The Emerald Palate

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Seasonal Activities, Things to Do ·

20 Best Things to Do in Seattle in December 2025

woman cozy in a blanket during winter with coffee, one of the best things to do in Seattle in December

I thoroughly enjoyed coming up with the best things to do in Seattle in December because there’s so much going on. Granted the days are shorter, with sunset around 4:30 PM, and the weather is chilly, averaging 46°F, but the Christmas spirit and festivities more than make up for it.

With the holidays in full swing, local shops are hosting craft fairs to encourage shopping small, and there are holiday festivals happening all over the city. There are also a bunch of wintry activities just outside the city. So whether you’re a local or a first time visitor, here’s a list of the best things to do in December in Seattle!

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Best Things to Do in Seattle in December

Save this list to Pinterest for later, as I’ll update it every year with all the best activities in Seattle in December! For more December events, check out my Seattle events calendar.

Attend a holiday craft fair

Let’s face it: most of us wait until December to go holiday shopping, and why shouldn’t we? Seattle is teeming with markets celebrating all types of makers and wares. I curated a list of my favorite Seattle holiday markets. It has at least 100 markets, so here’s just a teaser of some of my favorites:

3 marbled Christmas ornaments

Wine and dine at a food & drink event

December is the best time of year to experience food and drink festivals. Here are some that you can’t miss:

Enjoy a restaurant-quality Christmas meal 

One of the best things to do in Seattle in December is to take a break from cooking and let the pros do the work. Many Seattle restaurants offer take-home or dine-in options for Christmas and Chanukah dinner so you don’t have to stress about cooking. Chanukah kicks off on Christmas Day this year, so there are double the reasons to celebrate.

Restaurants open Christmas Eve & Day for dine-in

Here are restaurants open for dine-in on both Christmas and Christmas Eve unless otherwise noted. Remember, these are spots doing classic holiday meals. Most of the best Chinese restaurants in Seattle are open per usual.

No prices below means the menu is a la carte.

  • 13 Coins (Pioneer Square & Bellevue) – A la carte menu
  • Andare (Downtown) – Italian a la carte menu
  • Ben Paris (Downtown) – $85pp chalkboard special Christmas Eve & Day
  • Carrello (Capitol Hill) – $125pp Feast of the 7 Fishes Christmas Eve only
  • Cedar & Elm (Kenmore) – $140pp for 5 courses
  • Charlotte (Downtown) – $105pp for 4 courses Christmas Eve and Day
  • Copperleaf (Tukwila) – $125pp for 5 courses
  • Ethan Stowell Restaurants (various) – A la carte or $55-$95 pre-fixe menus at all restaurants
  • The George (Downtown) – $95/adult, $50/kid 5-12 for 3 course family-style meal
  • Goldfinch Tavern (Downtown) – $170/adult, $35-70/kid Christmas buffet
  • The Lakehouse (Bellevue) – $105/adult for 4 courses, $35/kid under 10 options Christmas Eve and Day
  • Metropolitan Grill (Downtown) – Christmas Eve only
  • Off Alley (Columbia City) – Feast of the 7 Fishes Christmas Eve only
  • Ray’s (Ballard) – $85pp for 3 courses or a la carte
  • Rendition (Tukwila) – A la carte Christmas eve dinner and Christmas day brunch
  • Shuckers Oyster Bar (Downtown) – $95/adult, $50/kid 5-12 for 3 courses
Cedar and Elm
Restaurants offering take-home Chanukah & Christmas meals

Here are the spots offering take-home, pre-order meals for Christmas and Chanukah (no prices means a la carte):

