, a potluck with friends, a visit from the winter fairy — and no bedtime!

Everyone tries to stay up to see the sunrise, but no one ever makes it.

Vinny, 8, pushes it until 11 pm (bedtime is usually 8:30), and his parents go to bed a little after him.

Mom Jessica Holguin started their “annual secular astronomical phenomenon celebration” when Vinny was 3 or 4. They added a winter fairy because they weren’t so sure about “the Santa thing.” The fairy, who’s all done up in a wig, crown, glitter, wings and eyelashes, knocks on the door with some small presents for the kids. The fairy asks the kids to make a winter wish, which she writes down and then throws into the fire. Vinny hasn’t figured out who plays the winter fairy — yet.

Solstice is Vinny’s favorite holiday because he gets to stay up late, and it’s just one party in a month of celebrations for the family. With dad Marti’s

The Holguin family welcomes the winter fairy.

birthday in early December and Vinny’s birthday in January — and Chanukah, solstice and Christmas in between — the darkest month of the year is a very busy season.

“We pretty much party the entire month,” Jessica says. “And then we’re just too exhausted.”

Jessica didn’t grow up with strong holiday traditions and mostly remembers Christmas as a time when people who didn’t like each other got together and added alcohol.

Her husband’s family is Jewish and Native American. “Our family ancestry is so varied and sprinkled across so many states and regions, we could pick all kinds of holidays to celebrate,” Jessica says. “So we touch on all different parts of our heritages. We make the rounds in December.

A little bit of this, a little of that.”

Some years they’ve sent out holiday cards for “Happy ChristmaKwanzaanukkahSolstivus!” The family improvises their own traditions to celebrate. The important thing is to take time to be together.

“It gets you through those dark, horrible months in Seattle,” Jessica says. “Makes it go by very fast. Before you know it, it’s February.”

Ornaments create a roadmap to the past

The Mangrobang family collects memories.

BY JIAYING GRYGIEL Leanne Mangrobang’s parents put a Christmas ornament in her stocking every year when she was growing up.

And they still do even though now she’s 37 and has her own family.

“It’s so sweet that they still get them for me, and I look forward to it,” Leanne says. “Now it’s to the point that they can’t stop.”

Leanne saved all the ornaments and even the original boxes — one for every year since she was born. Her parents started with rocking horse ornaments from Hallmark (this was 1980, pre-Etsy)

then continued with snowmen.

“I loved the tradition and knowing I could always have my own Christmas tree when I had my own place. So we decided to do the same for our son,” Leanne says.

Henry, 2½, is really into music, especially the guitar his preschool teacher plays. A remote control becomes a guitar. A stuffed animal becomes a guitar. So his ornament this year is … a guitar.

“I wanted it to symbolize what is going on in his life or our lives that year,” Leanne says.

For his first Christmas, Henry received a couple of ornaments.

One was a handmade stuffed bear stitched with his name. Another was a hippo because he had a hippo-themed nursery. And a gummy bear ornament for all the gummy bears Leanne ate at the hospital after getting an epidural.

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How many ornaments do they have? “Too many,” Leanne says.

The Mangrobangs, who live in north Ballard, store their collection in Rubbermaid tubs stacked in the hall closet. With an active toddler on the loose, the really fragile ornaments don’t go on the tree. But Leanne hangs the soft ornaments and the ones that play music toward the bottom for Henry.

Leanne’s parents started getting her husband, Werlindo, ornaments as well.

They’ve chosen things that represent him. One year it was a nerdy snowman with a calculator (he’s an actuary). He’s also received a beer stein ornament, a Seahawk and a banjo. And Leanne got him a controller ornament because he likes video games.

“Once I see a cute ornament,” Leanne says, “I have to get that too.”

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Assumption-St. Bridget School Now enrolling PreK-8th Giving children an Education for Life!

Santa is driving in to ACM this holiday season. Get your complimentary photo with Museum admission.

It’s like receiving 365 presents all at once.

•Holistic •ExpEriEntial •individualizEd, joyful lEarning •yoga & MEditation •naturE awarEnEss •finE arts, frEncH & spanisH

Open house dates: 12/6 9:00-10:30am 1/10 3:30-5:00pm To RSVP visit us at livingwisdomschoolwa.org

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Kindergarten through 5th 206.524.0653 | ucoopschool.org Inspired to Learn Called to Serve Prepared to Lead

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asbschool.org December 20 17

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Good food, family togetherness and generosity The Feldman family brings their Chanukah traditions to Seattle.

BY SYDNEY PARKER Growing up in the heat of Texas, Orly Feldman never thought she would come to appreciate rainy Seattle winters. But after celebrating Chanukah in the Emerald City with her husband Matthew and three children (Ella, 6, Noah, 3, Ethan, one month), Orly says there’s nothing quite like getting cozy in the house with her family during the holidays. This year she’s planning to bring a little Southwestern charm to her Chanukah celebration. “I’m thinking about getting the kids monogramed Chanukah pajamas,” says Orly. “It’s a Southern tradition to print names on your children’s clothes.”

Back in New Jersey where Matthew was raised, his large extended family threw Latke Fest, a cooking competition to make the best version of the Jewish potato pancake. Today Matthew puts the latkes on a pan and cooks them outside on the grill, adding variations like celery root and sweet potato.

Orly and the kids prefer dipping them in applesauce, but Matthew is a sour cream fan.

The Feldmans also enjoy jelly donuts around the holiday. Like latkes, jelly donuts are cooked in oil meant to symbolize the miracle of Chanukah. The tradition originated in Poland and migrated to Israel. In the 1920s, the Israeli Labor Federation declared jelly donuts the official food of Chanukah. While latkes are easy to make at home, jelly donuts provided Israeli laborers with jobs baking, transporting and merchandising each box of donuts. On a trip to Israel with 20 other Seattle women last year, Orly had the opportunity to try an authentic Israeli jelly donut. “I’d never tasted anything like it,” says Orly. “Truly amazing.”

Before chowing down, each family member lights his or her own special menorah.

The kids enjoy setting up an electric menorah as well as cling decals on the window to share the festivities with the neighborhood. Ella, the oldest, usually helps Orly pick out a few toys at the store to donate to children who are less fortunate. “I want the kids to learn the importance of giving,”

Local resources

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„ For our mobile-friendly, totally searchable, constantly updated calendar go to seattleschild.com

Erika's picks for December 1

Dec 7

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Holiday in the Park Bring your lights and lanterns and stroll Volunteer Park in Capitol Hill from 6 to 8 pm; see hundreds of luminarias illuminating the park. Enjoy live holiday music, cookies and hot cocoa, and hands-on activities throughout.

Jingle Bell Run/Walk Help the fight against arthritis by participating in a fun 5K run/walk and 1K children’s Run with the Elves (ages 10 and younger) through downtown Seattle.

Dogs and strollers welcome.

Hanukkah Pajama Jam Pull on your favorite PJs and join a free community celebration of Hanukkah at Mercer Island’s Stroum Jewish Community Center with food vendors, games, crafts, and a concert by Josh & Chava.

Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice Bellevue Youth Theatre presents this fun play in conjunction with Thistle Theatre using Bunraku puppetry.

What happens after two little mice discover delicious looking food in a doll house?

Twisted Flicks: The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas Tired of the same old holiday shows?

Twisted Flicks takes a notoriously terrible movie and makes it hilarious by turning off the sound and letting comedians improvise.

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»Calendar 12/17

Friday, December 1 S E AT T L E A R E A

Twinkle, Twinkle, Freeway Park. Enjoy caroling, S’mores, hot chocolate and fairy lights. 4:30 to 6 pm.

