Author: Caroline

It’s not Christmas without a visit to Swansons, which turned 100 this year! A big birthday for a small business in our young city.

Fog, colored lights, ethereal music… Hear me out, what if they played something with a beat, so middle-aged moms could relive their clubbing days? (While their kids die of shame.) Do Astra Lumina once, you won’t regret it. But save a little money by parking on the street, which is easy in West Seattle, instead…

Phew! My last story for 2024, in today’s Seattle Times. This one was such a joy to write, one I’ve been researching for the past decade! 6 fun itineraries around holiday lights, link here. Made the cover of the weekend section, and got an A1 tease! iykyk

These pictures are from Thanksgiving, but Santa is BACK at Pike Place this Saturday, Dec. 14. Free Santa photos 10-3. If you spend $50 at the market, you also get a cute Pike Place shopping basket and a roll of Pike Place tissue paper. Happy shopping! The line was long, so we cheated and took…

No cons here, just pros! The theme of the 30th annual gingerbread village at the Sheraton Grand Seattle is iconic destinations. Four cities featured: Agra, London, Sydney and Paris. Runs through Jan. 1, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It gets busier the closer you get to…

Pros and cons, the Kringle’s Filling Station edition: Pros: Cons: The verdict: We’ll be back!

Step 1: Declutter and organizeStep 2: CleanStep 3: Set up the guest roomStep 4: Inventory your dishes, chairsStep 5: Decorate for cheap, aka find some pinecones … (Step 6: Sleep for a week! 😅) I wrote this week’s At Home cover story for The Seattle Times.

Q: What was the first Christmas carol played in space? A: Jingle Bells! Paul correctly guessed the answer and won a candy cane from Santa. Loved the trivia contest, Seattle Girls Choir and hot cocoa on board the Argosy Christmas ship. We’ll watch from shore later this month when they come through Ballard Locks. Such…

Thinking about going to the Seattle Christmas Market? Pros: Cons:

This is the honest Enchant Christmas review you need. In a nutshell, Enchant is like Disney. It’s magical and beautiful and your kids will LOVE it. But prepare to pay an arm and a leg for admission and, once inside, to be nickeled and dimed on everything.