Lisa, who lives in the 300 block of NW 81st Street, sent us photos of her home’s Christmas decorations, put up in honor of her neighbor, Hallie Stegelvik, who passed away in November. Lisa says Hallie always loved her holiday decorations.

“This Christmas I went all out in memory of her,” Lisa said by email.

She’s also encouraging donations to the Nordic Heritage Museum in Hallie’s honor.

Merry Christmas to all of our Phinney Ridge and Greenwood neighbors!

Today we are thankful for being your neighborhood news source for the last 7-1/2 years.

We wish you a happy and safe holiday season.

Santa is on his way! You can track his route across the earth as he moves toward our neighborhood.

NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) and its predecessor have tracked Santa’s trip every Christmas Eve since 1955.

Stage Door Café, part of Taproot Theatre, at 208 N. 85th St., is hosting a night of live jazz, cookie decorating and a special visit from Santa from 4-7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21.

Pictures with Santa (bring your own camera) and cookie decorating are from 4-5 p.m. (cookies and frosting can be purchased from the Stage Door Café). Then from 5-7 p.m. there will be live jazz from Taylor Zickefoose.

Zickefoose has worked with some incredible musicians and has won 9 international awards. This past February, she was selected as the Adult winner of the 2015 Seattle-Kobe Vocal Jazz Contest, winning the opportunity to perform again in Kobe, Japan. Having won the High School Division in 2012, Zickefoose is the only individual to have won both divisions. After completing two years at Central Washington University, she is now in Graz, Austria studying vocalist jazz with Dena DeRose.

The West Woodland neighborhood, which is kind of a confluence of Lower Phinney and Ballard, is hosting Winter Fest celebrations on Sunday, with Santa, free hot chocolate and arts and crafts vendors.

Santa will be at Café Bambino, 405 NW 65th St., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your own camera for pictures with the kids and/or pets. Free hot chocolate for the kids. All donations will benefit the Ballard Boys and Girls Club.

Both 418 Public House and the space formerly housing the Ridgeback Café at 500 NW 65th Street are hosting the Stumbletown Artists Trunk Show from 1-5 p.m. with handcrafted clothing, jewelry, housewares, toys and more.

And neighborhood-based Balleywood Creamery will be there providing tastes and pints to go of her ice cream made with locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients.

Taproot Theatre‘s all-ages performances of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” are proving so popular, they’ve added two more. In addition to the extra show already announced for Dec. 19, the theater has added shows at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 22 and Dec. 23.

Children under age 5 and babes in arms are welcome at these special performances. Tickets are required for everyone. Tickets are available online, or by calling the box office at 206-781-9707.

Benjamin Wippel and Justin Huertas. Photo by Erik Stuhaug, Taproot Theatre.

Charlie Brown is depressed by the never-ending commercialism surrounding the holidays. Thankfully, Linus is there to help him find the true meaning of Christmas in this musical adaptation of the cartoon classic.

Here are some of the holiday events happening in and around PhinneyWood this month. If we’ve missed anything, please leave a note below in Comments or email us at tips@phinneywood.com. See the new MonkeyWood website from the PNA Business Group for more holiday events and business specials.

Naked City Tree Lighting and Brew Santa, 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, 8564 Greenwood Ave. N. See the 37-foot-tall tree lit in the all-ages beer garden and take pictures with Santa while celebrating the release of Bing Spiced Cherry Ale.

Photo courtesy of Naked City Brewery.

The 35th annual PNA Winter Festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5-6, with 115 artists and crafts vendors, live ongoing entertainment on two stages, quilt raffle, bake sale and lunch items. $2 PNA members, $4 general.

PhinneyWood Monkey Trolley Tour during the December Artwalk, from 6-10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11. Cost is $1 or show your Woodland Park Zoo WildLights ticket. Hop on and off to see the holiday monkey lights and Artwalk galleries.