FREE. Freeway Park, Downtown Seattle. www.freewayparkassociation.org Nativity Exhibit. See more than 500 Nativities from at least 100 countries. 10 am to 7 pm through Sat., 9 am to 1 pm Sun. FREE. Messiah Lutheran Church, Seattle (View Ridge). www.seattleunity.org

PHOTO BY BE N VA NHOUT E N

Ensemble Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker. Follow Clara’s adventures with her nutcracker as they battle the Mouse King and visit the Kingdom of Sweets.

7 pm through Sat., 2:30 pm Sat., 1:30 pm Sun. $$ to $$$. Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center, Renton. www.ebtballet.org Great Figgy Pudding Street Corner Caroling Competition.

Zany annual event with dozens of teams of carolers competing in various categories, in and around Westlake Center. 6 to 8:30 pm. FREE, donations benefit Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank. Pine Street between Fourth Avenue and Seventh Avenue, Downtown Seattle. www.pikemarketseniorcenter.org

Northwest Boys’ Choir

Ivar’s Clam Lights. Renton’s holiday light display shines 5 to 9 pm nightly through Jan. 1. Tonight’s official lighting at 6:15 pm features entertainment, Mayor Denis Law, a parade of boats (6:30 pm) and the Argosy Christmas Ship (7 pm).

FREE. Gene Coulon Beach Park, Renton. www.rentonwa.gov/clamlights Giving Marketplace. Shop for gifts that support causes like clean water, health and education, plus enjoy hands-on activities and exhibits. 10 am to 5 pm through Sat.

FREE. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center, Lower Queen Anne. www.gatesfoundation.org Gingerbread Village. Seattle architectural firms and Sheraton Seattle culinary staff team up to design, bake and build fantastic

E V E NT S AR E SUB JE CT TO C H ANG E Please call ahead or check the venue’s website before you go.

E V E NT P R IC ING $: Under $10 / $$: $10–$20 / $$$: $20 and over

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Calendar gingerbread creations. 24 hours daily through Jan. 1. FREE, donations accepted for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Sheraton Seattle Hotel lobby, Downtown Seattle. www.sheratonseattle.com/gingerbread-village Reindeer Festival. Visit reindeer Dasher and Blitzen and Curly the camel, plus see an elaborate model train layout. 9 am to 7 pm through Dec. 23, 9 am to 3 pm Dec. 24. FREE. Swansons Nursery, Seattle (Blue Ridge). www.swansonsnursery.com

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Seattle Center Winterfest. Connect to the spirit of the season with activities and entertainment through Dec. 31 including Winter Train and Village (10 am to 6 pm daily, closes 4 pm Dec. 24, closed Dec. 25), performances, ice skating (through Jan. 2), and more. See online for schedule. FREE, fee for ice skating. Seattle Center Armory and Fisher Pavilion, Lower Queen Anne. www.seattlecenter.com/winterfest Teddy Bear Suite. Visit a festively decorated suite filled with teddy bears of all sizes. Admission by donation, benefiting Seattle Children’s Hospital. 11 am to 6 pm daily through Dec. 26. Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Downtown Seattle. www.fairmont.com Holiday Carousel. Ride the Holiday Carousel at Westlake. 11 am to 9 pm today, various times through Jan. 1 (closed Dec. 25) Suggested donation $, benefits Treehouse. Westlake Center, Downtown Seattle. www.downtownseattle.org WildLights. Winter lights festival featuring wild animals and places re-created in thousands of LED lights. Indoor and outdoor displays, some animals on view (including reindeer), and more. 5:30 to 8:30 pm nightly through Jan. 1 (closed Dec. 24-25). $ to $$, free ages 2 and younger. Free parking. Entry at west gate only. Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle (Phinney Ridge). www.zoo.org Snow Show. It snows nightly in the four-story atrium of Pacific Place. Enjoy live music Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

6 and 7 pm Mondays through Saturdays, 5 and 6 pm Sundays, through Dec. 24.

FREE. Pacific Place, Downtown Seattle. www.pacificplaceseattle.com

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Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Enjoy a fun musical about an English couple that invites Antarctic penguins to live with them. 7 pm tonight and various times through Dec. 31. $$$. Seattle Children’s Theatre, Lower Queen Anne. www.sct.org A Christmas Carol. A Seattle tradition, Charles Dickens’ classic returns to ACT Theatre. Ages 5 and older (no babes in arms). 7:30 pm tonight, various dates and times through Dec. 28. $$$. ACT’s Allen Theatre, Downtown Seattle. www.acttheatre.org George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.

Pacific Northwest Ballet presents this new production of the Tchaikovsky classic, featuring costumes and sets designed by author/illustrator Ian Falconer (Olivia the Pig). Best for school age and older. 7:30 pm tonight, various dates and times through Dec. 28. $$$. McCaw Hall, Seattle (Lower Queen Anne). www.pnb.org

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A(n Improvised) Christmas Carol.

Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic with a twist. Improv comedians from Unexpected Productions use audience suggestions to tell the tale. All ages. 8:30 pm tonight, various dates and times through Dec. 23. $$. Market Theater, Downtown Seattle. www.unexpectedproductions.org A Charlie Brown Christmas. See a live-action adaptation of the classic Peanuts holiday movie. 7 pm tonight and various times through Dec. 27. Taproot Theatre, Greenwood. www.taproottheatre.org

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EASTSIDE

Tree Lighting and Firehouse Munch.

Sat. $, free ages 12 and younger. Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, Tacoma. www.multicare.org/festival A Victorian Country Christmas Festival.

Victorian marketplace, live entertainment, a living nativity, kids’ activities and more. 10 am to 9 pm today and Sat., 10 am to 6 pm Sun. $ to $$.

Washington State Fair Events Center, Puyallup. www.avictoriancountrychristmas.com The Polar Express Train. Take a train ride to Santa complete with cookies, cocoa, music and a reading of the story. Pajamas encouraged.

5:30 and 7:30 pm tonight, various times through Dec. 31. $$$, free younger than age 2. Pre-purchase recommended. Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad, Elbe. www.mtrainierrailroad.com Fantasy Lights. Drive through 2.5 miles of animated displays at Spanaway Park. Tune your radio to FM 95.3 to hear holiday music performed by a local high school. 5:30 to 9 pm through Jan. 1. $$, half-price Dec. 5-7. Spanaway Park, Spanaway. www.co.pierce.wa.us Jingle Bell Run

Caroling and tree lighting at Mercerdale Park followed by crafts, kids’ entertainment, Santa photos and treats at North Fire Station. 6:30 to 8:30 pm. FREE, bring unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. Mercerdale Park and North Fire Station, Mercer Island. www.mercergov.org Bellevue Magic Season Ice Arena.

Covered open-air ice arena. 3 to 11 pm today, various times daily through Jan. 15. $ to $$, includes skate rental. Bellevue Downtown Park, Bellevue. www.bellevuedowntown.com

$$$. Wade James Theatre, Edmonds. www.edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org The Lights of Christmas. Elaborate light displays, live music and drama, pony and train rides, nativity, Bruce the (talking) Spruce and more. Lodging available (reservations required).

5 to 10 pm tonight and Thursdays through Sundays through Dec. 17, and nightly Dec. 19-30 (closed Dec. 24-25). $$, free ages 3 and younger. Warm Beach Camp, Stanwood. www.thelightsofchristmas.com

Issaquah Reindeer Festival. Visit Santa and his reindeer, enjoy story time with an elf, face painting, animal feeding, candy cane making and more. 10:30 am to 4:30 pm through Dec. 23.

