Weekender: Family Fun Ideas for Seattle, the Eastside and South Sound

There’s a sweet spot to many things, say, the holiday season. It’s fun to get caught up in the spirit and practice special traditions. On the flip side, pressure to feel cheery and buy the perfect gifts can leave us feeling kind of bah-humbuggy. Perhaps the sweet spot here is shucking off expectations and finding a few things to do that make you — and your dear kids — smile with wonder and joy. For that, we deliver all of the fun stuff on deck for this weekend. Pet the critters, catch a show and go wild on the playground of the week. Cheers!

10 activities for family fun this weekend:

1. Pick a horse and hop on for a spin on the holiday carousel set up in Legion Park; rides are free thanks to the City of Arlington (through Sunday).
2. Family favorite Fox Hollow Farm reopens its gates for winter fun, including ornament crafting, touring the elves’ workshop and writing a letter to Santa (Thursday–Sunday).
3. Cookies, toy boat building, photos with Santa and some tea? These sound like the perfect ingredients for Greet the Season, a free, festive event for families (Friday).
4. Trot on over to Sammamish’s community holiday gathering to meet petting zoo critters, get kids’ faces painted and deliver a new (unwrapped) toy for the toy drive (Friday).
5. Hey! Hop on for a free holiday hayride with Santa, joining him in belting out a carol or two (Friday–Saturday).
6. There’s a good handful of seasonal ice skating rinks around town, but here’s your chance to skate for freeskies: Occidental Square hosts a pop-up rink with free skating — including free skates to borrow — but just for a short time (Friday–Sunday).
7. It’s time to get into the spirit of Hanukkah with hands-on craft sessions, Hanukkah stories, special treats and community menorah lightings (starting Friday).
8. What happens when sisters Sol and Luna accidentally plunge the world into ever darkness? Find out in an original folk myth play by Olympia Family Theater and String & Shadow Puppet Theater (opening Friday).
9. Missed out on getting tix to the Santa Train? Catch a ride on the Simpson Railroad to visit Santa and keep warm by the bonfire (Saturday–Sunday).
10. Quick! Snag some remaining tickets to the marvelous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater show, starring the comic talents of one human and more than two dozen talented rescue animals (Sunday).

More any-time outings:

• It’s the best time you’ll have all winter: Here’s where to go sledding or tubing near Seattle.
• Maximum cheer for minimum cash? Check out our guide to the best free holiday outings for families.
• It’s soooo dark! Sparkling holiday light shows brighten up these dark winter days.
• Bundle up and get gliding at pop-up (and permanent) ice-skating rinks around town.

Our family fun calendar features great community events — every day of the year!