Ah… the holidays.  It’s that time of the year when the days get colder and shorter making us feel like snuggling under the covers for just a bit longer instead of heading off to work on some dreary Seattle mornings.  But there are many things to do in Seattle for both you and your man to get in the holiday spirit other than listening to Kenny G on repeat in your reindeer slippers.

You may, instead be in the midst of starting that new relationship and have less than 12 dates under your belt with your current beau (at the time you read this) or this may be your 3rd, 5th, or 10th Christmas with your partner.  Whatever the case may be, here are 12 great ways to spend with your sweetie instead of getting caught in holiday consumerism, which will leave you with things, but memories, however, will last a lifetime.

When putting this post together, I had to essentially fight the urge to create a single word for the 3-in-1 term of holiday gay dating (holigayting).  You can thank me later.

 

1) U-Cut Your Own Christmas Tree

It just doesn’t feel like Christmas until I’ve got my tree up.  if you haven’t already picked up your Christmas tree at one of the nearby Capitol Hill options such as the SASG/Dunshee House Christmas Tree lot, then I’d highly encourage you to get out with your man and/or a group of strapping able-bodied guys to cut down your own tree.  Sure it’s less effort to just go out and buy one, but it’s about the journey… not the destination.  Now a 5th-year tradition in my household, I typically pick up my tree either the weekend following Thanksgiving or the weekend after at Papa’s Tree Farm in Hobart, WA.  Coming here you may even learn something new – like all the varying species: Noble, Fraser, Turkish, Douglas Fir and the most fragrant, the Grand Fir, which can grow up to 300 feet tall in the wild.  Don’t worry it’s not really that far of a drive, especially if you’ve got great company.  One more thing is you don’t need a truck to get your own tree… they are full-service at my favorite tree farm.  Papa’s will shake, bail and tie the tree to the hood of your car for you – easy as pumpkin pie!

 

2) See a Christmas show, play or ballet

I began attending stage productions during Christmas years ago when my cousin worked at a prominent law firm in Seattle that would arrange their holiday party at a major theater like the ACT.  It was such an experience for someone living in such a casually-attired town to get all dressed up in a suit and tie to go see ‘A Christmas Carol’ or other holiday-themed production.  This year, a few friends of mine are taking part in the Seattle Men’s Chorus’ production of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with “festive songs from south of the border, Hawaii, and other tropical locales.”  Although the lovely Ana Gasteyer of SNL notoriety performed for the opening week only, it’s sure to be a fantastic show the rest of the season.  One other notable classic is the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s “Nutcracker” by Stowell & Sendak which premiered here in Seattle over two decades ago continuing to thrill audiences both young and old.  Any one of these shows are sure to provide you and your boo a memorable time.

 

3) Take Him to See Dina Martina 

If heading to a big stage production is either out of your budget or just “too much work” to get dressed up for all that drama (pun intended), you can always check out Dina Martina’s Christmas Show happening at the Re-bar.  Friends of mine have continuously attended for several years – I’ve been now two times in a row.  I highly recommend it both for the laughs as well as a very fun, social crowd.  It’s hard to describe Dina Martina exactly, but her show has been hailed as “ludicrous song, horrifying dance, overburdened costumes and more bizarre audience gifts than law should permit”.  My only advice is if you happen to get chosen out of the crowd by Dina, say YES to whatever she asks you including whether or not you like bacon AND chewing gum.

 

4) Surprise Him on a Snow-Filled Hike

Walking along a snowy path at Tiger Mountain was one of those surreal moments when I had to ask myself whether I was dreaming or not several times during the hike.  It’s really quite an unforgettable experience that residents of Greater Seattle can easily partake in with little to no costs other than gas.  And if you are out that far, you might as well grab yourself a beer and burger at Rogue Brewery then head home to cuddle from the cold (in your flannel of course) after your adventure.

 

5) Have a schvitz!

Whenever I tell my friends about going to the bath house, they always roll their eyes at me with a slight look of disdain as I describe my time there.  No, I’m not talking THOSE bath houses buddy!  In Seattle, we have a “for real real” bath house, Banya 5, where both men and women can go to relax, making use of a dry sauna, cold plunge, salt water bath, jacuzzi whirlpool in addition to steam room with eucalyptus.  If your man is open to this (bathing suits required) it would be an excellent alternative to hanging out in the cold.  The price point is around $40/person so plan to spend at least 3 hours there to make it worth your while!

