Many people know the regularly-decorated tree on the corner of 65th and Palatine as the “holiday tree.” It’s decorated with lights and ornaments for nearly every holiday.

But, a PhinneyWood reader wrote to us in mid-December, concerned because the tree was not decorated. So I asked our friend and frequent contributor Mike Veitenhans to investigate, since he lives nearby. Mike said tree owner Herb Allwine told him that after converting to LED lights a few years, the plugs and connectors began to fail quickly. So, he had to string up new lights this year, which took longer than usual, and he finally got it lit in time for Christmas.

And here’s a close-up shot from the daytime.

Thanks to Mike V for all the information and photos, and thanks to Mr. Allwine for the holiday cheer!

One of the Greenwood Food Bank‘s donors was not able to follow through on their commitment of toys and gift cards for food bank families.

VOA Greenwood will need gifts for children of our food bank families. Ideally, we’ll need them by our Holiday Party this Saturday, December 15th. Gift cards for places like Fred Meyer/Toys’r’us/Target etc (places that sell toys and/or clothes) or cash donations are welcome, though we will continue to take donations through the week. Please contact us at (206) 782-6731 or greenwoodfoodbank@voaww.org to help.

Elizabeth and John tell us that someone cut down one of their front yard trees sometime during the night.

Today, December 12, we walked outside our home and discovered that our highly prized, beautiful and unique Mt Hood hemlock has been cut down and removed, probably for someone’s Christmas tree.

We live just off Greenwood Ave N and planted the tree some 10 years ago where it grew to over 10 feet high while still retaining a snow shedding width of probably not more than a few feet. It was planted just back from our retaining wall next to the sidewalk and was apparently within easy reach for someone standing on the sidewalk below with a saw to cut it down.

Despite being at home during the hours of darkness when this happened and having our bedroom almost directly above, we did not hear anything to alarm us.

This is, therefore, a heads up that, besides those types who will steal your Christmas packages off your porch, there are even crueler more heartless “people” (I use the term “people” loosely) who will cut down and steal a tree off your property; one that you have loved, nourished, and treasured for many years to help celebrate their twisted idea of the Christmas/Hanukah/Holiday season.

Any tips on the criminals involved in this will be appreciated.

Here’s what the tree looked like.

Ballard, Greenwood and Phinney artisans and home-based businesses are gathering at a Greenwood home on Saturday to raise money for Whittier Elementary School in Ballard.

The Holiday Bazaar is from 12-3 p.m. Saturday at 313 NW 81st St., a half-block west of Greenwood Elementary School. The sale is open to the public.

Customers pay a $2 entry fee, and vendors will donate a portion of their proceeds to the PTA. They’ll also have a bake sale.

Businesses include Plover Organic (linens, pillows, tablecloths and other textiles), Driscoll Design (hand-glittered journals), Glittersweet (purses and bags), Turquoise Creative (greeting cards and fine art), Lara Cowles (totes), Crescent Moon Designs (jewelry), KHS Pottery, and kindie rock band The Not-Its! (CD’s, T-shirts).

Most vendors accept credit cards, but not all, so please bring cash, especially for the entry fee, baked goods and items from smaller vendors.

Bluebird Microcreamery, 7400 Greenwood Ave. N., is collecting new, unwrapped toys for Toys For Tots until Dec 18. For every toy donation, you’ll get a free scoop of ice cream.

Woodland Park Zoo is selling its “seasonal blend” of Holidoo compost, made from animal waste of nearly two dozen herbivore species at the zoo. Holidoo is available at the ZooStore in 4-gallon containers ($20), 2-gallon buckets ($12.95) or pints ($4.95).

Phinneywood resident Gabe Airth is celebrating his 12th birthday tomorrow on 12/12/12 and is hoping his friends will help him raise $1,212.12 for Seattle Public Theater, where he participates in the youth program. You can donate online (be sure and mention Gabe’s name in the comments area).

Tim’s Tavern and the Phinney Neighborhood Business Association are sponsoring the neighborhood’s first annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Pub Crawl on Saturday, Dec. 8. Starting at 7 p.m. at Bleacher’s Pub at 83rd and Greenwood and ending around midnight at Tim’s Tavern at 105th and Greenwood, the pub crawl celebrates the well-intentioned but often tacky holiday sweater.

Besides Bleacher’s and Tim’s Tavern, the other participating pubs are The Angry Beaver, Naked City Brewery & Taphouse, The Ould Triangle, Snoose Junction Pizzeria and Vinyl Lounge, and The Pub at Piper’s Creek.

