With the holidays drawing nearer, this weekend is filled with thrills for self-isolating Yuletide enthusiasts. For those of you whose holiday cheer is understandably stifled this year, our guide to the best things to do through Sunday also includes non-holiday options. See our full list below, from places to pick up DIY kits for holiday gifts (like Stitches Like List ) to Washington Pint Day Past Event Like List , and from a drive-through Candy Cane Lane Past Event Like List to a new Lusio light installation Past Event Like List in Pioneer Square. For even more options, read our guides to the best online events this week Like List and the best movies to watch this week Like List .

Jump to: Holidays | Food & Drink | Books | Other Picks & Happenings

HOLIDAYS

Buy a new sweater for the winter chill. Angora (oooh). Mohair (yes). Cashmere (fancy). Wool (timeless). Alpaca (exclusive). Whatever material you prefer to caress your shivering limbs through the Northwest winter months, this weekend is a perfect time to procure a new cozy garment for yourself or a loved one from a local shop. If you like to try things on first, the U-District second-hand mainstay Red Light is open for limited-capacity shopping and is flushed with all manner of jumpers, from cable-knit cardigans to well-loved pullovers. The Broadway location of Crossroads is a good bet for affordable newer styles, and its selling station is currently open if you want to try to make a few bucks or earn store credit (with which to buy sweaters) with your gently used seasonal threads. On the pricier end, for the crème de la crème of knitwear, the online shops for Glasswing, Prairie Underground, Lucky Vintage, and Maiden Noir are up and running. Are you crafty? Cop this everyday cardigan kit from Greenwood fiber arts shop Tricotter and brag about it forever.

Get to work on your handmade holiday gifts. In addition to buying goods from local businesses and artists Like List , this year is all about straying from Big Christmas when it comes to gift-giving. The pre-assembled craft kits from Capitol Hill fabric store Stitches Like List and Ballard's Monster are a stellar way to go, because they support a local business and give you points for thoughtfulness since you're the one who will be responsible for the final product. For a more ephemeral route, the Works Like List has DIY kits for things like bubble tea and gemstone soap, and several local businesses have DIY wreath kits Like List .

Deck your halls with festive greenery. Even if you don't normally decorate come December, you may be looking for a way to add some festive cheer to the space you've been spending so much time in lately. Luckily, there are plenty of places where you can find just what you need in Seattle, whether you want to make your own wreath, cut down a giant tree, or order a Christmas cactus online to add to your growing houseplant collection. Here Like List , we've rounded up some accessible nurseries and Christmas tree lots in the city, as well as a few further-flung U-cut lots that still have trees available, plus places to get both DIY and professionally crafted wreaths. 

Turn to local businesses for your holiday shopping. If you need somewhere to start, check out our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide Like List for a roundup of our favorite things from Seattle authors, artists, food businesses, and more (like Ijeoma Oluo's new book Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America or subscriptions to local wine clubs Like List ). We've also compiled a guide Like List to this season's best holiday markets and shopping events, like the Urban Craft Uprising Winter Show Past Event Like List , along with a list of branded merch items Like List from places like Dick's Drive-In and Hood Famous Bakeshop. If you plan accordingly, you won't even have to leave your house to check off everyone on your list.  

Other notable weekend events:

Artists Holiday Market at Building C Past Event Like List
The open-air garage of the Ballard art space will play host to paintings, jewelry, pottery, decor, and more from local vendors. 
Building C Studios, Ballard (Saturday)

Candy Cane Lane Past Event Like List
1920s-era Tudor homes in Ravenna have been boasting impressive light displays every holiday season since 1949. Cruise along Northeast Park Road taking in Nutcracker-themed havens complete with sleighs, reindeer, sugar plum fairies, and blow-up candy canes galore. This year, experience it drive-through style. 
Candy Cane Lane, Ravenna (Saturday-Sunday)

Christmas of the Corn Past Event Like List
Cafe Nordo's annual holiday collab with Seattle playwright and puppet-maker Scot Augustson returns with a murderous twist. This radio play horror-comedy includes a mysterious box of clues (plus cookies, crafts, and cocktails, with additional holiday feast add-ons such as Reindeer Shepherd's Pie) delivered to your door. Once it's unpacked, you're primed to help solve a murder in the town of Drupe Fruit, Minnisconsan, while stuffing your face with all manner of deliciousness.
Pickup at Cafe Nordo, Pioneer Square; also available for delivery (Friday-Sunday)

Christmastown Past Event Like List
Riding on their Guinness World Record win as the town with the greatest number of illuminated Christmas trees in one location (an impressive 797 conifers), Shelton's Christmastown will return with COVID-safe holidays activities like a self-guided lights tour, their famous illuminated Christmas tree maze, and a gingerbread challenge.
South First St, Shelton (Friday-Sunday)  

Hometown Holiday Past Event Like List
Drive through the perimeter of the Enumclaw Expo Center for a "community cruise" full of lights.
Enumclaw Expo Center (Friday-Sunday)

Fantasy Lights Past Event Like List
Spanaway Park will bring back its festive light displays for drive-through spectators to enjoy.
Spanaway Park (Friday-Sunday)

