December can feel like being at the top of a rollercoaster, looking down at the big drop: the pressure of the holiday festivities, gift-shopping and gift-giving, hosting, and cooking can lead to overwhelm. We've got some ideas about what to do to ground yourself and to remove some decisions about what to do in this season of decision fatigue. Here are our suggestions for what to do in the month of December.
Get Active
Creative producer Sam J Leeds has gotten really into cold plunges and recommends taking a dunk at Golden Gardens, Alki Beach, or in Lake Washington. If you need a little warmth to balance that out, rent time at an outdoor sauna like Bywater, Good Day Sauna, Tuli Lodge, or Old Stove Gardens in Ballard.
Check out the Rainier Roller Riot (Sam J. Leeds / City Cast Seattle)
You can also sweat out the winter gloom at Southgate Roller Rink, which offers $7 admission on Mondays and $5 skate rental. Or if you can’t skate, there's a roller derby bout on Dec. 6 called Wreck the Halls: Rainier Roller Riot vs Bellingham Roller Betties Grit Pit. It's also a fundraiser for KOI, which is a grassroots, trans-led organization that's helping trans people to evacuate from legislatively hostile parts of the country. Plus there will be a Cheer Seattle mid-bout performance!
Eat Some Carbs
Podcast host Jane C. Hu can’t stop thinking about the mortadella sandwich at Hushy's in Fremont, which comes with burrata, pistachio, pesto, and honey. Social media mastermind Ben Keenan wants you to try Seattle foodie Zoe Kahn’s schmear at Hey Bagel! It’s delicious, and Zoe is going to be talking bagels with us soon!
The mortadella sandwich at Hushy’s. Yum. (Jane C. Hu / City Cast Seattle)
Go to a Local Movie Theater
If you feel like all you watch is TV lately, creative producer Liam Billingham thinks you should go see a good holiday or holiday-adjacent film that isn’t a big studio movie. Fiddler On The Roof at SIFF, Fanny and Alexander at The Beacon, or just go see something indie or foreign that is playing at a local movie theater. And also, be sure to check out our article about Movie Theaters in Seattle to get some ideas on where to go.
See a movie at a local theater! (Liam Billingham / City Cast Seattle)
Shop Small
If you’re shopping this holiday season, executive producer Ashley Smith is going to the Urban Craft Uprising’s Winter Show, which runs from Dec. 5-7 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. All the trinkets and gifts you could ever dream of in one room, and it’s nice that this one is centrally located! There’s also the Phinney Wood Winter Festival and the Goodnight Market at Reclaim Clay Collective.
