Flaming puddings, roasting coffee and pulling crackers — the Christmas holiday doesn’t get any more British than that! Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the modern holidays and discover how the Brits celebrated Christmas in the Victorian era at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum’s Christmas Regale.
At Fort Nisqually, an outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Co. established on the Puget Sound in 1833, laborers were once given Christmas Day off and issued extra rations, or regales, said Elizabeth Rudrud, events coordinator for the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum.
These rations inspired the name for this old-fashioned Christmas celebration, which includes historical activities like making a Christmas cracker and watching the lighting of the Christmas pudding (prepared in the museum’s period kitchen).
The event also features parlor games, coffee roasting with beans from Tacoma’s own Valhalla Coffee, Victorian tin ornament and pomander making, living history demonstrations, sampling of foods prepared in the period kitchen, caroling and a chance to visit and take photos with Father Christmas.
“Our Victorian Father Christmas doesn’t have a modern Santa look. He’s built his own wardrobe over the years,” Rudrud said, noting that Father Christmas will adorn a wreath on his head.
The main draw of the Christmas Regale is the arrival of the yule log, which is towed in by young visitors and greeted with toasts and Christmas carols. Guests take home a piece of the log sawed off with the help of historical interpreters for their own holiday fire, as well as a piece of traditional Christmas greenery that will decorate the fort.
This step back in time is also a great chance to get ahead on holiday shopping. The Christmas Regale features a volunteer craft market with “everything from little lavender sachets to crocheted goods to handsewn goods,” Rudrud said.
All the items in the market are made by volunteers, and the proceeds will benefit the Fort Nisqually Foundation. The Museum Store, meanwhile, features hard-to-find historical items, children’s toys and games, and a bookstore full of Pacific Northwest history, as well as heritage skills like food preservation, gardening and more.
The Christmas Regale will take place 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 3 at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum. Find more information at: fortnisqually.org
Here are some other events happening Dec. 2-8 in the Puget Sound area. If you would like to submit an event for consideration, please email your event details to [email protected].
Pike Place Market welcomes Seattle’s local and visiting community to enjoy an evening of festive performances 6-9 p.m. Free. 85 Pike St., Seattle; 206-682-7453; pikeplacemarket.org
Celebrate the start of Google’s Musical Holiday Lights with an evening of hot chocolate and cookies, a petting zoo, a photo booth and the annual musical holiday lights 5-7 p.m. Carolers will take the stage at 5:15 p.m., and the program begins at 5:30 p.m. Mayor Penny Sweet will flip the switch to turn on 10,000 LED lights with a show custom-programmed to holiday music by Google Kirkland engineers. 509 Sixth St. S., Kirkland
Celebrate the beauty and craftsmanship of local, handmade art at this self-guided art show featuring 46 artists with open studios and galleries 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Then, head over to Bainbridge Island Museum of Art to enjoy a winter night market celebrating the best of the season with shopping, crafts, food, drink and entertainment for all ages at 4 p.m. Dec. 2 and Dec. 3. Free. Location varies; 206-842-0504; bistudiotour.com
Round up the kids and enjoy decorating sugar cookies together, along with Four Seasons Hotel Seattle’s pastry chef Danielle Grogan and chef Ethan Stowell at 11 a.m. Tickets include cookies, decorating supplies and light refreshments. Cash bar with mimosas available. One ticket per child and adult supervision required (adults accompanying children do not need tickets). Purchase tickets online; $45. 99 Union St., Seattle; fourseasons.com/seattle
Join Seward Park Audubon Center to explore Seward Park for identification clues about conifers and backstory details about these iconic symbols of the Pacific Northwest 1-3 p.m. Register online; free. 5902 Lake Washington Blvd. S., Seattle; 206-652-2444; sewardpark.audubon.org
The Kent Downtown Partnership presents the Ugly Sweater Tasting Event 6-9 p.m. Enjoy live music and businesses offering wines, craft spirits, beer and ciders, as well as specials, samples and other goodies throughout the event. Wear an ugly sweater or other holiday attire, and a few Secret Santas will scout the best costumes to be entered to win prizes. Purchase tickets online; $35/advanced, $40/at door. Location varies; 253-813-6976; downtownkentwa.com
The Arboretum Foundation’s annual holiday sale returns with a selection of botanical decorations and nature-inspired gifts, including many local, seasonal specialty items 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 3-4. Free. 2300 Arboretum Drive E., Seattle; 206-325-4510; arboretumfoundation.org
Join LUSIO for a unique outdoor lighting experience with two nights of large live-scale projection mapping, interactive light art exhibits for all ages and DJs at 5 p.m. Dec. 3 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4. RSVP online; free. South Third Street and Logan Avenue South, Renton; lusiolight.com
University Book Store presents Stephanie Bower and Jane Wingfield for a conversation about Bower’s new book, “The World of Urban Sketching,” at 6 p.m. The book is a collection of urban sketches and sketcher profiles from 39 countries in a city-to-city tour. Register online; free. 4326 University Way N.E., Seattle; 206-634-3400; ubookstore.com
Reflect on the pressing issues and major headlines of the previous year, revisit predictions and see how events changed or stayed the course at 6:30 p.m. Moderated by Monica Guzman, a panel of leaders and luminaries will engage in a provocative and wide-ranging discussion of topics like race and equity, housing and homelessness, politics and our democracy, trade and international affairs, education and current legislative priorities. Purchase tickets online; $20/in person, $10/virtual true cost, free/virtual. 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle; seattlecityclub.org
Poet, science writer and retired professional cage fighter Jenny Liou will discuss her debut collection of poetry, “Muscle Memory,” with Seattle poet and KUOW public radio host Shin Yu Pai 7-8 p.m. In “Muscle Memory,” the Washington-based poet grapples with violence and identity, beginning with the chain-link enclosure of the prizefighter’s cage and radiating outward into the diasporic sweep of Chinese American history. Register online; free. 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle; 206-386-4636; spl.org
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