Holiday lights look so much prettier in the snow, don’t they? Here’s a cute little bungalow blanketed in snow and lights, on 16th Avenue South near the library. (Know of more? Email us. If you’ve taken photos you want us to feature, email them, or add them to the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.
Here’s a map of all the houses we’ve posted about so far (now marked with little green trees). Scroll or zoom out on the map to see the other houses:
As recommended earlier by a commenter named Steve, we visited the 4500 block of 11th Avenue South and found this cheerful house with a rotating Christmas tree! It’s hard to get a good picture because there are trees in front of the house, but we did our best. Know of other houses for us to look at? Email us or post in the comments here.
As before, here’s a map. You can scroll around or zoom the map to see all of the houses we’ve featured so far:
We found more lights tonight. This cheerful house is on the 1700 block of South Columbian Way. (Know of others? Please tell us. We’ve gotten a couple of tips about light displays so far and were able to go out and photograph them. You’ll be seeing more photos soon.)
Here’s a map of the sites we’ve found so far (click on the map and scroll around or zoom out to see the other locations):
Here’s another house cheerfully decorated for Christmas. This one caught my eye with its Virgin Mary with a shining neon blue halo. It’s in the 8000 block of Beacon Avenue South. (Know of more brightly-lit houses? Please tell us.)
Here’s a map showing this house’s location. If you click on the map and scroll around, or zoom out, you can see all of the houses we’ve featured so far:
Here’s another house with some holiday lights, in the 5400 block of Beacon Avenue South. Know of any decorated houses? Email us so we can feature them here!
And here’s the updated version of our map of decorated houses. Scroll up and you’ll see the location of yesterday’s house:
When I was very young, the local newspapers used to host a Christmas light contest each year. People would decorate their houses in amazing ways, and the newspapers would publish the list of competitors. My parents would then drive us around to see the decorated houses.
Then came 1973, and the oil shortages. Suddenly it was irresponsible to have holiday lights. The contests went away, and the city because a lot less festive. It was years before we started seeing a ton of lights again. And I missed the light shows of my early childhood.
Now, we’re back to the 1973 state of things in many ways. It’s not “green” to waste that much energy. But I still enjoy the lights anyway, at least for a few weeks each year in Seattle’s terribly dark winters. They brighten up our evenings and make the darkness easier to bear.
We’ll be featuring Beacon Hill homes with lights and decoration periodically until Christmas. Do you have some cool decorations? How about your neighbors? Please write and tell us, so we can post a picture.
Our first featured home is on the 1500 block of South Atlantic Street. (See the map at the bottom of this post.) Tons of lights, a countdown clock to Christmas, and Santa in a helicopter!
Here’s a map to help you find the house. We’ll add other holiday houses to the map over the next few weeks.
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What if you had to do all of your holiday gift shopping without leaving Beacon Hill? Is it possible? The Hill is not known for having a ton of retail, but that doesn’t mean we have to head for the ID, Georgetown, Columbia City, Downtown, or (God forbid) Southcenter to find gifts. Our neighborhood has plenty of great gift ideas to choose from, easily accessible by foot for many of us, making shopping on the Hill a healthy and green option as well as one that supports our neighbors who do business here.
I spent “Cyber Monday” not online, but on foot, browsing North Beacon Hill for shopping opportunities. I was not disappointed. Here’s what I found.
Victrola Coffee, in the old Galaxie shop at 3215 Beacon Avenue South, has Victrola logo ceramic mugs for $7.95, and travel mugs for $14.95. Combine either of these with some fresh coffee beans, and you have an excellent gift for any coffee lover.
Buggy at 3315 Beacon Avenue South is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so we weren’t able to go in, but from previous visits we know that the shop is more than just a “baby stuff” shop. Yes, there are baby and kid things galore, including clothing and toys, but there are also knitting supplies, handmade bags, journals, and other gifts that even non-parents would enjoy. We particularly like some of the items from da-a tis.
Yoga on Beacon at 3013 Beacon Avenue South was also closed during our shopping trip, but we see that they have a nice selection of workout clothing. A class card or unlimited membership would also be a great gift for a yoga student.
Hello Bicycle at 3067 Beacon Ave South has an assortment of bicycling accessories, and bicycles as well. Their hours are limited; check the website or call before stopping by.
Edible gifts are a great option for the foodie in your life. Despi Delite Bakery at 2701 15th Avenue South has a great assortment of Filipino pastries and many other baked goods. They sell gift certificates for any amount, they say — just ask.
The folks at Culinary Communion at 2524 Beacon Avenue South sell gift certificates for their cooking and wine classes.
The shops mentioned here are less than half a mile apart in the North Beacon Hill business district. Who needs a car? But this is only North Beacon. Do you have favorite shopping destinations in Mid-Beacon or South Beacon? Please post a comment. We’d like to feature them, too.
Here’s a map of all the businesses mentioned here, marked with shopping baskets:
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