!–paging_filter–pspan style=”color: #ff0000;”span style=”font-size: medium;”strongDowntown Bellevue/strong/span/spanbr‘Tis the season at Bellevue Square’s ever-popular strongSnowflake Lane/strong, where live toy soldiers march alongside toy soldiers to festive music, a dazzling light show brightens the dark sky and snowflakes fall nightly. 11/29-12/31; 7 p.m.; Bellevue Square, sidewalks of Bellevue Way NE 8supth/sup at The Bellevue Collection; a href=”http://bellevuecollection.com/SnowflakeLane/“bellevuecollection.com/snowflakelane/a/p
pbrStrap on those skates and step onto Bellevue’s outdoor strongIce Arena/strong. 12/29-01/12; Times and prices vary. Chaplin’s Bellevue Subaru Ice Arena, NE 1supst/sup St. and 102supnd/sup Ave. NE, one block south of Bellevue Square; a href=”http://www.magicseason.com/“magicseason.com/a/p
pbrReturn to downtown Bellevue after the holidays for the annual strongCelebration Lane/strong, a night of bubbles, brilliant lights and drummers rocking to lively music. 12/26-12/31; 7 p.m.; The Bellevue Collection, sidewalks between Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square, and Bellevue Place; a href=”http://bellevuecollection.com/SnowflakeLane/“http://bellevuecollection.com/SnowflakeLane//a/p
pstrongbrA Feast of Grace and Light/strong Seattle Jewish Chorale presents uplifting songs for a different side of the season. 12/4 at Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue; 12/15 at Seattle Jewish Community School in Seattle. a href=”http://www.seattlejewishchorale.org” target=”_blank”seattlejewishchorale.org/a/p
pspan style=”color: #ff0000;”span style=”font-size: medium;”strongRedmond/strong/span/spanstrongbrRedmond’s Winter Festival /strongcelebrate like an array of traditions, cultures, and faiths with music, kid’s activities, and campus lighting. Deck yourself with twinkling lights and stroll in the Luminary Walk along hundreds of candles and light displays. Round off the night with warm holiday treats and more fun at Redmond Town Center.nbsp; 12/7; Free; Check website for details; a href=”http://www.redmondlights.com/“redmondlights.com/a/p
pstrongbrspan style=”color: #ff0000;”span style=”font-size: medium;”Kirkland/span/spanbrGeoffrey Castle’s Celtic Christmas/strong The enthusiastic electric six-string violin player presents his annual holiday show with Gael force. 12/13–12/14; Kirkland Performance Center; a href=”http://www.kpcenter.org” target=”_blank”kpcenter.org/a/p
pstrongbrA Charlie Brown Christmas/strong strongwith David Benoit/strong The acclaimed jazz pianist plays Vince Guaraldi’s beloved score. 12/2; Kirkland Performance Center; a href=”http://www.kpcenter.org” target=”_blank”kpcenter.org/a/p
pstrongspan style=”font-size: medium;”span style=”color: #ff0000;”brSeattle Center/span/spanbrSeattle Center Winterfest/strong is a must-visit with many holiday-spirited events to enjoy, such as ice skating ($2-$7), ice sculpting, live performances, and the Winter Train Village, which for a small donation allows you to play conductor.nbsp; 11/23-12/31; Times Vary; Free; Seattle Center; a href=”http://www.seattlecenter.com/winterfest/“seattlecenter.com/winterfest/a/p
pstrongbrNutcracker/strong This marks the 3a href=”http://\/\/seattlemag.com/article/nutcracker-peek-and-other-holiday-events” target=”_blank”0th year that Pacific Northwest Ballet/a has performed its Maurice Sendak set version of the Tchaikovsky classic, and those Sugarplum Fairies still feel fresh. 11/30–12/29; McCaw Hall; a href=”http://www.pnb.org” target=”_blank”pnb.org/a/p
pstrongbrWilly Wonka the Chocolate Factory in Smell-O-Vision/strong Celebrate the season with snozzberries! Watch the original film augmented with sweet smells from goodie bags filled with Wonka-style treats. 12/12–12/13 12/19–12/20; SIFF Film Center;a href=”http://www.siff.net” target=”_blank” siff.net/a/p