Included with admission. $$. Cougar Mountain Zoo, Issaquah. www.cougarmountainzoo.org

SOUTH SOUND

Winter Wonderland. Ride the carousel or skate on a covered, synthetic ice rink daily through Jan. 1 ($). A holiday train takes guests around the center Fridays through Sundays through Dec. 15, and daily Dec. 16 through Jan. 1. ($). Ice rink 3 to 8 pm today, various times through Jan. 1; carousel and train during mall hours. Redmond Town Center, Redmond. www.redmondtowncenter.com

Winnie the Pooh. Join Winnie the Pooh on a silly adventure as he sets out to rescue his friend, Piglet. 7 pm tonight, and various times through Dec. 23. $$. Olympia Family Theater, Olympia. www.olyft.org

Snowflake Lane. It snows nightly on a parade of live toy soldiers and other characters, music and a light show. 7 pm daily through Dec. 24. FREE. Sidewalks of Bellevue Way and Northeast Eighth Street, Bellevue. www.snowflakelane.com

Seussical. Dr. Seuss’ best-loved characters meet and join forces on a fantastical adventure.

7:30 pm tonight and various times through Dec. 24. $$$. Tacoma Little Theatre, Tacoma. www. tacomalittletheatre.com

Festival of Trees. Professionally decorated trees on view before being sold to benefit Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, plus entertainment, games and Santa. 9 am to 1 pm, 10:30 am to 2 pm

The Polar Express Train. Wear your pajamas and ride a historic train as you enjoy story time, treats and a gift from Santa. 7 pm tonight, various dates and times through Dec. 17. $$$, free ages 2 and younger in an adult’s lap. Pre-register.

Chehalis-Centralia Railroad, Chehalis. www.steamtrainride.com Zoolights. See nearly 600,000 holiday lights, including depictions of animals and local landmarks. Warm up in the steamy aquarium, ride a camel ($) or the antique carousel ($). 5 to 9 pm through Jan. 1 (closed Dec. 24). $ to $$, free ages 2 and younger. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Tacoma. www.pdza.org It’s a Wonderful Life. Enjoy a live action, musical adaptation of the classic film. 7 pm tonight, and various times through Dec. 16. $$ to $$$.

ManeStage Theatre Company, Sumner. www.manestagetheatre.org FA R T H E R A F I E L D

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. A musical about a flying car based on the 1968 children’s book.

7:30 pm tonight and various times through Dec. 17. $$$. Bainbridge Performing Arts, Bainbridge Island. www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org

Saturday, December 2 S E AT T L E A R E A

Asian-American Santa. Enjoy cider, a craft market, hands-on art activities, and photos with Santa ($$). Pre-register for photo time slot.

P H OTOS CO U RTESY M E TRO PA R KS TACOM A

’Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Christmas is the backdrop for the classic story of Clement C. Moore, his family and the beloved poem. This show is filled with traditional Christmas carols. 7 pm tonight and various times through Sun. $$. Bellevue Youth Theatre, Bellevue. www.bellevuewa.gov Garden D’Lights. Stroll a winter garden with more than 500,000 mini-lights in three-dimensional plant and critter shapes. No pets. 4:30 to 9 pm through Dec. 31. $, free ages 10 and younger, tickets available online (pre-purchase recommended). FREE nights are Dec. 4-7 (first come, first served). Bellevue Botanical Garden, Bellevue. www.gardendlights.com NORTH SOUND

Tree Lighting. The Mountlake Terrace ‘tree’ sits atop the city’s water tower. The event features music, refreshments and Santa arriving by fire truck. 6:30 pm. FREE. Evergreen Playfield, Mountlake Terrace. www.cityofmlt.com Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. A liveaction adaptation based on the animated film performed by the Driftwood Players. 8 pm tonight, various dates and times through Dec. 17.

Salmon Saturday

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Calendar Noon to 3 pm. $$. Wing Luke Museum (International District). www.wingluke.org Ivar’s Santa Clam. Take a photo with the Santa Clam. Photos will be posted online for free digital download. Noon to 3 Saturdays through Dec. 16. FREE. Ivar’s Acres of Clams (Pier 54, Waterfront). www.ivars.com African-American Santa. Take photos with Santa ($$), also enjoy hands-on craft activities, games, and holiday movies. Pre-register. Noon to 4 pm weekends through Dec. 10. $, Included with admission. Northwest African American Museum (Central District). www.naamnw.org Star Wars Adventure Day. Star Wars fans of all ages can enjoy hands-on activities, a costume parade, live demonstrations, and a screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 11 am to 3 pm. $$.

Living Computers (Sodo). www.eventbrite.com Holiday Bazaar Day. Craft market, treats, and photos with Santa. 10 am to 5 pm. FREE. Downtown Burien. www.discoverburien.org Winter’s Eve Celebration & Christmas Ships. Enjoy cookie decorating, crafts, and guided nature walks (noon, 1 and 2 pm). Later, take the luminaria path to the beach to hear the Christmas Ships perform from 3:10 to 3:40 pm. 10 am to 3 pm. FREE. Audubon Center at Seward Park, Seattle (Seward Park). www.sewardpark.audubon.org Hometown Country Holiday. Santa parade (noon) followed by tree lighting, caroling, crafts, treats, marketplace, wagon and train rides, and a festive sweater contest. Noon to 6 pm. FREE. Downtown Arlington. www.arlingtonwa.gov

Evergreen Noel. Choir of the Sound performs holiday classics and songs by local composers highlighting the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. 3 and 7 pm today, 3 pm. Sun. $$. Shorecrest Performing Arts Center, Shoreline. choirofthesound.org Diving Santa. See a scuba-diving Santa at noon and 3 pm, plus musical performances on select days at 1 pm. Weekends through Dec. 24 (no 3 pm dive Dec. 24). Included with admission. $$ to $$$. Seattle Aquarium, Downtown Seattle. www.seattleaquarium.org The Elves & the Toymakers. Musical from StoryBook Theater about the spirit of giving.

Santa & the Grinch

11 am. $$. Shoreline Conference Center. www.storybooktheater.org The Snowman. See the classic book by Raymond Briggs come to life in an onscreen adaptation accompanied by a live orchestra.

Recommended for ages 5 to 12. Pre-concert activities 1-hour before showtime. $$ to $$$.

11 am. Benaroya Hall, Downtown Seattle. www.seattlesymphony.org Drawing Jam. Annual event features figure, portrait and gesture models, food, music, and art activities for the whole family. Supplies included. 9 am to 6 pm. $$, free ages 15 and younger.

Gage Academy of Art, Seattle (Capitol Hill). www. gageacademy.org Winter Festival and Crafts Fair. More

than 100 artist and craft booths, plus food and entertainment. 10 am to 5 pm through Sun. $ plus a can of food. Phinney Neighborhood Center, Seattle (Phinney Ridge). www.phinneycenter.org Urban Craft Uprising. Seattle’s largest indie craft show. 10 am to 6 pm today, 10 am to 5 pm Sun. FREE. Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, Downtown Seattle. www.urbancraftuprising.com EASTSIDE

Ornaments for a Cause. Create an ornament for yourself and one for the community giving tree. 1 to 4 pm. $, donations accepted. Highland Community Center, Bellevue. www.bellevuewa.gov Ugly Sweater Run. Wear an ugly sweater to this 5K fun run/walk with hot cocoa and post-run festivities. 11 am. $$$, free ages 5 and younger. Marymoor Park, Redmond. www.theuglysweaterrun.com The Nutcracker. Evergreen City Ballet presents the Balanchine classic. Choose the complete 2-hour performance, or a kid-friendly 1-hour matinee. See schedule online. Dancers will be available after each show to meet and take photos. 11 am, 3 pm and 7 pm today and 1:30 and 5:30 pm Sun. $$$. Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue. www.evergreencityballet.org ’Twas the Night. Family musical comedy loosely based on the famous holiday poem.