Holiday Magic Drive-Thru Past Event Like List
The Washington State Fair is bringing a host of yuletide activities to its Puyallup grounds that visitors can enjoy from the safety of their cars. From light displays to fair food to a prize-bearing scavenger hunt to cheery music on SANTA FM 101.5, there's lots to choose from to warrant a mini road trip. You can even add Snowflake 3D glasses to make the displays look even more magical.
Washington State Fair Events Center, Puyallup (Friday-Sunday)

Lake Stevens Winter Farmers Market Past Event Like List
The Lake Stevens Farmers Market will get a seasonal boost from makers of spiced jams, honey, seasonal baked goods, and locally made gifts.
Lake Stevens Farmers Market (Saturday) 

Lusio Past Event Like List
Nine local artists have created light installations around Pioneer Square, viewable in a COVID-safe manner throughout the holidays. 
Pioneer Square (Friday-Sunday)

Northwest Lighted Christmas 'Drive-by' Parade 2020 Past Event Like List
Lynden, Washington's Front Street will kick off the holiday season with its annual light parade, set up in reverse so that the displays are on the sidelines and spectators move along a guided pathway by car or foot. 
Front Street, Lynden (Saturday)

Seattle Center Campus Luminata Past Event Like List
Seattle Center sets up twinkling lights in the trees and other special features (like a wintry display at Cornish Playhouse) across its campus every year, and this year is no different. Mind your distance and take in the cheer.
Seattle Center (Friday-Sunday)

Santa Cruises the Highlands Past Event Like List
Old Saint Nick is making a pre-Christmas trip to Issaquah families via a socially distanced cruise route.
Grand Ridge Plaza, Issaquah (Saturday) 

WildLanterns Past Event Like List
The Woodland Park Zoo is taking a more realistic approach to its beloved annual holiday light display by lining its paths with glowing lanterns in the likeness of tigers, snow leopards, aquatic creatures, zebras, and other exotic animals.
Woodland Park Zoo, Phinney (Friday-Sunday)

FOOD & DRINK

Observe Cookie Day. Friday is National Cookie Day, not that you needed an excuse to enjoy sweet, doughy treats. The nostalgic Capitol Hill bakeshop Batch Baking Company Like List is celebrating with chocolate chunk, shortbread, snickerdoodles, and other favorites. And Christmas cookie options are proliferating across town: Bakery Nouveau has unveiled their new holiday cookies, Coyle's Bakeshop in Greenwood has adorable candy cane and cocoa nib meringue kisses, and Lowrider Baking Like List has some enticing cookie stacks with flavors like whiskey Old Fashioned, pillow mint, red velvet, and stuffed chai chocolate. Plus, the Wallingford tea shop Friday Afternoon Like List is offering holiday-themed macaron three-packs from Black Magic Sweets with caramel horchata, chocolate espresso, and bourbon hot chocolate flavors, and Hello Robin is baking up gooey peppermint chocolate chip cookies. Feeling inspired to make your own cookies? Tune in to the New York Times' Cookie Swap Past Event Like List event on Saturday: Cookbook author Melissa Clark will demonstrate a cookie recipe and field burning cookie questions, along with cookie queen Dorie Greenspan, YouTube favorite Sohla El-Waylly and James Beard-nominated food writer Samantha Seneviratne.

Celebrate Repeal Day. Saturday is Repeal Day, also known as the anniversary of the ratification of the Twenty-First Amendment, which repealed the prohibition of alcohol. To help you exercise your right to booze (and celebrate the availability of to-go cocktails!), we've rounded up a selection Like List of great takeout tipples around town, from whiskey drinks cleverly disguised as Chinese takeout at The Gerald Like List  and booze hidden in a book from Canon Like List , to perfect Manhattans at Ben Paris Like List  and barrel-aged Negronis at The Velvet Elk Like List . 

Indulge in Comfort Food Day. The calendar gods love us this week! Saturday is also Comfort Food Day, and we could all use some soul-warming nourishment to bolster our spirits. Need some inspiration? Check out our guide to cozy, COVID-mindful eating and drinking in Seattle Like List with ideas for takeout and delivery food specials, like Addo Like List 's "Let's Get Hygge" kits, and drinks, like mulled wine at Fiasco Like List  and Latona Pub Like List , plus places with dreamy heated and covered patios for socially distanced outdoor dining, so you can get your comfort food fix safely. 

Participate in Washington Pint Day. Past Event Like List This one is a real event, hosted by the Washington Brewers Guild on Friday and Saturday, and could be the perfect thing if you're looking to try something new or pick up a gift for the craft beer geek in your life. Breweries across the state will sling exclusive brews in Blindtiger Design custom glassware. Pick up a glass to cherish forever, or stop by a select location offering socially distanced drinking. 

