This year, I’m starting to work on this list in November-who am I?!! But I’m starting to get messages about December things so I’m putting them slowly on the list and maybe when December starts I’ll actually have some things for all of us to do. And maybe it’s okay to not do it all this year. So many events in this area happen year after year and while we overachiever Seattleites might try to fit them all in maybe there is also holiday goodness in knowing we can turn an unforeseen snow/ice/fire/apocalypse into something magical or a sick day into a restful day our bodies’ need. We shut down for two-ish years, and the world didn’t end so I’m all for savoring this time and taking things slow in December forever now.
So what is there to do in Seattle in December?
Free Ice Skating in Downtown Seattle in Pioneer Square-Dec 8-3-7pm and Dec 9 11am-3pm.
The Third Annual Holiday market is taking place in Occidental Square Park in Pioneer Square this year and there will be a pop-up rink with free ice skating and free ice skate rentals too. I don’t think there is anything more magical than ice skating during the holidays and it’s really cool that we have this in Seattle. There is also an ornament scavenger hunt taking place in Pioneer Square this season so make sure you check out the link or their instagram for more details.
Astra Lumina
I just posted a review of Astra Lumina and it is a little spendy but I also really enjoyed our visit. I do love that we have another light walk option in Seattle and I’m hoping it helps make other light shows less crowded.
MJ The Musical in Seattle at the Paramount Dec 7-17
MJ the Musical is coming to Seattle with Broadway at the Paramount and this is one thing we’ll be going to this week. I heard that you can also try and get discounted tickets to this one with Lucky Seat but I haven’t used this before so I’m not sure how it works.
A Christmas Carol
My husband and I went to A Christmas Carol at the ACT theatre last year without my teenage kids so I’m hoping that they can get in with Teentix (if you have teenagers make them sign up for Teentix and save yourself a lot of money on their entertainment) because we watched Spirited last year as a family and realized they should really get to know the background story. The ACT theatre also has a really intriguing setup where the stage is in the middle of all the seating making the action feel like it’s really immersive.
Snowflake Lane
This will forever be one of my Seattle favorites because there is snow, confetti, drumming and excitement and it feels like a little Disney magic just closer to home but free so maybe a 1000 times better than all that Disney magic too. We are lucky to have Snowflake Lane in Bellevue and I’m hoping that maybe we can figure out a night in Bellevue this holiday season because it’s been a few years now since I’ve been and a hotel stay there is also a zillion times cheaper and more relaxing than a trip to see the mouse and Eques has such a fabulous breakfast. (I’ve been told that January might be the best time to go to Disney though if you’re planning a trip….)
Seattle Center
Seattle Center has its Winterfest Train until December 31st so we might combine that with a visit to the Space Needle (I’ve promised my niece and nephew) as well as a Kraken game. The Kraken have a few really fun nights coming up (like a bobble head night on December 20th) and also if you follow them on Instagram or twitter they are doing a giveaway in 5 different neighborhoods in the city in the coming weeks like on December 6th in South Lake Union.
Wild Lanterns
Maybe even go to this one twice. We have a fabulous zoo in Seattle (that we need to support so that our next generations care about animals) that has beautiful glowing lanterns at a happy light festival that just keeps getting better year after year.
Cut your own Christmas Tree
Going into the forest to cut down our own tree has become our holiday tradition and because you can’t just wander into any forest and cut down any tree I have a post about how we get our permit and where we cut our tree.
And shop at Pike Place Market
If we all just buy one thing at Pike Place Market this holiday season it will help someone locally because these vendors are our community members. A few years ago when I was volunteering I tried to eat weekly at a different place in Pike Place Market and never got all the way through so maybe I’ll start again this December. Our local restaurants and retailers really need us to support and shop this year.
And if these are only things we do in Seattle in December I’m okay with that. If I see anything else I’ll add it to the list. But I’m also going to wind down a bit too. It’s so easy to feel pressure to do all the things but I try not to book anything too far in advance and just let things unfold. Sometimes we end up with the best memories this way.
PS if you need ideas for places to stay in Seattle or ideas places to eat in this city, you can click through to my posts here too.
PPS if you are looking for gift ideas here are some advent calendars you can find in Seattle.
Are you looking ahead to next month? Here are things to do in January in Seattle.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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