Recommend for ages 4 and older. 11 am, 2 and 5 pm today and weekends through Dec. 17. $$. Studio East, Kirkland. www.studio-east.org Santa Train. Board the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad at the decorated depot in North Bend and ride to the Snoqualmie depot for a Santa visit and refreshments, then return to North Bend. Trains depart hourly starting at 9 am with last departure at 3 pm. Today and weekends through Dec. 17, plus Dec. 15. $$$, free younger than age 2, pre-register, space is limited and trains sell out. North Bend Depot, North Bend. www.trainmuseum.org

Asian American Santa

NORTH SOUND

The Nutcracker. Emerald City Ballet performs

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COU RTESY OF M E TR O PA RKS TACO M A, W I N G LU K E M U SE U M

Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice.

Two mice are driven to outrageous behavior when they discover the delicious-looking food in the dollhouse. Presented using the Bunraku style of puppetry by Thistle Theatre. 1 and 3 pm today through Sun. $$. Thistle Studio at Magnuson Park (Sand Point). www.thistletheatre.org

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with the Rainier Symphony featuring professional and youth performers. 2 pm weekends through Dec. 10. $$$. Northshore Performing Arts Center, Bothell. www.npacf.org

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Merrysville for the Holidays. Craft show, family activities, Santa, Electric Light Parade (6:30 pm) followed by a bonfire and water tower lighting. 5 to 8 pm. FREE, food bank donations and unwrapped toy donations welcomed. Comeford Park, Marysville. www.marysvillewa.gov Mill Creek Tree Lighting. Music, Santa parade (3:30), carriage rides and tree lighting. 3:30 to 5 pm. FREE. Mill Creek Town Center, Mill Creek. www.cityofmillcreek.com

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Gingerbread Workshop. Decorate a freshly baked gingerbread house. Bring a platter and the candy of your choice.

11 am to 3 pm today and Dec. 9. $$. Pre-register.

Discover Pass required. Cama Center at Cama Beach, Camano Island. www.camabeachfoundation.org Holiday on the Bay. Cookie decorating, ornament making, face painting, crafts market, live music, Santa, fire truck rides, tree lighting and lighted boat parade. See schedule online. Noon to 6 pm. FREE, Toys for Tots donations accepted. Waterfront Center, Everett. www.portofeverett.com Santa’s Arrival at Country Village. Holiday light displays, entertainment, roasted chestnuts (4 pm), live reindeer, and Santa’s arrival by dazzling float followed by a tree lighting at 7 pm. 10 am to 8 pm. FREE, nominal fee for some activities. Country Village, Bothell. www.countryvillagebothell.com Tanks Giving. Santa village, cookie decorating, food, crafts, gaming, face painting, snow feature, scavenger hunt, tank displays, holiday movies and more. 10 am to 2 pm.

Included with admission. $$. Flying Heritage Collection, Everett. www.flyingheritage.com

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Teddy Bear Breakfast. Breakfast, entertainment from Tim Noah, pictures with Santa, a teddy bear shop and more.

8:30 to 10:30 am. $$$. Pre-register. Orca Ballroom at Tulalip Resort, Marysville. www.washington.providence.org SOUTH SOUND

Lighted Santa Parade. Parade includes Santa arriving on a fire truck, followed by the tree lighting ceremony. 5 pm.

FREE. Downtown Puyallup. www.puyallupmainstreet.com

Santa Visits the Conservatory. Refreshments, crafts, and professional photos with Santa. 10 am to 3 pm. $ admission, $$ for photos. W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org Jingle Bell Brunch. Brunch, crafts, entertainment and visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus. 10 to 11:30 am. $$. Pre-register. Federal Way Community Center, Federal Way. www.itallhappenshere.org Breakfast with Santa. Pancake breakfast, crafts and activities, music, and a downloadable photo with Santa. 9 to 11 am. $, free younger than age 2. Pre-register. Boys & Girls Club, Gig Harbor. www.penmetparks.org Sing-Along with Santa. Enjoy carol singing, stories, snacks, and photos with Santa.

10 am. $$. Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Tacoma. www.tmp.org 19th Century Christmas. Experience the Christmas season as it would have been in the mid-1800s, with games, crafts, a yule log, Father Christmas and more. 11 am to 4

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Auburn Holiday Events. Snacks and crafts (2 to 4 pm, $, Washington Elementary), Santa parade (4:30 pm, FREE, W. Main Street), community caroling and tree lighting (5 pm, FREE, City Hall Plaza). www.auburnwa.gov

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comprehensive choral education Girls in grades K-12

• K-1 prep choir • Auditions for grades 2-12 • Summer Music Day Camp

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Calendar pm. $. Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, Tacoma. www.fortnisqually.org

Historic Flight at Kilo-7, Mukilteo. www.historicflight.org

Santa Visits Old Town. Hands-on crafts, hot cocoa, and photos with Santa. 1 to 3:30 pm. FREE. Job Carr Cabin Museum in Old Town Park, Tacoma. www.jobcarrmuseum.org

Chase the Grinch Outta Snohomish Fun Run. Run or walk this festive, mostly flat 5K or 10K route, complete with treats and entertainment at the finish. Half-mile Kids Dash for ages 13 and younger. Strollers allowed. No pets. 8:15 am Kids Dash, 9 am 5K and 10K. $$$. Historic Downtown Snohomish. www.databarevents.com

FA R T H E R A F I E L D

Jule Fest. Market with crafts (10 am to 4 pm at Sons of Norway), Scandinavian food and entertainment, followed by the lighting of the yule log, procession of Vikings and Lucia, and a visit from Santa. 6 pm. FREE. Waterfront Park, Poulsbo. www.poulsbosonsofnorway.com

Sunday, December 3 S E AT T L E A R E A

Author Appearance: Oliver Jeffers.

Meet award-winning picture book author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers. Celebrate the release of his latest book, Here We Are. Admission includes a copy of the book. $$. 12:30 pm.

University Book Store (University District). www.brownpapertickets.com

Challenging K-12 students in an intellectual community through early entrance, online, and outreach programs Transition School • UW Academy Saturday Enrichment • Summer Programs Online Program • Professional Development

Hands-On Hanukkah. Families of all backgrounds can come experience Hanukkah fun, such as edible dreidels, crafts, games and prizes. 11 am to 1 pm. FREE. Northgate Mall, Seattle (Northgate). www.sjcc.org Native Art Mart. Handmade items from Native American artists, including clothing, drums, art prints, woodworking and more, plus food vendors. 10 am to 4 pm today, Dec. 9 and 17. FREE. Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, Seattle (Magnolia). www.unitedindians.org The Elves & the Toymakers. Musical from StoryBook Theater about the spirit of giving.

11 am, 1 and 3 pm. $$. Hale’s Palladium, Fremont. www.storybooktheater.org Gift of Dance. Students ages 7 to 17 from Kaleidoscope Dance Company perform their own dances inspired by local public art. Onstage community dance during intermission includes the audience. 3:30 pm. $. Shorewood Performing Arts Center, Shoreline. www.creativedance.org K9 Candy Cane Run. 5K fun run/walk, with or without dogs, plus prizes, refreshments and Santa. 9:15 am. $$$, bring canned dog food donation. Renton Community Center, Renton. www.buduracing.com EASTSIDE

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Hands-On Hanukkah. Families of all backgrounds can come experience Hanukkah fun, such as edible dreidels, crafts, games and prizes.

11 am to 1 pm. FREE. Crossroads Bellevue, Bellevue. www.sjcc.org Christmas in Sammamish. Hear popular holiday music played by the Sammamish Symphony Orchestra. 2 pm. $$. Eastlake Performing Arts Center, Sammamish. www.sammamishsymphony.org Christmas Carol Junior. An original, family-friendly adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic told by Mrs. Claus. 1 and 3 pm today and weekends through Dec. 17. $$. SecondStory Repertory, Redmond. www.secondstoryrep.org Christmas Ship Music and Bonfire.

Warm up near a bonfire and listen to carolers from the Argosy Christmas Ship as they make a stop offshore. Scheduled to arrive at 3:40 pm.

FREE. Newcastle Beach Park, Bellevue. www.bellevuewa.gov NORTH SOUND

Popovich Comedy Pet Theater.

