Seeking: Holiday plans❄️

+ a quick pulse check

Before we dive into things this week, I want to do a little pulse check! I’ve developed a rough structure for this newsletter, but I’m curious if it’s serving you or what you might want more / less of. I feel like I could include a billion things in here each week, but before I do that, I want to find out what you really want to see!

If you could answer these two quick polls, I’d greatly appreciate it 🙏 (and I’ll always take more feedback via email replies or in the comments).

P.S. This newsletter is a little long, so don’t forget to expand it if it gets cut off!

Trust me, I am NOT one of those people who starts playing Christmas music as soon as the calendar flips to November. I’m actually pretty new to cultivating the “holiday spirit.” But! There are a lot of festive things that happen around the city that require some advance planning because they are very popular and tend to sell out / fly by. So I’ve compiled some of the biggest ones here and will continue to share more as I find them.

Festivals + Markets

• Julefest | 11/18 - 11/19 | Ballard | $10 | My favorite way to celebrate my heritage (get the Glögg)

• Holly Jolly Holiday Market | 11/24 - 11/25 | Snohomish | Free | Over 80 vendors are participating in this market hosted on a farm

• Seattle Christmas Market | 11/24 - 12/24 | Uptown | $15.99-19.99 | Could be actually cool or really crowded and lame. It’s a toss up!

• Winterfest | 11/24 - 12/31 | Uptown | Free | Events at Seattle Center tend to be a little hokey, but would be fun to walk around if you’re down there

Land of the Sweets

Shows

• Wonderland at the Can Can | 11/16 - 1/7 | Downtown | $69-115 | You can get $49 tickets for opening weekend if you book now!

• Land of the Sweets: A Burlesque Nutcracker | 12/1 - 12/28 | Downtown | $85-115 | This one is hosted at the Triple Door, I loved seeing the Halloween burlesque here

• The Nutcracker | 11/24 - 12/27 | Uptown | $29-208

• A Very Die Hard Christmas | 11/22 - 12/23 | Green Lake | $10-100 sliding scale

• 28th Annual Magic in the Market | 11/25 | Downtown | Free | An annual downtown tradition, you can also tack on a “sip & savor tour”

Experiences

• Wildlanterns | 11/10 - 1/14 | Phinney Ridge | $29.95-36.95

• Christmas Ships | 11/24 - 12/23 | Various Locations | $54 | Alternatively, reserve a table at restaurant with a view of the lake (White Swan has a heated patio) or watch from the shore

• Kringle’s Filling Station | 11/24 - 12/31 | Greenwood | $17 | Basically a $17 hot chocolate out of a gas pump + photo op, but still cute

• Garden d’Lights | 11/25 - 12/31 | Bellevue | $5-8 | The first two weeks are a little cheaper

💎 Local gems

Café Calaveras | Georgetown (for now!)

I met Clarissa at her pop-up at the Pioneer Square Fall Market a few weeks ago and promptly fell in love with her warm cup of Café de Olla (and her pup Otis!). Clarissa moved to Seattle in 2018 from San Antonio, Texas, and seeks to bring a little of that vibrant Latin culture to Seattle by creating a gathering space to help foster a sense of belonging in the Mexican diaspora of the city.

While currently operating as a pop-up, Clarissa is seeking a permanent space and plans for Café Calaveras to be a colorful coffee shop that will serve quality coffee beverages, coffee products, and small bites, curated with a latinx twist. You can find Café Calaveras at the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall for the next two Sundays (11/12, 11/19) from 11am-4pm and donate to her GoFundMe to support the launch of her café in the new year.

Silent Book Club | Various Locations

This was “on my radar” last week and I’m glad I can now call it a local gem after attending the West Seattle gathering! The WS chapter has many participating locations, but I met a friend at a cozy bar called Otter on the Rocks around 6:30. We ordered a glass of wine and caught up until the hosts went around the room at 7:30 and gently let us know that reading time was now beginning (I love gentle but enforced programming). Almost everyone was there to read, so it was cool to see the whole bar settle into their books. We concluded our reading hour at 8:30 and the hosts gathered everyone’s books + e-readers to take a fun picture at the end!

