‘Tis the season to get out and enjoy all that the Seattle metropolitan area has to offer. We asked our team what they like to do over the holidays with their friends and families. Here’s what they had to say.

Mitzi Carletti

“There’s so much to love about Seattle during the holidays. We celebrate the season with cocktails or tea at Hotel Sorrento, the merry-go-round at Westlake Center and A Christmas Carol at the ACT.”

Andrea Durbin

“Every year since my kids were born, we’ve visited the Nordstrom Santa on the corner of 6th and Pine and had a photo taken. Each photo is framed and sits on our mantel during the Christmas season. My daughters are now 16 and 13 and I’ve told them they have to participate until they are out of college!”

Eileen Olson

“My favorite place to go is Candy Cane Lane in the Ravenna neighborhood (north of the University Village). It has been around for over 50 years, and I started going when I was a small child. It still brings back the joy of Christmas.”

Julie Parisio Roy

“My favorite thing to do around the holidays is go to the Fairmont Hotel Lobby. You can sit amongst the decked-out trees while the kids sip hot chocolate and adults enjoy something from the bar.”

Mike Schultz

“During the holidays, I love going to The Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition in Downtown Seattle at and around Westlake Center. They have great live music, and benefits go to the Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank.”

Cal Spranger

“Our new favorite holiday tradition is for my son and I to get a permit from the ranger station and cut our own Christmas tree in the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. It’s a great adventure driving up snowy, muddy forest service roads and hiking around the woods. We also have tall vaulted ceilings in our house so we’re able to get a tall tree for a reasonable price. Sense of humor is a must!”

Tim Thomas

“During the holidays, our extended family meets for a day in the city, which usually involves an event like attending the theater followed by a celebratory dinner. It has become a nice tradition over the years and we look forward to it every year.”

Jeff Walters

“Each December my family takes a Saturday to see the Christmas tree at Westlake park followed by a Monorail ride to Seattle Center for lunch and ice skating.”

Katie Wham

“Our holiday tradition is to pick out a Christmas tree from our local Boy Scout lot, and decorate it at home. Typically, we opened presents with our daughter, Caroline, on Christmas morning. Last year, though, we started a new tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve because our second daughter, Claire, was born on Christmas morning!”