Have a Queen's Gambit-themed day. If you haven't already had the viscerally satisfying delight of binge-watching the new Netflix mini-series The Queen's Gambit, what are you waiting for? The doe-eyed Anja Taylor-Joy plays a self-destructive, orphaned chess prodigy who handily beats champion after champion on her way to the top, all while wearing chic '60s outfits. The show has caused a surge of renewed interest in the ancient strategy game, with an influx of traffic on Chess.com and a widespread shortage of chess sets. If you're hoping to uncover a secret genius for chess yourself, pick up a chess set from Blue Highway Games Like List and get to work. Then cap off your day with the Queen's Gambit cocktail (Scotch, mezcal, lemon, strawberry, genepy liqueur, and red wine) at Tavern Law Like List in Capitol Hill or a hot toddy from the Pioneer Square bar Bad Bishop Like List , which is named for a chess term (owners Jesse Spring and Rachel Brown played a lot of chess in their early days of dating).

Other notable weekend events:

Holiday Boozar Past Event Like List
Need a cup of cheer? Browse Salt & Iron's boozy take on the holiday bazaar, with festive to-go cocktails, curated wine packages, cocktail kits, and other potent potables, plus partnerships with local artists and vendors.
Salt & Iron, Edmonds (Friday-Sunday)

Miracle on 2nd Past Event Like List
In 2014, New York bar owner Greg Boehm temporarily transformed his space into a kitschy Christmas wonderland replete with gewgaws and tchotchkes galore. Now the pop-up has expanded to more than 100 locations all over the world and will be returning to Belltown’s Rob Roy this year. The specialty cocktails are no ordinary cups of cheer: Beverages are housed in tacky-tastic vessels (a drinking mug resembling Santa’s mug, for example), bedecked with fanciful garnishes like peppers and dried pineapple, and christened with irreverent, pop-culture-referencing names like the “Bad Santa,” the “Yippie Ki Yay Mother F**r,” and the “You’ll Shoot Your Rye Out.” This year, the pop-up will be available for to-go orders only, with "a lot of amusing decor and twerking Santas to elbow bump as you walk through to pick up your take-home kits. Photo ops, a chance for a quick shot, and 15 minutes of holiday delight will all be yours!" Nearby sibling Navy Strength will host the spin-off holiday-tiki-themed pop-up called "Sippin' Santa Past Event Like List ," which asks you to "imagine Santa on a surfboard instead of a sleigh and palm trees instead of pine," with patio tables available by reservation and cocktails, glassware, and kits available for takeout.
Rob Roy, Belltown (Friday-Sunday)

BOOKS

Snag a no-holds bestseller from the library. In the COVID era, going to the library is a bit of an errand if your neighborhood outpost is still closed to the public. To make your trip worth it, the currently operating branches have a rotating lineup of recent bestsellers on deck that don't require a waitlist and that are available whether you walk up or you schedule an appointment to pick up your holds. You never know what's going to be available at any given location—it could be Samantha Irby's hilarious essay collection wow, no thank you, David Sedaris's latest The Best of Me, Raven Leilani's Luster, Ijeoma Uluo's Mediocre, or another one of SPL's Peak Picks. To make it even more of an outing, order takeout from a restaurant near your library of choice: Reckless Noodles Like List is conveniently close to the Douglass-Truth Branch (open for pickup on Saturdays), Grillbird Teriyaki Like List is down the street from the High Point Branch (also open on Saturdays), and Edouardo Jordan's award-winning JuneBaby Like List is just a few blocks from the Northeast Branch (open Sundays).

Visit Capitol Hill's newest bookshop. Oh Hello Again Like List , nestled on 15th Ave E in the former space of Sugar Plum Like List , comes courtesy of Kari Ferguson, the former owner of Vancouver's Books and Publishing Lab. Ferguson classifies her inventory as "bibliotherapy," which, as Capitol Hill Seattle Blog explains, is "the notion that novels and reading can help individuals process, work through, and deal with different issues and concerns in their lives." The TLDR of it is: you can shop by category (feminism, midlife crises, puberty) instead of title. Stop by from noon-6 pm on Tuesday-Saturday, or order books online.

OTHER PICKS & HAPPENINGS

Shred some gnar on the mountain. On Friday, the Summit Central and Summit West locations of Summit at Snoqualmie, as well as Stevens Pass, will reopen to season pass-holding skiers and snowboarders for the season. They're the latest slopes to follow the lead of Crystal Mountain, Mt. Baker, Mission Ridge, and White Pass. Snoqualmie visitors are required to wear a face covering on the mountain, and household mixing will not be permitted on ski lifts. Don't forget to purchase your tickets online in advance!

Other notable weekend events:

The Big Flea Pop-Up Past Event Like List
"Seattle's original flea market" will present you with all the flannels your wintry Northwest heart desires, plus antiques and collectibles. 
Fremont Sunday Market (Sunday)

Henry Art Gallery & OtB Drive-In Movies Past Event Like List
Having proven itself a supreme parking lot for drive-in movies as of late, On the Boards will once again invite car-havers to turn off their engines, stay in their vehicles, and enjoy a series of films on the big screen, this time dedicated to Henry Art Gallery-curated artists who use moving image as a means of exploring global issues like climate change.
On the Boards, Queen Anne (Friday-Sunday)