Greenlake Guest House Top 10 Picks for What to Do in Seattle During the Holidays

December is such a fun time to be in Seattle, despite the rain and the short days. It’s cozy and bright inside, and not terribly cold for being outside.  We love the Christmas Lights and special holiday shows and traditions. Here’s our “Top 10” list of fun holiday events around here this month:

1. Kick off the holiday season with Julefest at the nearby Nordic Heritage Museum November 23 and 24. Enjoy live music, authentic Nordic food and spiced wine, see the museum exhibits, and find perfect handcrafted gifts from dozens of vendors.
2. Our personal favorite: the annual Greenlake Pathway of Lights. This event is always held at Greenlake on the second Saturday in December (December 14, 2019). Volunteers line the entire 2.8-mile pathway with luminaires, and thousands of people come to walk the lake and enjoy live carolers, hot chocolate, and lights. Even the kayaks and canoes are decorated with lights.
3. See a Christmas play at Seattle Public Theater’s Bathhouse Theater at Greenlake. This year you can choose from “Christmastown” or “A Very Die Hard Christmas."
   The Theater is a 10 minute walk from Greenlake Guest House with several local restaurants along the way to stop for dinner or dessert before or after the show.
4. Attend Pacific Northwest Ballet’s “Nutcracker” at Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall. This Nutcracker is a magical production of the popular ballet, with over the top sets and costumes and runs all month. A Seattle tradition!
5. Holiday Shopping in downtown Seattle or nearby University Village, an upscale outdoor mall with a mix of local and national stores. Enjoy the decorated windows and lights and a wide variety of stores while you finish up your shopping
6. Visit “Wildlights” at the nearby Woodland Park Zoo, with over 600,00 lights in animal shapes, food and wine, and carolers. A 5 or 10 minute drive away from Greenlake Guest House.
7. Visit the amazing Gingerbread Village inside the lobby at the downtown Sheraton Hotel. Admission is free. These houses are designed by architects, and donations benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. This is one of our annual family traditions.
8. Ride the Argosy Christmas Ship and see the parade of decorated boats throughout the month of December. Join the parade, or listen to the live carols broadcast from the ship from a beach bonfire at one of 45 locations throughout the Seattle area.
9. See the sweet holiday lights at nearby Ravenna neighborhood’s Candy Cane Lane, a Seattle tradition since 1949.
10. Celebrate New Year’s Eve at the Space Needle watching a free light show and midnight fireworks show shot right from the top of the Needle! Or be fancy and get tickets to a New Year’s Eve Party at the Chihuly Garden & Glass or at the Sky View Observatory at the Columbia Center or right at the Space Needle (21+).

You have many choices to make fun memories during the holiday season in Seattle. Spend a night or a week here and enjoy the B&B fully decorated for the holidays and special Christmas cookies baked daily. We love this season and look forward to sharing it with you.