pstrongbrspan style=”color: #ff0000;”span style=”font-size: medium;”Capitol Hill/span/spanbrA Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant/strong Seattle’s bold Balagan Theatre Company tells Scientology’s origin story via Christian tropes and antics galore. 11/22–12/21. Erickson Theater;a href=”http://www.balagantheatre.org” target=”_blank” balagantheatre.org/a/p
pstrongbrHomo for the Holidays/strong Turns out when you ask Santa for something outrageous, irreverent and over the top, he delivers. 12/12–12/14 12/18–12/23; Century Ballroom; a href=”http://www.centuryballroom.com” target=”_blank”centuryballroom.com/a/p
pstrongspan style=”font-size: medium;”span style=”color: #ff0000;”First Hill/span/spanbrDuke Ellington’s Sacred Music Earshot Jazz/strong presents the 25th annual concert of the master’s spiritually swingin’ take on the season. 12/28; Town Hall; a href=”http://www.townhallseattle.org” target=”_blank”townhallseattle.org/a/p
pstrongbrMagical Strings: Celtic Yuletide Concert/strong nbsp;A festive evening of Irish dancing, juggling and music, featuring fiddle, harp, cello and hammered dulcimer. 12/14; Town Hall; a href=”http://www.townhallseattle.org” target=”_blank”townhallseattle.org/a/p
pstrongbrspan style=”font-size: medium;”span style=”color: #ff0000;”Downtown Seattle/span/span/strongbrGive the Holiday Carousel a whirl this year and benefit a href=”http://www.treehouseforkids.org/“Treehouse/a, the local nonprofit organization that provides resources foster children, at the same time. nbsp;It’s a twofer! 11/29-01/01; Times and prices vary. Westlake Park, 4supth/sup and Pine St.; a href=”http://holidaysinseattle.com/Home.aspx“holidaysinseattle.com/a/p
pbrPrepare your ears for the strong27supth/sup Annual/strong strongGreat Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition/strong, where over 40 singing teams take to streets and battle it out (using their voices, of course) to be the last team standing on the Figgy Main Stage. To compete, visit a href=”http://www.pikemarketseniorcenter.org/“pikemarketseniorcenter.org/a. 12/06; 5-8:30 p.m.; Free; Westlake Center, 400 Pine St.; a href=”http://holidaysinseattle.com/Home.aspx“holidaysinseattle.com/a/p
pbrGet on board with the strongArgosy Christmas Ship Festival/strong, a Northwest tradition for 64 years, and sail to more than 45 Puget Sound waterfront communities to the sound of live choirs singing during the ride. 11/29-12/23; Times and prices vary. Argosy Cruises; 206.623.1445; a href=”http://www.argosycruises.com/“argosycruises.com/a/p
pstrongbrGo Tell It On the Mountain/strong Gospel greats The Blind Boys of Alabama bring their Grammy-winning holiday show back to Seattle. 12/17; Benaroya Hall; a href=”http://www.seattlesymphony.org” target=”_blank”seattlesymphony.org/a/p
pstrongbrHandel’s Messiah Seattle Symphony and Chorale/strong perform the whole Hallelujah. 12/20–12/22; Benaroya Hall; a href=”http://www.seattlesymphony.org” target=”_blank”seattlesymphony.org/a/p
pstrongbrA Christmas Carol/strong Don’t be a Scrooge about seeing this Dickens classic—it’s a fail-safe heart-warmer. 11/29–12/29; ACT Theatre;a href=”http://www.acttheatre.org” target=”_blank” acttheatre.org/a/p
pstrongbrOliver!/strong There’s nothing specifically Christmas-y about this Dickens tale turned Broadway smash, but something about those orphans singing “Food, Glorious Food” feels appropriate for the season. 11/29–12/31; The 5th Avenue Theatre; a href=”http://www.5thavenue.org” target=”_blank”5thavenue.org/a/p
pstrongbrHome for the Holidays/strong Seattle Symphony’s family-friendly pops concert is a holiday hit parade. 12/5–12/8; Benaroya Hall; a href=”http://www.seattlesymphony.org” target=”_blank”seattlesymphony.org/a/p