  • Ben’s Bread (Phinney Ridge) – Breads and gingerbread cake
  • Copine (Ballard) – $100 for 2 fried chicken take-home meal
  • Dahlia Bakery (Downtown) – Baked good sides and desserts
  • Fairmont (Downtown) – $118-340 turkey meal for 4-8 people
  • Flora Bakehouse (Beacon Hill) – Pre-order cinnamon rolls
  • Hood Famous (Chinatown-ID) – Filipino desserts
  • Lady Grey Cakes (Pioneer Square) – Holiday cakes
  • Spice Waala (various) -Indian lasagna and roast chicken
  • Temple Pastries (Central District) – Desserts and beef Wellington
  • Tremonte (Central District) – Italian Christmas cookie popups Dec 13 & 20 (or pickup other days)
  • Zylberschtein’s (Lake City) – Latkes and other Chanukah delicacies

Immerse yourself in Astra Lumina

website | neighborhood: West Seattle (get directions) | dates: Nov 6 – Dec 31 | price: ~$25-35pp | best for: enchanted night walk

If you’ve ever wanted to go on an enchanted night walk, now’s your chance. The Seattle Chinese Garden hosts a multimedia night walk where visitors will set off across the gardens to observe beautifully crafted light installations with celestial bodies that appear to float through the air. I’ve been before and thought it was so cool how they time the lights to music and truly immerse all your senses. It’s one of the best things to do in Seattle in December…especially if you need some fresh air!

woman holding a child standing in front of a huge light installation
Image courtesy of Astra Lumina

Partake in one of the many Christmas activities 

With the holidays comes quintessential Christmas activities, and Seattle has more than its fair share. I have a whole article dedicated to the best Seattle Christmas activities (spoiler: it’s LONG). Here are some of the most popular:

Savor an orchestra concert by candlelight 

Pair the romance of a candlelight performance with the love of your favorite bands. Fever’s Candlelight Concert Series offers enchanting covers of some of the most recognizable scores. I went to the 90s Unplugged one where they played orchestral covers of popular 90s jams like Nirvana, The Cranberries, and more. I loved it so much!

In December, here’s what’s playing:

pianist surrounded by candles on a stage
Image courtesy of Fever

See a performance

Break out of your comfort zone with a live performance this holiday season. Here’s what’s going on around the greater Seattle area:

Catch a band

Many performers swing by Seattle while they’re on tour. Here are some happening in December that caught my eye:

Best Seattle Christmas activities

Go hunting for Christmas lights 

One of the best things to do in Seattle in December is to walk the neighborhoods and look at the Christmas lights. Come December, here’s where to get your fix.

Neighborhoods known for lights
Neighborhood tree lighting festivals

For neighborhood tree lighting festivals, here are some options:

Large light installations

If you want to see thousands of lights in one go, attend one of these holiday light events that spend big bucks on creating hypnotizing displays:

  • WildLanterns (Nov 14 – Jan 18, ~$35-40pp) – Light displays at the zoo
  • Tulalip Light & Ice (Nov 22 – Jan 11, free) – 6 million lights and ice skating
  • The Lights of Christmas (Nov 28 – Dec 28, ~$40/vehicle) – Drive-thru light display
  • Fantasy Lights (Nov 28 – Jan 4, ~$15-20/vehicle) – 300+ drive-thru lights
  • Garden d’Lights (Nov 29 – Dec 31, ~$10pp) – Over a half a million lights at Bellevue’s Botanical Garden
  • Holiday Magic (Dec 5-23, ~$20pp) – Large light and holiday festival with lights, food, music, and more

If you want to get near the water, the Christmas Ship Festival runs every weekend until Christmas. You can watch for free at one of their departure locations or hop aboard for ~$75 per adult.

peacock Christmas light installation, one of the best things to do in Seattle in December
Image courtesy of WildLanterns

Catch a game 

If you’re a sports fiend, you’re probably willing to brace the cold to catch a game. In December, you can watch the Seahawks, Huskies college football, or the Kraken hockey league, so layer up and show your support!

Go on a food crawl 

Seattle is known for its thriving food scene, and one of the best ways to take advantage is to go on a food crawl. My self-guided food tours include a curated tour across multiple foodie neighborhoods. In each tour, I cover tips on when to visit, what to order, and a few honorable mentions so you can customize your tour.