Tim’s Tavern Owner Tim Arnot showing off his best (worst) Christmas sweater.

The idea is to get more people patronizing neighborhood businesses, but it’s also a fundraiser to raise money for Cancer Care Alliance’s Mammovan, a mobile mammogram screening service.

Purchase a $10 wristband at one of the participating bars to “crawl for the cause” benefiting SCCA’s MammoVan program. Meet fellow revelers at Bleachers Pub and crawl your way North along Greenwood Avenue stopping at participating venues offering drink and food specials, as well as door prizes exclusively for pub crawl participants wearing their wristband. Finish the night at Tim’s Tavern, where just after midnight we will have the final voting for ugliest XMAS Sweater. $100 cash prize to recipient so they can buy some decent clothing before it is too late! Runner up prizes also given out.

Tim (Arnot, owner of Tim’s Tavern), wanted to organize a pub crawl that didn’t exclusively just focus on a number of bars in a concentrated area. “Downtown Greenwood is a great destination for night life and entertainment and gets a fair amount of foot traffic. However, I want to expose people to other bars on the fringes of downtown that they may not have made it to before as well as providing a little bit of exercise. The crawl starts in downtown Greenwood and 82nd with bars that are members of the Phinney Neighborhood Business Association and moves north up to 105th. He explains, “I know the 20 block stretch may be difficult for some, but logistically it makes sense. The Ould Triangle (9736 Greenwood Ave) will break up the stretch perfectly, allowing people to burn off some alcohol from the first three bars, and give folks a chance to experience a traditional Irish bar lying just on the fringe of the downtown area.” The entire crawl is also on the Metro Bus Line #5 and #40 which presents a feasible option for the mobility-impaired or the event of particularly nasty weather.

Wristbands are available for purchase now at any of the participating pubs, or on pub crawl night.

Alpine Tree and Wreath will open a Christmas tree lot in the parking lot next to Medicine Man Pharmacy at 323 N. 85th St., beginning the day after Thanksgiving. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (although they’ll open at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 23).

Oregon-grown Noble and Grand firs will range from two-feet to eight-feet tall, with a six-foot Noble fir costing $64. If you purchase a tree, you’ll get 20 percent off wreaths or garland.

They’ll also have a collection bin out for Northwest Harvest so folks can donate non-perishable food.

Cathy tells us that someone left a blow-up snowman in front of her house on 65th Street early this morning. She’d like to reunite the snowman with his family.

I awoke to noises last night to look out my window about 3am to see a car speed off and a blowup snowman on my walk.

They had plugged him into my christmas lights. Im sure he is missing his real home, and his real family is missing him.

More than a dozen members of the Phinney Community Chorus held a flash mob of Christmas carols at Ken’s Market last weekend. Here’s video from the Seattle Channel’s Tom Speer.

The Phinney Ridge Gospel Choir will perform “Peace: A Soulful Christmas Celebration” from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17, at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, 7500 Greenwood Ave. N.

Admission is free, but donations are accepted for the Downtown Emergency Shelter. Cookies and eggnog will be served after the concert, and childcare will be available.

However you choose to celebrate the holiday today, we hope it’s a merry one for you.

Greenwood photographer Sandra Coan is once again offering Santa photos of children, with a portion of the proceeds going to Ballard-based Soulumination, which provides free photos of children and families facing terminal illness.

Soulumination, founded by Lynette Huffman Johnson, celebrates the lives of children and parents facing life threatening conditions by providing professional photographs–free of charge–of these special individuals and their families. The life-affirming photographs of Soulumination are an enduring, positive record of the child’s brief life, and provide a loving legacy for the children of parents lost to terminal illness.

Coan is booking slots for Nov. 27. Packages start at $25. Call 206-841-2260 or email for an appointment.

We’re not rushing you, but at some point you’re going to have to let go of that tree drying out in your front window.

When that time comes, you can put your tree(s) and greens out on your regular yard waste collection day at no extra charge through Jan. 10. Trees should be cut into sections of six feet long or shorter, with branches trimmed to less than four feet. Sections should be bundled with string or twine.

Flocked trees and those that still have tinsel or ornaments on them will be collected as extra garbage. Those trees will need to be cut into three-foot pieces and each piece will cost you $7.60 in extra garbage charges.

You can also drop off your tree and other holiday greenery for free at the north or south Seattle Public Utilities Stations.  The closest to Phinney/Greenwood is in Fremont at 34th Street and Carr Place North. It’s open daily from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. More info here.