pstrongbrPlay It Again, Santa/strong Seattle Men’s Chorus brings its customary charm—and cheekiness—to seasonal songs. 11/30–12/22; Benaroya Hall; a href=”http://www.flyinghouse.org/smc” target=”_blank”flyinghouse.org/smc/a/p
pstrongbrChristmas in the Cloister/strong The Medieval Women’s Choir presents music from abbeys in Germany, France and Spain. (It’s the music that’s medieval, not the women.) 12/21; St. James Cathedral; a href=”http://www.medievalwomenschoir.org” target=”_blank”medievalwomenschoir.org/a/p
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pstrongspan style=”font-size: medium;”span style=”color: #ff0000;”University District/span/spanbrAn Irish Christmas/strong Seattle Choral Company brings carols from the Emerald Isle to the Emerald City. 12/13–12/14; St. Mark’s Cathedral; a href=”http://www.seattlechoralcompany.org” target=”_blank”seattlechoralcompany.org/a/p
pstrongbrA John Waters Christmas/strong “The Pope of Trash” presents his unique brand of holiday hilarity, promising to “put the X back in Xmas.” 12/5; The Neptune Theatre; a href=”http://www.stgpresents.org” target=”_blank”stgpresents.org/a/p
pstrongbrspan style=”font-size: medium;”span style=”color: #ff0000;”North Seattle/span/spanbrA Feast of Grace and Light/strong Seattle Jewish Chorale presents uplifting songs for a different side of the season. 12/4 at Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue; 12/15 at Seattle Jewish Community School in Seattle. a href=”http://www.seattlejewishchorale.org” target=”_blank”seattlejewishchorale.org/a/p
pstrongbrspan style=”color: #ff0000;”span style=”font-size: medium;”Green Lake/span/spanbrThe Santaland Diaries/strong David Sedaris’ book by the same name is the source material for Seattle Public Theater’s staging of this snort-laugh favorite. 12/6–12/24; Bathhouse theater; a href=”http://www.seattlepublictheater.org” target=”_blank”seattlepublictheater.org/a/p
pstrongspan style=”color: #ff0000;”brspan style=”font-size: medium;”South Lake Union/span/spanbrDina Martina Christmas/strong Show It’s tough to describe this bizarre and gut-busting annual show, but “cringetacular” and “a hot mess with a heart of gold” feel pretty close. 11/29–12/31; Re-bar; a href=”http://www.dinamartina.com” target=”_blank”dinamartina.com/a/p
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pspan style=”font-size: medium;”span style=”color: #ff0000;”strongTacoma/strong/span/spanbrBundle up the family and see why strongTacoma’s Zoolights/strong continues to be a holiday favorite (and rightfully so), with a half-million dazzling lights and displays such as a Giant Pacific Octopus or ice-skating puffins. Visitors can also take a spin on an antique carousel or ride a camel!nbsp; 11/29-01/05 (closed 12/24, 12/25, 01/01); 5-9 p.m.; Prices vary; Point Defiance Zoo Aquarium, 5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma, WA; 253.591.5337; a href=”http://www.pdza.org/calendar?cid=363“pdza.org/a/p
pstrongbrspan style=”font-size: medium;”span style=”color: #ff0000;”Vashon Island/span/span/strongbrAdd strongVashon Island’s/strong strongWinterfest Weekend/strong to your calendar and take your pick of art browsing, holiday shopping, and good ole’ fashioned fun with a visit to Santa’s Cottage, a holiday parade, the 3suprd/sup Annual Gingerbread House Tour, and a tree lighting ceremony to complete the experience. Visit the Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce for maps. 12/06-12/08; Time varies; Free; Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce, 17141 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon, WA; 206.463.6217; a href=”http://vashonchamber.com/“vashonchamber.com /a/p
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