Seattle, WA

What: 29th Annual Festival of Trees
When: 10am-6pm, 11/20/07-11/26/07
Where: Fairmont Olympic Hotel
$$$: Free
Twenty-five trees, each dedicated to a patient at Children’s Hospital, are on display throughout the hotel. [206.621.1700

What: Teddy Bear Suite
When: Nov 21-Dec 26 10am-6pm
Where: Fairmont Olympic Hotel
$$$: Donation
View a large assortment of teddy bears, take holiday photos, and read teddy bear-themed books at downtown's grandest hotel. Donations benefit Children's Hospital.

What: Gingerbread Village
When: Daily 11/20/07-1/2/08, Mon-Thu, Sat 10am-6pm; Fri 10am-7pm; Sun 11am-5pm
Where: Sheraton Seattle (6th Ave & Union in downtown Seattle)
$$$: Free, but donations accepted
Seattle architectural firms and chefs from the Sheraton Seattle (Sixth and Union) team up to design, bake, and build gingerbread houses and creations. Viewing is free with optional donations supporting the battle against juvenile diabetes. [206.624.8800]

What: Winterfest
When: Daily 11/23/07-1/6/08
Where: Seattle Center
$$$: Free (except ice skating and carousel)
Seattle Center’s annual winter festival features daily free concerts and kids’ activities, world music and dance performances, lighted trees and twinkly lights. Skate at Fisher Pavilion’s Holiday Ice Rink, ride the antique carousel right outside the rink, and don’t miss the Holiday Train in the Center House - a large, intricately crafted Victorian village that never fails to fascinate the kids. [206.684.7200

What: Garden d'Lights
When: Saturday, 24 Nov. 5pm-9:30pm
Where: Bellevue Botanical Garden
$$$: Free, donations accepted
Thousands of tiny twinkling lights will transform Bellevue Botanical Garden into a fantasyland of flowers every evening during the annual Garden d'Lights festival from November 24th through December 31. Inspired by plants found in Northwest gardens, hundreds of volunteers bundle strings of commercial grade outdoor lights into three dimensional flowers, shrubs, vines, and critters. In November, these creations are 'planted' in the Botanical Garden and, with a flip of a switch, this unique holiday garden blooms every evening from 5:00-9:30 pm.

What: Magic in the Market
When: Saturday, 24 Nov., 12n-5pm
Where: Pike Place Market
$$$: Free, canned food donations requested
he market kicks off the holiday season with carolers (2pm-5pm), kids' craft activities (12n-4pm), a visit from Santa (12n-5pm), snow games, and a tree lighting ceremony (5pm).

What: Seattle Marathon & Half Marathon
When: November 25, Marathon Walk 7:15 am; Half Marathon Run 7:30 am; Half Marathon Walk 7:45 am; Marathon Run 8:15 am
Where: Seattle Center, 5th Avenue between Harrison and Mercer Streets, east of the Experience Music Project
$$$: See Website
Seattle Marathon & Half-Marathon has become one of the Top 25 Races in the Country. The Seattle Marathon (26.2 miles) and Half-Marathon (13.1 miles) both start at 5th Avenue & Broad Street near Seattle Center and goes through Downtown Seattle, making their way to Memorial Stadium for the exciting finish.

What: 17th Annual Invitational Miniature Show
When: 11/24-11/25, Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Howard/Mandville Galleries, Kirkland
$$$:
Last weekend to catch this show. Paintings and sculptures by more than 100 artists. 425-889-8212

What: National Geographic Warehouse Sale
When: Sun., November 25, 9:00am-5:00pm
Where: Washington State Convention and Trade Center 800 Convention Pl. (Eighth Ave. and Pike St.), 694-5000
$$$: Take Spending Money
Globes-puzzles-maps-and-books fire sale, with some of the 250,000 items discounted up to 90%. Steve Hubbard, NatGeo’s director of operations, promises there will be “something for everybody on your list, be they professional or amateur traveler, adventurer, scientist, gardener, history buff, photographer, animal lover, student, or teacher.” The latest additions to this year’s event are framed prints of the organization’s best photographs (perusable at www.printsngs.com). Think “cute bear catching a salmon over a waterfall.”

What: The Unseen Peanuts
When: Daily from Fri., November 23 until Mon., December 31, 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM.
Where: Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery 1201 S. Vale St., 658-0110
$$$: Free to all ages
featuring Schulz’ original artwork (on loan from the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA) for nine strips. Why were these left out of collections? In some early ones, perhaps, Schulz was still working out the details of his drawing technique and of his fictional universe. In others, the joke may have landed off-key; other perfectly good strips just got overlooked for no reason.

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