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The Must List: Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, 24th Annual Gingerbread Village and Can’t-Miss Local Retail Events

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Must Watch
Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
(11/25-12/28, times vary) It’s one of Seattle’s favorite holiday traditions, and this year marks the sophomore season for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s revamped and redesigned version of The Nutcracker as choreographed by George Balanchine. The two-act ballet promises ballet fans—especially young ones—visions of sugar plums dancing. mccawhall.com

Must Wonder
Sheraton Seattle’s 24th Annual Gingerbread Village
(Through January 1, 2017, 24 hours a day) Since 1992, the Sheraton has presented this good-enough-to-eat gingerbread village, a free and open to the public event with all donations benefitting the JDRF Northwest Chapter, a charity committed to curing Type 1 diabetes. The hotel’s culinary team donates thousands of hours, an equivalent amount of sugar, candy and dough and partners with local architects—this year featuring Ankrom Moisan, MBAKS & Gelotte Hommas, MG2, Bailly & Bailly, CallisonRTKL & Hargis and 4D Architects—to assemble these confectionery creations that organizers say “keeps more than 150,000 visitors coming back year after year.” gingerbreadvillage.org

Must Mingle
Light in the Attic’s Opening Party at KEXP
(11/25, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.) When one door closes, another opens: So it has been for independent record label Light in the Attic, an imprint that recently closed its tiny retail shop in Ballard but shortly after announced it would relocate to KEXP’s gathering space. The label, known for releasing obscure and out-of-print records, celebrates its new—albeit temporary; the pop-up runs through March—home this Saturday with 10% all regular stock, special Black Friday titles and free records with every purchase. blog.lightintheattic.net/brand-new-light-in-the-attic-record-shop


Must Make Merry

Macy’s Holiday Parade, Westlake Holiday Tree Lighting and Santaland
(11/25, times vary) Love it or leave it, there’s no denying Westlake is Seattle’s Christmas capitol. There’s the 26th annual Macy’s Holiday Parade (that starts at 9 a.m. at 7th and Pine), the department store’s beloved Santaland meet-and-greet (beginning at 11 a.m.) and the Westlake Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration, which kicks off at 5 p.m. (at Pine Street between 4th and 5th avenues) and includes the lighting of the Macy’s Shining Star. In tune with the excesses of the season, post-celebration fireworks follow, weather permitting. social.macys.com/eventshub/event/?id=17037

Must Shop Local
Local Retail Event Round Up
(11/25) Forget Black Friday! Save yourself the mania and the mayhem with our round up of local retail events online (OK, there are some really good brick and mortar options here). Click Your Local Gift-Giving Guide and avoid the Black Friday nightmare by shopping on Seattle’s smaller scale at shops like Momo, Clementines, E. Smith Mercantile, Babeland and more. (Hint: Download the Little Boxes app and you’ll save money and be entered in a raffle, too.) sea.shoplittleboxes.com

Rearview Mirror: Crocodile Guardians, Late-Summer Potato Salad, and a Halloween Costume Hunt

Rearview Mirror: Crocodile Guardians, Late-Summer Potato Salad, and a Halloween Costume Hunt

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

COOKING WITH ASTER PANTRY A few leaves turn, my inbox fills with fall festival pitches and cozy brunch menus, and suddenly I want to stay home with a glass of wine and cook. I love this nesting season, though I’m not ready to give up summer produce. Earlier this year, I wrote about Seattle chefs…

WALKDONTRUN Returns This Saturday, Turning Downtown Seattle Into a Sprawling Art Show

WALKDONTRUN Returns This Saturday, Turning Downtown Seattle Into a Sprawling Art Show

In its second year, the free festival brings 200-plus artists to a 20-block route September 19, with a secret garden and a former 7-Eleven stocked with art.

Most walks through downtown Seattle involve trying to get somewhere. On September 19, the crosswalk itself might be the reason to stop. Heap Troupe will turn a four-way crossing into a performance, one of dozens of encounters planned for this year’s WALKDONTRUN. The free, all-ages art walk stretches across more than 20 blocks. From 11…

At Two Dot Schoolhouse, Ruth Marie Tomlinson Builds an Artistic Community

At Two Dot Schoolhouse, Ruth Marie Tomlinson Builds an Artistic Community

For nearly 20 years, the Seattle artist and her husband have welcomed artists, writers, and musicians to a historic Montana schoolhouse. Now they’re searching for its next stewards. 

At her solo exhibition last year at The Vestibule, Seattle artist Ruth Marie Tomlinson presented a new series of work inspired by her close readings of British nature writer J.A. Baker’s The Peregrine and Icelandic author Sjón’s The Blue Fox. As if on sheets torn from a sketchbook, her pages included excerpts and outtakes of…

Rearview Mirror: Seahawks Off the Field, Seattle on the Board, and Smoked Oysters

Rearview Mirror: Seahawks Off the Field, Seattle on the Board, and Smoked Oysters

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

HOOKED ON KNOCKS Admittedly, I am late to this one. The Seahawks’ first season of Hard Knocks, the HBO series that follows NFL teams through training camp, premiered in August, but until last week, I had never heard of it. To be honest, my football knowledge starts with knowing what a touchdown is and doesn’t…