See comedic skits, and circus acts featuring talented animal performers. 3 and 6 pm. $$$.

Edmonds Center for the Arts, Edmonds. www.edmondscenterforthearts.org Christmas Celebration. Kids’ activities, Santa photos, face painting, carolers, and see Santa arrive by plane. New, unwrapped toy donations accepted for Toys for Tots.

Noon to 2 pm. $$, free ages 10 and younger.

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Red, White and Blue Holiday Concert. Hear patriotic and holiday music played by the 133rd Army Band of the Washington National Guard.

Canned food donations accepted for the Auburn Food Bank. 2 pm. FREE, advance tickets required (limit 6 per family). Auburn Performing Arts Center, Auburn. www.auburnwa.gov A Celtic Yuletide. Magical Strings’ annual show features Celtic music, storytelling and Irish step dancing. 3 pm. $$ to $$$.

Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center, Kent. www.magicalstrings.com Wild Waves Holiday with Lights. Light displays, rides, Santa photos, entertainment and more. See online for schedule. 5 to 9 pm tonight, various hours and days through Dec. 31 (closed Dec. 24-25). $$, free ages 2 and younger. Wild Waves Theme Park, Federal Way. www.wildwaves.com

Monday, December 4 SOUTH SOUND

Elves & The Shoemaker. See a play about an out-of-work shoemaker and his kindness that leads to a few magical surprises in his workshop.

Part of the “Let’s Play” series, short interactive shows perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. 10 am today through Sun, and 11:30 am Fri. $. Olympia Family Theater, Olympia. www.olyft.org

Tuesday, December 5 S E AT T L E A R E A

Wreath Making Workshop. Enjoy holiday music and light refreshments as you make your own evergreen wreath. 5:30 to 7:30 pm. $$.

Magnuson Community Center, Seattle (Sand Point). www.seattle.gov

Thursday, December 7 S E AT T L E A R E A

Holiday in the Park. Live music, cookies and cocoa, kids’ activities, and hundreds of luminarias illuminating the park. 6 to 8 pm.

FREE. Volunteer Park, Seattle (Capitol Hill). www.volunteerparktrust.org SOUTH SOUND

Cookies with Mrs. Claus. Enjoy beverages, music, and cookie decorating with Mrs. Claus.

Parent participation required. 5:30 to 7:30 pm. $. Pre-register. Federal Way Community Center, Federal Way. www.itallhappenshere.org

Friday, December 8 S E AT T L E A R E A

PhinneyWood Phestivus. Hop on and off the trolley at designated stops through the Phinney/ Greenwood business district as you look for LED-lit monkeys and take part in the monthly art walk. 6 to 10 pm. FREE. Phinney Avenue North, Seattle (Phinney Ridge). www.phinneycenter.org Nutcracker Sweets. Family-friendly, hourlong version of the holiday classic features dancers from the ARC School of Ballet. 7 pm tonight and various times through Sun. $$ to $$$.

Pre-purchase recommended. ARC Dance Space, Seattle (Ballard). www.arcdance.org Solstice Stroll. Enjoy exploring gardens adorned with lights and art pieces. 4:30 to 8:30 pm through Sat. $$. Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, Shoreline. www.kruckeberg.org Holiday Hooray. Seattle Symphony’s series for birth to age 5, featuring Let Your Music Shine with Lisa & Linda. Musical games, stories and

Calendar Adas Violin at Book-it

nonperishable food donations welcomed. Green Lake Park, Seattle. www.facebook.com/GreenLakePathwayofLights CookieFest. Thousands of cookies donated by area bakeries and culinary schools are offered for sale, benefiting Seattle Milk Fund. 11 am to 1 pm, while supplies last. Armory Loft at Seattle Center (Lower Queen Anne). www.seattlemilkfund.org EASTSIDE

Redmond Lights. Holiday market (noon to 6 pm), tree lighting and entertainment at Redmond City Hall Plaza, followed by the Luminary Walk with entertainment and light displays along the Redmond Central Connector Trail, ending with ice sculpting, kids’ crafts and entertainment at Redmond Town Center. 4 to 8 pm. FREE. Shuttles available between City Hall and Redmond Town Center. www.redmondlights.com SAMBICA Christmas Carnival. Indoor carnival with games, treats, and Santa photos. 1 to 6 pm today and Dec. 16. FREE. SAMBICA Camp and Retreat Center, Bellevue. www.sambica.com YuleFest. Columbia Choirs brings together all levels of their Children’s Choir and Cantabile Vocal Ensemble to perform festive favorites from around the world. 1 pm. $$. Redmond High School Theatre, Redmond. www.brownpapertickets.com NORTH SOUND

Family Celebration. Celebrate access to paid family leave with live music from Eli Rosenblatt, hands-on craft activities, and lunch. 10 am to noon. Pre-register. FREE. Lions Hall, Everett. www.momsrising.org songs with a holiday theme. Pre-concert activities 30 minutes before showtime. 10:30 am today, 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 am Sat. $$. Benaroya Hall, Downtown Seattle. www.seattlesymphony.org

Players present their unique and hilarious British Panto style play for all ages. 4 and 7:30 pm Saturdays, 1 and 4 pm Sundays, through Jan. 14. $ to $$. Hale’s Palladium, Seattle (Fremont). www.fremontplayers.com

EASTSIDE

Home for the Holidays. Enjoy visits with Santa, carpet skating, and make your own wrapping paper. 10 am to 4 pm. Included with admission. $. Imagine Children’s Museum, Everett. www.imaginecm.org

NORTH SOUND

The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Seventy young dancers perform the Hans Christian Andersen story as a ballet. Choreography includes Signing in Exact English (SEE), making the show accessible to the hearing impaired. 2 and 7:30 pm today, 2 pm Sun. $$. Shorecrest Performing Arts Center, Shoreline. www.brownpapertickets.com

Santa Arrr-rival: A Pirate X-mas. The Pirates of Treasure Island will have Santa walk the plank of their pirate ship The Buccaneer Queen to light the Jolly Rodney pirate ship.

7 pm. FREE. Country Village, Bothell. www.countryvillagebothell.com

Olympic Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker.

Annual production of the traditional favorite.

2 and 7 pm today, 1 and 5 pm Sun. $$$.

Everett Performing Arts Center, Everett. www.olympicballet.com

Howlidays in the Square. Entertainment and activities for people and their dogs, plus a marketplace and doggy costume parade.

11 am to 3 pm. FREE. Occidental Square, Seattle (Pioneer Square). www.downtownseattle.org

Holiday Tour of Lights. Hop aboard the 20-minute Merrysville Express Rotary Train and see 30 winter scenes done in lights. 5:30 to 9:30 pm through Saturday, plus Dec. 13-16 and 20-23. $. Cedarcrest Golf Course, Marysville. www.marysvillewa.gov

Street Scramble at the Market. Urban orienteering event; search for checkpoints on foot within two hours. 9:30 am maps issued, 10 am start. $ to $$$, free ages 5 and younger.

Pre-registration advised. Rain or shine. Pike Place Market Theater (near the Gum Wall), Downtown Seattle. www.streetscramble.com

Christmas in Sammamish. Hear popular holiday music played by the Sammamish Symphony Orchestra. 7:30 pm. $$. Meydenbauer Theatre, Bellevue. www.sammamishsymphony.org

SOUTH SOUND

A Celtic Yuletide. Magical Strings’ annual show features Celtic music, storytelling and Irish step dancing. 7:30 pm. $$ to $$$. Urban Grace Church, Tacoma. www.magicalstrings.com

P H OTO BY C H RI S BE N N I ON

Ballet Northwest’s The Nutcracker.

Annual production of the holiday classic features a cast of 200. 7:30 pm Fridays and Saturdays, 2 pm weekends, through Dec. 17. $$ to $$$. Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Olympia. www.balletnorthwest.org

Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice.

