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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Washington chapter.

Happy December and Happy Holidays! With the quarter coming to a close and the holidays approaching, many of us may want to find festive ways to celebrate. There are so many possibilities! Here are four of the best things to do in Seattle to celebrate Christmas time.

1. Go See The Nutcracker

Watching The Nutcracker ballet at McCaw Hall is a great way to spend an evening during the holidays. While the tickets are a bit pricey, you won’t find a more festive atmosphere. Between the dancing, the music, and the decorations, there is so much to take in. Personally, The Nutcracker is so nostalgic, and shows run until December 28!

2. Look At Lights

There are multiple light displays throughout the city for people to see. Westlake Park has an incredible light display including several holiday themed sculptures. South Lake Union After Dark also has light sculptures for the holidays. Woodland Park Zoo has their WildLights event each night until January 1. If none of these options interest you, you can always go on a walk or drive around your neighborhood to look at lights.

3. Ice Skating

Ice skating is such a fun winter activity to do with friends no matter your skill level. Some people can race around the rink. Others may fall down and pick themselves back up or even rely on an ice skating helper. There is an ice rink at the Seattle Center for Winterfest. Just outside of Seattle, in Bellevue, there’s the Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink. Both of these options are easy to get to from campus and so much fun!

4. Snowflake Lane

Also in Bellevue is the annual Snowflake Lane parade. Located near the Bellevue Square mall, the parade takes place each night at 7 pm until Christmas Eve. The parade includes festive holiday floats, live music, lights, and finishes with fake falling snow. It is such a popular thing to do around the holidays, so make sure to get there early to get a good spot to watch the show!

Clearly there are so many things to do around Seattle this holiday season. After a busy, stressful fall quarter, we all deserve to take a break and enjoy the holidays.

Nicole Green

Washington '25

Nicole Green is a junior at the University of Washington studying Public Health - Global Health with the goal of attending medical school in the future. She balances her academics with time for herself by cooking, baking, hiking, traveling, playing volleyball at the IMA, and spending time with friends and family. Outside of school, Nicole has been a member of Her Campus since her freshman year, and this is her second year as Contributing Editor. She also works for a research study on campus, is involved in Dance Marathon, volunteers at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and is involved in the Greek Community. Check out her articles to see how she balances all of her involvements and why she has loved her time at UW so far!