Self-guided Seattle food tour of the Ballard neighborhood
Ballard Tour
Fremont Seattle Food Tour
FREMONT TOUR
person diving fork into colorful layered cake from a restaurant on The Emerald Palate's self-guided Seattle food tour of the Georgetown neighborhood
Georgetown Tour

Or, you can take advantage of one of these in-person guided tours:

Embark on a wine tasting or brewery crawl

People tend to congregate in wineries and bars come winter, and Seattle is no exception, though we’re lucky to have options. Whether you’re looking for Seattle’s best craft breweries or urban wineries, there’s something for everyone. Or, take a quick drive to sample Woodinville’s best tasting rooms.

Christmas dive bar
Image courtesy of Christmas Dive Bar

Sip a cocktail at a holiday pop-up bar

Prefer cocktails over wine or beer? There are a bunch of holiday cocktail bar pop-ups that offer one the best things to do in Seattle in December:

Visit a museum on their free days

One of the best free things to do in Seattle is to take advantage of the many museums that offer free days. They’re known as “First Thursdays” and offer visitors and locals a chance to experience a dose of culture on the first Thursday of every month (Dec 5). Here are the museums that participate:

These free Seattle museums offer free admission every day:

a bunch of planes hanging in the Museum of Flight
Image courtesy of the Museum of Flight

Shop small at local stores

The holidays are the perfect time to duck into shops you’ve never explored and possibly walk away with unique gifts or wares you won’t find anywhere else. Of all the Seattle shopping neighborhoods, I’m partial to Ballard because I live there and because it’s home to countless independent shops. Capitol Hill is a winner if you’re into thrifting, while the U-District is also good for thrifting and mainstream brands like Banana Republic and H&M.

If you’re looking for specifically gift shops in Seattle, here are a few of my tried-and-true favorites:

Attend a New Year’s Eve party

As the year draws to close you’ll find plenty of ticketed parties to ring in the new year. Here are some that caught my eye:

platter of raw oysters
Fancy New Year’s meals

Just prefer a fancy meal out? Here are restaurants offering something special on New Year’s Eve or Day:

Seattle Southside also put together this list of spots open in south Seattle during the holidays.

Take a holiday craft class 

One of the more wholesome things I enjoy doing over the holidays is signing me and my family up for a craft class. Here are a few I’m considering:

holiday wreath being assembled

Peruse the Model Train Festival

website | neighborhood: Tacoma (get directions) | dates: Dec 19-Jan 1 | price: ~$17pp | best for: model train lovers

Kiddos and model Train aficionados will want to head to the Washington State History Museum to experience the Model Train Convention. Railroad clubs from around the Puget Sound will show off their room-sized layouts on every floor of the museum. There will even be the largest permanent model train on display, and train operators will be on hand to chat and answer questions.

Seek out snow

Seattle is deceptively close to some of the best snowshoeing and Nordic skiing in the Pacific Northwest, and I should know. My family and I head out on the trails every winter for the best cross-country skiing in Washington. So seeking snow is one of the best things to do in Seattle in December.

If you only have time for a winter day trip from Seattle, drive to Snoqualmie’s Summit Nordic Center for intermediate and advanced trails. Beginners will have luck at the White Pass Nordic Center closer to Mt. Rainier.

For a weekend getaway, I’m partial to Methow Valley Trails because they have the longest network of groomed cross-country trails in North America, and there’s plenty to do in Winthrop in winter. However, Winthrop is about 4.5 hours away from Seattle, so Leavenworth in Winter is another great option only about 2.5 hours away. It’s near Lake Chelan, another dreamy destination for winter.

list of the best Things to do in Leavenworth WA in Winter

More wintery activities around Seattle

After you check off activities on this list of best things to do in Seattle in December, check out my other guides for more winter fun.

Join the club

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