Two mice are driven to outrageous behavior when they discover the delicious-looking food in the dollhouse. Presented using the Bunraku style of puppetry by Thistle Theatre. 1 and 3 pm today through Sun. $$. Sunset Hill Community Club (Sunset Hill). www.thistletheatre.org The Elves & the Toymakers. Musical from StoryBook Theater about the spirit of giving.

11 am and 1 pm. $$. Renton Carco Theatre, Renton. www.storybooktheater.org

Holiday Magic: Holiday Memories.

Holiday concert from Sno-King Community Chorale and an elementary school choir. 3 and 7 pm. $$. Edmonds Center for the Arts, Edmonds. www.edmondscenterforthearts.org Cookies with Mrs. Claus. Visit Mrs. Claus and get a cookie, plus pick up cookie recipes from shops around the village. Noon to 3 pm. through Sun. FREE. Country Village, Bothell. www.countryvillagebothell.com SOUTH SOUND

Salmon Saturday. See the spawning salmon, take part in hands-on activities, and learn about protecting the watershed through earth-friendly practices. 10 am to 2 pm. FREE. Swan Creek Park, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org Lighted Boat Parade. Festively lit Yacht Club boats will circle the harbor. 5 pm. FREE. Skansie Brothers Park, Gig Harbor. www.gigharborguide.com Seattle Men’s Chorus: A Sassy Brassy Holiday. Hear holiday favorites infused with a “pinch of sass,” including a gospel arrangement of Joy to the World. 3 and 7:30 pm. $$$. Rialto Theater, Tacoma. www.broadwaycenter.org

St. Lucia Day Festival. Holiday crafts, Scandinavian treats and games, plus a St. Lucia procession by candlelight. 5 to 6:30 pm. $.

Harbor History Museum, Gig Harbor. www.harborhistorymuseum.org

Breakfast with Santa. Enjoy games, activities, a goodie bag and a photo as you dine with Santa.

9 or 10:45 am. $$. Pre-register. Shoreline Lake Forest Park Senior Center, Shoreline. www.shorelinewa. gov

Scrooge: The Musical. Auburn Community Players present the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge. 7 pm tonight, various dates and times through Dec. 17. $$. Auburn Avenue Theater, Auburn. www.auburnwa.gov

A Celtic Yuletide. Magical Strings’ annual show features Celtic music and instruments, Irish step dancing and special guests. 7:30 pm. $$. University Christian Church (University District). www.magicalstrings.com

The Nutcracker. Evergreen City Ballet presents the Balanchine classic. Choose the complete 2-hour performance, or a kid-friendly 1-hour matinee. See schedule online. Dancers will be available after each show to meet and take photos. 11 am and 5:30 pm today, and 11 am and 4:30 pm Sun. $$$. Auburn Performing Arts Center, Auburn. www.evergreencityballet.org

Saturday, December 9

Green Lake Pathway of Lights. The 2.8-mile path around Green Lake is lit with thousands of luminaria. Carry or wear your own lights to add to the ambiance. Local musicians perform at four sites. 4:30 to 7:30 pm, rain or shine. FREE,

Dickens Festival at Stadium. Charles Dickens-inspired festival with vendors, a costume contest, carriage rides, entertainment and more.

11 am to 5 pm. FREE. Stadium District, Tacoma. www.dickensfestival.net

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Calendar Santa Visit. Bring your camera for photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus in a 1906 Cadillac, plus receive a free slot-car voucher. 11 am to 3 pm weekends through Dec. 17. Included with admission. $$, free ages 5 and younger. LeMay America’s Car Museum, Tacoma. www.lemaymuseum.org Victorian Holiday Festival. Story time, crafts, refreshments, Victorian costumes, and live music. 10 am to 3 pm. $. W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org Santa Runs Tacoma. 10K and half marathon (8:30 am), 5K (9 am), and Tiny Tim’s 1K kids’ run for ages 12 and younger (10:15 am). Costumes encouraged. 7 am registration. $$$, bring nonperishable protein food donations. 909 A St., Tacoma. www.santarunstacoma.com Jingle Bell Rock 5K Fun Run. Festive run for the whole family (leashed dogs welcome), including a 1-mile run for kids, a costume contest, and treats around a bonfire at the finish. 10 am. $$. Pre-register. Fort Steilacoom Park, Lakewood. www.regtorace.com FA R T H E R A F I E L D

Winter Wonderland. Crafts, treats, music, live reindeer, face painting, prizes and more. 5 to 8 pm. FREE. Waterfront Park, Bainbridge Island. www.biparks.org Port Gamble Country Christmas. Santa’s workshop, horse-drawn hay rides, and fireworks (5:15 pm today), all in an 1850s mill town.

10 am to 6 pm today, 11 am to 3 pm Sun. FREE. Port Gamble. www.portgamble.com Holiday Village. See a miniature village handmade and decorated by a local artisan. Electric trains complete the scene, plus enjoy hot cocoa and cider. 10 am to 4 pm through Dec. 31 (closed Mondays and Dec. 25). Included with admission. $ to $$, free ages 4 and younger. Bloedel Reserve,

Bainbridge Island. www.bloedelreserve.org

Sunday, December 10 S E AT T L E A R E A

Holiday Party & Barter Fair. Celebrate the season and exchange goods and services with the community. Also enjoy live music and food.

FREE. 5 to 8 pm. Amazing Grace Fellowship Hall (Ballard). www.sustainableballard.org Jose Gonzales Trio plays A Charlie Brown Christmas. Hear the Vince Guraldi score performed by Jose Gonzales Trio. 1 and 6 pm. $$ to $$$. Cornish Playhouse (Lower Queen Anne).

Seattle Men’s Chorus: A Sassy Brassy Holiday. Hear holiday favorites infused with a “pinch of sass,” including a gospel arrangement of Joy to the World. 7:30 pm tonight and various times through Dec. 23. $$$. Benaroya Hall, Downtown Seattle. www.seattlesymphony.org EASTSIDE

The Elves & the Toymakers. Musical from StoryBook Theater about the spirit of giving. 11 am, 1 and 3 pm and various dates through Dec. 19. $$. Kirkland Performance Center, Kirkland. www.storybooktheater.org

Northwest Girlchoir: Everyone Dancing Merrily. Holiday music features the singing talents of 250 girls in grades 1 though 12. 3 pm. $$ to $$$. Seattle First Presbyterian Church, Downtown Seattle. www.northwestgirlchoir.org

SOUTH SOUND

Family Holiday Concert. Enjoy traditional carols, holiday favorites, and an audience singalong in this family-friendly, one-hour concert

by Seattle Pro Musica. 3 pm. $ to $$$. University Unitarian Church, Seattle (Ravenna). www.seattlepromusica.org

Wednesday, December 13

Jingle Bell Run/Walk. Run or walk to help the fight against arthritis includes 5K run/walk and 1K children’s Run with the Elves (ages 10 and younger). Dogs ($$) and strollers are allowed. 8 am kids dash, 8:20 am 5k. $$ to $$$. Westlake Park, Downtown Seattle. www.jbr.org Santa Breakfast and Mini Nutcracker Performance. Enjoy a continental breakfast, door prizes, balloon artistry, pictures with Santa and Nutcracker characters, and watch a mini performance of The Nutcracker by DASSdance professionals and kids. 9:30 am and noon today, and weekends through Dec. 17. $$$. Pre-register.

