Oh What Fun! (Holiday Events) - December 18, 2017

How do two newcomers to the Seattle area get in the Christmas spirit?  They go out and do things – lots of Christmassy things!  As we discovered, there are a plethora of activities in Woodinville and around Seattle to get you in the spirit.  Our quest to find the spirit of Christmas had begun!
To kick things off, we started  with  the Woodinville Tree Lighting Ceremony and Winterfest Celebration.  After reading about the Community Tree and all of the people that helped get the new tree to its’ temporary home in DeYoung Park in time for the tree lighting, we knew we had to be there.  It was a nice night, and great to see friends and family members enjoying the evening together.  
Then we were told about the poinsettias at Molbak’s and knew we had to check it out.  Wow – we  had  definitely come to the right place to see gorgeous poinsettias plants in so many beautiful color variations. Molbak’s knows how to celebrate the holidays!  www.molbaks.com
Our next stop was to take in some great theater in the form of Irving Berlin’s “Holiday Inn” at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Our holiday tradition is to watch the original movie with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, and we pretty much know every scene and song by heart.  Although the play understandably was a little different than the movie, the actors were great and the singing and dancing was Broadway caliber.  Needless to say, we loved it!  It’s playing until December 31st if you’d like to check it out.  www.5thavenue.org
We visited Green Lake for two  separate  events.  The first was the Green Lake Pathway of Lights.  Luminaries lined the 2.8-mile path around the lake and boats were decorated with lights in the water.  Thousands of people turned out on the beautiful December evening and strolled.  On one side of the lake, hot air balloons glowed in the night sky. On the other side, carolers entertained the crowds.  We will do this again next year for sure, but we will plan our evening out a little better and prepare for the crowds and the tough parking availability.  www.facebook.com/GreenLake PathwayofLights/
Our second trip to Green Lake was to see the Seattle Public Theater’s original play “The Flight Before Xmas.”  In short, it was awesome, and this play’s message absolutely captured the true meaning and spirit of the holiday season. The Bathhouse is the theater’s home, and the intimate seating surrounding the stage on three sides makes you feel as though you are part of the scene.  The show was touching at times and laugh out loud funny at others.  Every one in the cast was very talented including the seven actors that were under the age of 18.  We loved it because the show was a matinee (at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.) so you can enjoy a stroll around the lake before settling into your seat.  There are just a couple more shows before it wraps up on Christmas Eve, but if you have a chance, go!   www.seattlepublictheater.org/the-flight-before-xmas
Our search for the Christmas spirit concluded with a trip to WildLights at the Woodland Park Zoo.  Every night until January 1st from 5:30-8:30 p.m. (closed December 24 & 25), you can enjoy terrific light displays at the zoo’s exhibits that showcase a variety of animals. A few of the indoor exhibits with nocturnal animals are open, but this is a chance to see the zoo in a different light so to speak.  The kiddos can meet Santa, ride on the carousel, or have an indoor snowball fight in Snowmazium.  Our advice – go on a weekday!  We went on Saturday night, and it was packed!  For more information visit www.zoo.org/wildlights.

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