Caroling under Gary’s Auto Repair canopy singalong with the Phinney Neighborhood Community Chorus, 5-6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19, 7418 Greenwood Ave. Hot cider, wood fire, song sheets provided. Winners of the Monkey See, Monkey Buy contest will be announced.

North Pole on the Ridge, holiday food and toy drive, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 19, at Illumination Learning Studio, 7720 Greenwood Ave. N. Selfies with Santa, caroling with Mrs. Claus, letters to Santa, ornament making, cookies, gelato, cocoa, and picture ID cards with thumb prints from My ID Club. Free.

Christmas meal at the Greenwood Senior Center at 12 p.m., Friday, Dec. 25. Free; donations accepted. RSVP by Dec 18 at 206-297-0875.

“Toy ‘N Joy” drive at all Bartell Drugs stores through Dec. 13, with the Salvation Army. Drop off a new, unwrapped toy, which will be distributed to low-income children the week before Christmas through the Salvation Army’s “toy warehouses.”

Bluebird Microcreamery is collecting for Toys for Tots at its ice cream shop at 7400 Greenwood Ave. N. Bring in a new unwrapped toy and get a free scoop of ice cream. Limit one per person; through Dec. 13.

Donating old electronics this holiday season? You can drop off items in the box at Greenwood Hardware, 7201 Greenwood Ave. N.; YMCA Earth Service Corps will recycle those products. InterConnection, a local nonprofit which provides access to technology to underserved communities, will send a pre-paid USPS shipping label online for you to mail items; or drop off at one of more than 30 locations. Businesses with five or more computers can schedule a free pickup by calling 206-633-1517.

Taproot Theatre has two holiday shows this month, “This Christmas” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” They’ve added another all-ages performance of “Charlie Brown” at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 19, where children under the age of 5, even babes in arms, are welcome. Tickets are available online.

Christmas tree lots:

• Alpine Tree and Wreath is selling Christmas trees, wreaths and garland at 323 N. 85th St. and collecting food for Northwest Harvest. The lot is open from 12-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free hot chocolate and apple cider.
• Broadview-Thomson K8 Tree Farm, 13052 Greenwood Ave. N., 4-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6.
• St. John Catholic Church Christmas tree sale, on the school playground, 121 N. 79th St., 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. Proceeds benefit Noel House shelter programs for homeless women.

Santa Photos at Wallingford Center by Nancy Treder Photography, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Dec. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20. Book your appointment time online.

About 100 neighbors gathered under the canopy at Gary’s Greenwood Auto Repair on Saturday night to sing Christmas carols and share a bit of holiday cheer.

This was the second annual event. Carolers donated $453 for the Seattle Times Fund for the Needy.

Below, Jack Lofton of the Phinney Neighborhood Community Chorus leads the carolers.

Thanks to Mike Veitenhans for the photos!

More than 100 people gathered on a chilly (for Seattle, at least) evening to welcome in the holidays with caroling and a countdown for the first annual lighting of the “Glow Cone” on the historic air raid siren at the corner of Phinney Avenue North at North 67th Street.

The siren, a Cold War reminder built in 1953, is now home to a cheerier aspect – a 17-foot-tall, 20-spoked, 6,000-LED-light “Glow Cone” that shines on the Phinney Neighborhood Center.

PNA director Lee Harper kicked off the lighting saying the Glow Cone and 150 monkey holiday lights are something only our neighborhood can claim.

“What if an animal escaped from the zoo and ran up and down Phinney and Greenwood? And the monkeys were born,” Harper explained to the crowd. “It is unique. A lot of people, including my partner, said ‘I don’t get it. Monkeys?’ Exactly. But you’re talking about it and you’re not talking about the lights and trees in Ballard.”

Here’s a shot of the crowd singing carols before one lucky kid got to flip the switch on the lights. (Thanks to Mike Veitenhans for the two photos.)

KING 5 had a nice story about the Glow Cone and monkey lights on Sunday night.