Washington Hall, Seattle (First Hill). www.dassdance.org

Hark the Harbor. Sing carols by candlelight starting at 7:30 pm. The Argosy Christmas Ship is due to arrive at 8:15 pm. FREE. Skansie Brothers Park, Gig Harbor. www.gigharborwaterfront.org

S E AT T L E A R E A

Menorah Lighting. Watch the lighting of the menorah, plus enjoy klezmer music from KlezKids, dreidel games and gelt. 6 pm. FREE. University Village, Seattle (Laurelhurst). www.uvillage.com

Thursday, December 14 S E AT T L E A R E A

Lion, Witch, Wardrobe. Stone Soup’s Fall Youth Conservatory will perform the play based on the book by C.S. Lewis. 7 pm through Fri, 2 pm Sun. $. Wallingford Presbyterian Church (Wallingford). www.brownpapertickets.com SAM Lights. Enjoy art activities, music and hot drinks as you stroll the park lit with hundreds of lights and luminaria. 6 to 9 pm. FREE. Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle (Belltown). www.seattleartmuseum.org

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Northwest Girlchoir “Everyone Dancing Merrily”

EASTSIDE

Elf – The Musical Jr. A musical for kids that follows the story of Buddy, an orphaned Elf. 7 pm through Sun and 2 pm Sat. $$. Redmond Performing Arts Center, Redmond. www.brownpapertickets.com SOUTH SOUND

Studio West Dance Theatre’s The Nutcracker. Traditional performance with a few comedic surprises. 7 pm tonight and various times through Dec. 18 with an optional Winter Wonderland party one hour prior ($$) on select dates. $$ to $$$. Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts at South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia. www.washingtoncenter.org

Friday, December 15 S E AT T L E A R E A

Make a Gingerbread House. Find all the sweet treats you need to create a gingerbread house to take home. 5 to 7 pm. $. Pre-register.

Northgate Community Center, Seattle (Northgate). www.seattle.gov EASTSIDE

International Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker. See the ballet performed by 80 talented young performers. 7:30 pm tonight, various dates and times through Dec. 22. $$$. Meydenbauer Theatre, Bellevue. www.ibtbellevue.org NORTH SOUND

The Nutcracker by Olympic Ballet Theatre. Annual production of the traditional favorite. 7 pm tonight and Sat., 2 pm Sat., 5 pm Sun. $$$. Edmonds Center for the Arts, Edmonds. www.olympicballet.com

COU RTESY OF N O RT H WE ST G I RLCH OI R

SOUTH SOUND

The Nutcracker & The Tale of the Hard Nut. Tacoma City Ballet performs the familiar tale plus the prequel story, with music by Tacoma City Ballet Orchestra. 7:30 pm tonight and various times through Dec. 23 with optional Sugar Plum Tea following Sun. performances. $$ to $$$. Federal Way Performing Arts & Event Center, Federal Way. www.broadwaycenter.org Annie. Heavier Than Air Family Theatre Company presents the play about a feisty orphan.

Ages 6 and older. 7 pm tonight and various times through Dec. 21. $$. Green River College Performing Arts Center, Auburn. www.heavierthanair.com

Saturday, December 16 S E AT T L E A R E A

Art Under $100. Shop for affordable art from 70 local artists and create with hands-on activities. 2 to 8 pm. FREE. Seattle Design Center (Georgetown). www.southparkarts.org A Gift of Song: Seattle Girls’ Choir Holiday Concert. Annual concert features all five levels singing traditional and contemporary holiday songs. 1:30 pm. $$. Seattle First Presbyterian Church (First Hill) www.seattlegirlschoir.org Santa’s Landing Party. Hear live music by the Boeing Concert Orchestra, Boeing Band, and Caspar Babypants (2 pm). Enjoy family activities, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Santa arrives via airplane at 9:45 am. 9 am to 3 pm. Outdoor activities free, indoor activities included with admission. $$ to $$$, free ages 4 and younger.

Museum of Flight, Seattle (Boeing Field). www.museumofflight.org Winter Celebration. Animals receive holiday-themed treats such as wreaths and evergreens with fruit and wrapped boxes. 11 am to noon through Mon. and Dec. 21-23. Included with admission. $ to $$, free ages 2 and younger. Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle (Phinney Ridge). www.zoo.org

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Caspar Babypants. Rock out with Caspar Babypants, part of the Kindiependent Kids Rock Series. 10:30 am. $$. Mount Baker Community Clubhouse, Mount Baker. www.brownpapertickets.com The Nutcracker. Evergreen City Ballet presents the Balanchine classic. Choose the complete 2-hour performance, or a kid-friendly 1-hour matinee. See schedule online. Dancers will be available after each show to meet and take photos. 1:30 and 7 pm today, 1:30 and 5:30 pm Sun. $$$.

Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center, Renton. www.evergreencityballet.org EASTSIDE

Hanukkah Pajama Jam. Put on your pajamas and join this community celebration of Hanukkah with food vendors, games, crafts, and a concert by Josh & Chava. 5:30 to 7:30 pm. FREE, donations of new and gently used children’s pajamas accepted. Stroum Jewish Community Center, Mercer Island. www.sjcc.org NORTH SOUND

Freestyle Christmas Lights Cruise. Classic cars, trucks and motorcycles all decked out in

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Calendar lights will cruise a loop around downtown Snohomish. 6 to 7 pm. FREE. First Street and Avenue D. www.historicdowntownsnohomish.org Fun with Frosty. Meet Frosty the Snowman and his friend Hippity Hop the rabbit, plus enjoy a magic show at noon, games at 1 pm and crafts at 2 pm. Noon to 3 pm. through Sun. FREE. Country Village, Bothell. www.countryvillagebothell.com Seattle Men’s Chorus: A Sassy Brassy Holiday. Hear holiday favorites infused with a “pinch of sass,” including a gospel arrangement of Joy to the World. 7:30 pm. $$$. Historic Everett Theatre. www.seattlechoruses.org SOUTH SOUND

The Christmas Revels. Annual show features traditional music, dancing, and drama from cultures around the world. This year features Galicia (northern Spain). 2 and 7:30 pm tonight, 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sun., 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19-20. $$ to $$$.

Rialto Theater, Tacoma. www.broadwaycenter.org Breakfast with Santa and the Grinch.

Enjoy breakfast, family pictures with Santa and the Grinch, face painting, music, and Grinchthemed crafts. 9 am to 12:30 pm. $. Space is limited, pre-register. Portland Avenue Community Center, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org Cocoa and Caroling. Participate in a holiday sing-along, complete with hot cocoa. 6 to 8 pm. $. W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

A funny, classic tale about the notorious Herdman kids who threaten to ruin the annual Christmas pageant. 11 am today, and various times through Dec. 24. $$. Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Tacoma. www.tmp.org

Sunday, December 17 EASTSIDE

The 12K’s of Christmas. 5K or 12K run/walk and free 1K kids’ dash (ages 10 and younger, 11:15 a.m.). Food, music, a holiday costume contest and a holiday celebration in downtown Kirkland afterward. 8 am registration, 9:30 am start. $$$.

Heritage Park, Kirkland. www.src12ksofchristmas.com FA R T H E R A F I E L D

Solstice Walk for Families. The whole family can enjoy a quiet, candlelit walk through the Bloedel Reserve. 5:30 pm through Mon. $$, free ages 5 and younger.

SAM Lights

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S E AT T L E A R E A

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Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay. A play based on the true story about an orchestra made up of children playing instruments built from recycled trash. After the show, kids can create their own recycled instruments. Recommended for ages 5 and older.

Cirque Dreams Holidaze. See a spectacular, holiday-themed circus musical with 20 exciting acts. 7:30 pm tonight and various times through Sun. $$$. Paramount Theatre, Downtown Seattle. www.stgpresents.org

Thursday, December 21 NORTH SOUND

Snohomish Riverside Candlelight Walk.