I’d highly recommend this for a solo or friend date. It’s the perfect way to feel like you’re getting out there, but still doing something cozy and introverted. Here are the next dates for each chapter: Ballard (11/16), Renton (11/16), OG chapter (11/18 at the cat cafe!), Burien (11/30), and West Seattle (12/7).

👀 On my radar

Capitol Hill Art Walk by Lisa Hagen Glynn

Art Walks – Last week I shared a little how-to guide for the Pioneer Square Art Walk, and then realized that almost every other neighborhood is hosting their art walks this weekend! I went to the Greenwood one pre-pandemic (fun!) and accidentally stumbled across the Belltown one (confusing!), so I feel like I can’t fully speak to how good these are, but please report back if your personal favorite is on this list:

• Capitol Hill Art Walk | Thursday, 11/9

• Edmonds Art Walk | Thursday, 11/9

• Greenwood Art Walk | Friday, 11/10

• Belltown Art Walk | Friday, 11/10

• Georgetown Art Attack | Saturday, 11/11

• Ballard Art Walk | Saturday, 11/11

Seattle 101 Free Walking Tour – I’m a huge fan of doing free walking tours when I travel, but I’m kind of embarrassed that I’ve never thought of doing one in my own city. I know it’s not always cool to do touristy things as a local, but this seems like a more fun way to learn about our city than say, just reading a book. This tour seems to be the best and most highly rated option and it’s “free” to sign up but you’re encouraged to tip your guide based on your experience (which is usually always very deserved!). Would be fun to do during a little staycation day in the city.

Also upcoming:

• 11/23 & 11/26 | For any runners, the Turkey Trot and Seattle Marathon are coming up

• 11/30 - 12/2 | This experimental opera / art show looks really interesting. I love the question it poses: how can we reject the scarcity of time and just be present?

📆 This weekend’s events

• Shady Bottom Funk | Friday, 11/10 | Wallingford | $12

• Absence of Proof Friendsgiving on the Canal | Friday, 11/10 | Ballard | $30

• SODO Flea Market | Saturday, 11/11 | SODO | Free

• Soup Club | Saturday, 11/11 | Fremont | Free

• Diwali: Lights of India | Saturday, 11/11 | Uptown | Free

• Station Space Grand Opening | Saturday, 11/11 | ID | Free

• Public Art Build at Gateway Park North | Saturday, 11/11, 10am-2pm | Georgetown | Free (artist Sarah Kavage is going to use the willow we harvested to build more art structures, and the public is invited to help!)

• DJ Mobile Sessions | Saturday, 11/11 | Uptown | $20

• Finnish Bazaar | Sunday, 11/12 | Ballard | Free

• Artist & Makers Market | Sunday, 11/12 | Northgate | Free

• Death & Music 2023 | Sunday, 11/12 | Downtown | $20

• The Not-Creepy Gathering for People Who Want to Fall In Love | Sunday, 11/12 | Ballard | $10-30 sliding scale

• An Evening with David Sedaris | Sunday, 11/12 | Downtown | $65-75

• Love & Loss at PNB | 11/9 - 11/12 | Uptown | $30-210 (11/9 is pay-what-you-can night!)

• Best of the Northwest Fall Show | 11/10 - 11/12 | Sand Point | $3-5

🚨 ICYMI

Fremont Brewing is coming to Columbia City. The owner of Taurus Ox (so good) is opening a Lao pizzeria / dive bar on First Hill. Remlinger Farms will now be an outdoor music venue. An indoor dog park and tavern is coming to the Central District. Fair Isle Brewing released their pop-up dinner series lineup.

🧰️ Seattle Toolkit

A few of my favorite resources to stay tuned in to what’s happening around the city:

1. What Do - Seattle’s aggregated event list

2. Everout - Events & things to do

3. SEAToday - Daily Seattle newsletter

4. The Nudge Seattle - Text-based event planner

5. The Intentionalist - Discover + support local small businesses

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Your turn!

What are you seeking this week? What do you already have planned? Share it with us in the comments ⬇️