Gig Harbor Live Nativity

In all of my searching for Christmas events around Seattle one Live Nativity kept coming up as a must-see event.  I looked it up and it was over an hour away.  I couldn't believe there wouldn't be a nativity closer that would be great, but I was curious so we headed to Gig Harbor Sunday afternoon.

I have to say it completely lived up to its reputation!  I've never seen anything like this.

A very large section of land was set aside and lit only by torch.  Hundreds of people lined up to walk through the nativity.  In the beginning were Roman guards taking census and when you were allowed in there was a flurry of marketplace activity.  

Fresh bread was handed out.  Dried fruits to eat.  

Henna tatoos

"Jewish" priests reading the scrolls in Hebrew and handing out scrolls to children. 

Headscarves were also at another shop and handed out for free, but my kids didn't want them.  

Fresh hummus and crackers. 

Live sheep, goats, ducks, chickens, all for the kids to pet. 

Stables with horses

We were ushered by groups into hear the news from the wise men about a star and then we went out into the fields to see the shepherds and their sheep.  While we were in the field an angel appeared in the night sky behind a veil and told the shepherds to go and see the baby.  

A short walk through the field took you to the holy family waiting for each person.  Mary and Joseph asked each child their name and said to the child....  Johnny, Jesus was born for you...

It was fantastic and so loving and carefully done.  It took hundreds of people to put on such an event and it was completely free.  The church was set up with a coffee bar, lattes, hot chocolate, clean bathrooms and more.

The whole thing brought tears to my eyes at how many people would hear and see the story of Jesus birth because of the hard work of these people! 

Seattle Sightseeing

When we returned to Seattle it was the most beautiful clear evening.  We drove over to a view point of the city to take some pictures and it was packed with others taking pictures too!  Mt. Rainier is not always visible and Ina hadn't seen it yet.  It was clear and beautiful for her and we were so glad she got to see it.  

The view over Elliot Bay

Monday morning Ina and I went into the city to go up the space needle and she was able to see the incredible views and the glorious mountains that surround the city.

After the space needle we headed to the Dale Chiluly Museum of Glass.  This is something I've wanted to do for a while, but it isn't a kid friendly museum.  Chiluly is legendary for his glass creations and has been asked to do installations all around the world.  He is from the Puget Sound area and so this museum is his home base.  The art was amazing and mesmerizing.

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at the Collections restaurant in the museum before heading back to get the kids from school.  

Lake Chelan and Leavenworth

Bright and early the day after Thanksgiving we got up to head into the mountains.  I wanted Ina to see Washington mountains and not just the city life of Seattle.  It was still pretty cloudy on the way, but coming around a curve we saw a fabulous rainbow that was huge! It was so beautiful.  

Our first stop was a small town called Leavenworth.  It's a german style village with gift shops.  We enjoyed a great German meal in a biergarten complete with lots of foods and sauces I had while I lived in Germany.  It was so good!  

This reminded me of my camping buddies!

The town was packed with tourists and so we didn't stay super long.  We hopped back in the car to head to our destination:  Lake Chelan.

Chelan is a summer lake community that is a hot destination for city goers.  I knew it would be the offseason but I still wanted to go to the mountains.  We booked a time share on the lake and it was absolutely magnificent.  Our condo was waterfront with an amazing view of the water and mountains. 

These mountains are in the desert so they aren't covered with evergreens like the rest of the mountains but they are still gorgeous. 

We relaxed on the first night and then on Saturday morning we headed up to the top of the mountain for some views and to find a hiking trail.   It was quite treacherous climbing the mountain as the road was narrow, single lane, no guard rails and covered in snow and ice.  When we got to the top, however, it was worth it.  We could see forever.  We chose a really easy trail that followed the view and walked along the path for a while.  

We found a very female snow person on our way!

As we headed back down the mountain we decided to try one of the many, many wineries in Chelan.  It was really fun and relaxing to sit and taste the different wines.  One of the wineries had a giant bonfire going and even set off fireworks.

The view from the wineries was amazing.

On Sunday morning we woke up and headed to a recommended eatery in the town of Mason.  It was called Blueberry Hill and it was hilarious.  Surrounded by acres of berry fields, the interior was decorated with trinkets from grandpa's shed.  I had blueberry juice and a blueberry crepe that was unbelievably good.

We packed up and said goodbye to our lake vacation.  On the way home we decided to take Route 2 which is a winding mountain pass road.  I was a nervous wreck as we went down some of these steep hills.

But it was a beautiful view and I was grateful to be home safely!