Celebrate the winter solstice with a walk on the Snohomish River Trail, illuminated by luminarias. 4 to 7 pm. FREE. Riverside Trail, downtown Snohomish. www.historicdowntownsnohomish.org

A Festival of Lessons and Carols. Northwest Boychoir’s concert includes holiday readings, carols and sing-alongs. Ages 5 and older, no babes in arms. 7:30 pm. $$ to $$$. Benaroya Hall, Downtown Seattle. www.nwchoirs.org SOUTH SOUND

Model Train Festival. Elaborate model train layouts, along with the largest permanent model train layout in the state. Take pictures with Santa (Dec. 22-23). 10 am to 5 pm through Jan. 1, closed Dec. 24-25. Included with admission. $ to $$, free ages 4 and younger. Washington State History Museum, Tacoma. www.washingtonhistory.org

Saturday, December 23 S E AT T L E A R E A

Winterfest at Seattle Center

Holiday Fun Run. Magnuson Series fun runs including 5K, 10K, 15K and Kids Dash, with prizes, hot cider and cocoa. Kids Dash at 9:45 a.m., all others at 10 a.m. $ to $$$. Magnuson Park, Seattle (Sand Point). www.magnusonseries.org EASTSIDE

Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice.

Two mice are driven to outrageous behavior when they discover the delicious-looking food in the dollhouse. Presented using the Bunraku style of puppetry by Thistle Theatre. 2 and 4 pm. $$. Bellevue Youth Theatre – Crossroads, Bellevue. www.thistletheatre.org

Sunday, December 24 SOUTH SOUND

Jingle Bell Run. 3-mile chip-timed run or walk with holiday music, jingle bells and a costume contest. Strollers and leashed dogs welcome.

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A Celtic Yuletide. Magical Strings’ annual show features Celtic music, storytelling and Irish step dancing. 7 pm. $$ to Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue. www.magicalstrings.com

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10 am or noon. $$. Wright Park, Tacoma. www.metroparkstacoma.org/jingle

Monday, December 25 Christmas Day S E AT T L E A R E A

Fiddler on the Roof Sing-Along. Live klezmer music, kosher Chinese food, and a sing-along screening of the 1971 film. 11 am food and music, noon show time. $$$. SIFF Cinema Uptown, Seattle (Lower Queen Anne). www.siff.net

Tuesday, December 26 S E AT T L E A R E A

Winter Fishtival. Hands-on activities, special talks and opportunities to learn more about the aquarium’s fish, birds, tidepool animals and marine mammals.

Each day highlights different animals and activities. 9:30 am to 5 pm through Jan. 1. Included with admission. $$ to $$$, free ages 3 and younger. Seattle Aquarium, Downtown Seattle. www.seattleaquarium.org

Thursday, December 28 S E AT T L E A R E A

Twisted Flicks: The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas. Twisted Flicks takes a notoriously terrible movie and makes it hilariously watchable by turning off the sound and having comedians improvise the dialogue, sound effects and music. All ages. 8 pm through Sat. $$. Jet City Improv, Seattle (U District). www.jetcityimprov.org NORTH SOUND

Harlem Globetrotters. See the world-famous basketball team showcase exciting tricks that are both athletic and entertaining. The team will be available for photos and autographs after the game. 7 pm. $$$. Xfinity Arena, Everett. www.xfinityarenaeverett.com

Friday, December 29 SOUTH SOUND

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Winter Wildland. Watch as animals enjoy holiday-themed treats. 9:30 am to 3 pm through Sat. Included with admission. $$ to $$$, free ages 2 and younger. Northwest Trek, Eatonville. www. nwtrek.org

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Recess Monkey New Year’s Eve EVE Celebration. Celebrate with a fun concert from local kids favorite Recess Monkey, part of the Kindiependent Kids Rock Series. 10:30 am. $$. Mount Baker Community Clubhouse, Mount Baker. www.brownpapertickets.com

Sunday, December 31 New Year’s Eve NORTH SOUND

New Year’s Eve Pajama Party. Wear your pajamas and enjoy live entertainment, hands-on activities and an early New Year’s Ball drop (9 pm). 7 pm. $$.

Imagine Children’s Museum, Everett.

SOUTH SOUND

First Night Tacoma. Ring in the New Year with live entertainment on multiple stages, a kids tent with hands-on activities, the “World’s Shortest Parade,” and a human-powered sled race. $$, free ages 10 and younger. 6:30 pm. Multiple venues, Downtown Tacoma.

Xxxxxx NewMomDispatch

by Becca Bergman Bull

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P HOTO BY J OS HUA HU STO N

This is 2 One certainty about babies and kids is how often they change.

Of course in some fundamental ways they remain the same — our Fiona still displays the same inquisitive observational powers at two years old that she did at 2 days old. And recently I laughed while reading a short journal entry from a year ago that mentioned her crawling away from what seemed like an enticing roomful of toys and toddlers at the library to go off exploring on her own, a signature habit even today (to the chagrin of her preschool teachers).

But when it comes to certain preferences and behaviors, what might seem like an immutable part of your child can just fade away a month later, often leaving behind barely a memory. It’s like what Mark Twain said about the weather in New England — if you don’t like it, wait five minutes and it’ll change.

This notion is both sanity-saving and sentimental-making — there must be a special word in the parenting dictionary for feeling nostalgic about something while it’s still happening. Whatever that word is, I’ve been feeling it more lately. I miss Fiona after she’s gone to sleep in a way that doesn’t make sense but aches in my chest. Maybe it’s because the last bits of babyhood are nearly gone (I tear up just to write it!), and in just a few months she’ll be a big sister — a marker of growing up if there ever was one.

Bearing this in mind I feel compelled to put to paper a few of the defining markers of Fi at 2 years and four months old — some of which might also be evident in your household at this very moment.

Fiona has long prized her independence, but lately the cries of “Fi do it SELF!” have reached a fever pitch. The big difference is that suddenly she is able to do some things “by self.” For months the idea of her putting on her shoes was an indulgent joke. Then one day she’s confidently yanking close the Velcro straps and (yikes!) pulling open the front door. For weeks midway through putting on pants she abandoned the task with a growl of frustration. Then one day she figures out how to extract one leg from the overcrowded hole and put it in the other one. Last week she walked out of her room having put on her own diaper (yes, probably an undeniable sign of potty-training readiness). And last night she greeted the sea-

son’s first clementine by handily peeling the whole thing (and then four more), complete with a “ta-da!” at the end. Of course it’s all an ongoing process — shirts remain more elusive, cleaning up is very hit or miss. And because she can do some things herself, suddenly she must do them — or else. But the look of satisfaction that lights up her face makes it worth the slow going.

Another recent hallmark? She’s obsessed with boys. A few in particular, and she asks about them thrice hourly, alternating between wanting to see them, hold them or eat them. At school she follows around one in particular and claims to have dreams about him at night. Who does or does not have a penis is a constant topic of conversation. Are these crushes romantic or an expression of curiosity? Is this interest innate or learned? And are we in it — the name-dropping, the pursuit, the starry eyes — for the next … well, rest of her life?

A final major development has been her language. Quite suddenly sentences tumble out of her mouth where there used to be single words: adjectives, verbs and even adverbs in addition to the familiar nouns (“When did she learn to say then?!”

I just exclaimed this morning). It’s amazing to behold, and it’s cracking open her personality and thoughts in exciting, endearing new ways.

And once she started attending preschool this past fall, she stopped napping cold turkey, a relatively devastating development for all involved in her care. It wasn’t even that she was meant to nap at school, which ends at noon; rather, once she got home she was too keyed up to downshift into slumber. But recently, yet another fresh development: we’ve been able to sing her to sleep in the rocking chair — something we haven’t done since she was a little baby. I’m not sure how long this will last. But for now I’m savoring the sweet sensation of hearing her breath turn measured and feeling her golden head grow heavy and her impossibly long limbs turn slack against mine. A phase I thought we had long since said goodbye to is circling back, if only for a short while.

Born and raised in Seattle, Becca Bergman Bull is a writer, editor and new mom in Brooklyn.

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