 

6) Take a stroll at Woodland Park Zoo

One of our readers suggested this event.  He told us about a time when he convinced the person he was dating to play hookie with him. In exchange he promised in return pho (noodle soup) and the most amazing snow falling winter walk ever.  “A couple laps through the Woodland Park Zoo Rose Garden during December is stunning.”  It turns out they cuddled so hard that night.  Looking into this a bit more I discovered that the Woodland Park Zoo is actually offering their first ever winter light festival called “Wild Lights” where a specific part of the facility is decorated completely in LED lights.  Sounds romantic and stimulating at the same time.

 

7) Make Christmas Cookies at Home

My first memory of baking Christmas cookies was when I was invited by my college-age YMCA after-school program coordinator to come make cookies at her apartment for her sorority event when she attended the University of Washington.  I, along with my brothers with some kids from the program came over to make dough, roll and press out, and decorate cookies as well as take short naps throughout the day while watching movies like A Christmas Story.

One of my good friends and soccer teammates is a genius when it comes to making homemade cookies.  I’d rely on anything he suggested to guarantee a successful day of baking.  Check out his blog and finished designs at SemiSweetDesigns.com  Who says you can’t both have some “special egg nog” while making cookies?

 

8) See An Indie Rock Show (in a cathedral)

Being a hippy-at-heart, there’s a part of me that will always love the local singer-songwriters who’ve come out of Seattle’s indie music scene such as The Head and the Heart, Rocky Votolato and Damien Jurado.  Another side of me particularly gravitates to the history, aesthetic and contemplative nature of historic buildings including cathedrals in the city.  Abbey Arts takes the best of those with their niche “of providing a space for both instruction & performance opportunities in a beautifully restored historic building.”  You can take your guy here to listen to awesome musicians, to be surrounded by the beautiful Christmas-time decorations in a building with glorious acoustics and perhaps experience a spiritual moment to pause and think amidst the rush of the holidays.

 

9) Ride the Seattle Great Wheel

Seattleites initially met the Seattle Great Wheel with a little apprehension when it opened earlier in the summer seeing it mostly as a tourist attraction.  But as tourists came in convincing their local friends to take them to the Great Wheel, it turned out to be quite the cool little thing to do… and sneak in a kiss or two (according to some unnamed sources).  Yes, sometimes there can be a line to wait and yes it does take time to get down once you’re up in the air.  But apparently the view is well worth it with a perspective that’s still going to be different than the more touristy Space Needle with it’s currently insufferable ‘Emerald’ paint job.  I’m still not sure what’s going on with that.  Meh.

 

10) Ride the Snow Train to Leavenworth, Tree Lighting

Before checking out Leavenworth for the first time, I had always associated the small Bavarian-inspired village as the center of Oktoberfest.  For friends of mine it was like a huge kegger of German beer.  However, the town gets “dressed to the hilt” becoming a winter wonderland absolutely taking one’s breath away.  It’s worth a day trip if you are open to spending somewhere around ~$150/person.  There’s no other comparison here in the state.

 

11) The Salish Lodge at Snoqualmie Falls

One of the single most romantic memories I have was making a trip outside the city to Snoqualmie Falls along the I-90 corridor with my then boyfriend.  We’d just gotten off the phone with plans to meet up, so I was definitely curious to find out what this so-called surprise was as I didn’t know him to be the spontaneous-type.  All he told me was he had a little day planned for us and I’d find out later when he picked me up.  First surprise – he traded cars with a friend of his and fetched me for our date in a white, two-seater Audi TT convertible hard top.  “Nice!” I thought.  When we got on the road, he still wouldn’t say where we were going as we headed to the Eastside.  All he kept on saying was to enjoy the ride.  About 20-30 minutes later, we finally pulled up to the Lodge later spending some time staring out at the falls in the late afternoon twilight.  Next surprise – just before the sun went down, he kissed me then let me know we had dinner reservations at the Attic in the Salish Lodge.  Needless to say, he got lucky that night.

 

12) Wine Tasting (in Woodinville) or the “End of the World Party”

If your dating a Wine-O, this is one event he’d be surely appreciate.

When some work colleagues and I had won a wine tasting event to Woodinville complete with party bus for our recruiting efforts, this was certainly one of those times where we could throw caution to the wind – tasting wine as carefree as the pours came from the wineries we visited in the Hollywood Hills.  Heading out to Woodinville is such an adventure in itself complete with top rated restaurants in the area such as Purple Cafe and the destination restaurant of the Herb Farm.

Should you want to stay a little closer to the city, you could always check out Laurelhurst’s Cellars “End of the World Party” coming up on December 21.  I first had the opportunity to try their wines at the Taste of GSBA fundraiser dinner held at the Sheraton Hotel in the middle of November when I sat as a guest at the table of the Board President.  I can’t recall the exact year of the vintage, but ‘superb’ is what I can remember.

Happy Holidating!

Victor