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.

NORAD’s Santa Tracker is following Santa’s progress on his way to the Phinney/Greenwood area. This year’s tracker is quite the experience, with an interactive map containing pictures, background information and even explanatory videos (one in Fuji, Japan, explains that NORAD satellite technicians have calculated Santa’s speed at 100 times that of Japan’s bullet train).

With any luck, maybe he’ll be bringing us some of the gifts you’ve suggested for our community. Hope you’ve all been good boys and girls!

Santa Claus dropped by Yanni’s Greek Restaurant at 7419 Greenwood Ave. N. on Sunday for a quick visit.

Peter tells us there weren’t too many kids, but the adults sure seemed happy to see him!

We got a note (and picture) from Marty this morning about carolers on the corner of 80th and 3rd Sunday night.

Last night around 8:30, my wife and I were watching a movie. The scene we were watching had Christmas carolers in it. About that time I thought I heard something so I asked my wife to pause the movie. Sure enough, there was a group of carolers on the corner near our apartment. My wife took them out some Christmas cupcakes and found out that they had been at a party and decided to go caroling.

Santa Claus himself will be at Metropolis Cards & Gifts and Rising Stars Children’s Store at 7321 Greenwood Ave. N. from 1-2 p.m. Saturday.

He will be handing out candy canes and interacting with the kiddos. Parents are welcome to bring a camera to snap a picture!

The local chapter of the Salvation Army put on their annual Christmas carol event at Sandel Park tonight and Paul May sent us these cool photos.

Thanks, Paul!

One month after the devastating arson that destroyed four businesses in downtown Greenwood and heavily damaged Taproot Theatre, Taproot’s Christmas production of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” takes the stage at North Seattle Community College.

(Mark Lund, Candace Vance and Grant Goodeve. Photo by Erik Stuhaug.)

Since Taproot couldn’t find a suitable venue for its planned Christmas show, the world premiere of John Longenbaugh’s “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol,” the theater is bringing back one of its most popular plays, ”It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.” Adapted for the stage by Joe Landry and directed by Karen Lund, it runs this Friday through Dec. 30, with a pay-what‐you‐can performance this Wednesday.

Clarence needs his wings and George Bailey needs… well George needs Clarence. Live out a holiday classic as a part of our “live studio audience” when Taproot Theatre brings It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play to the stage. Set in 1947 as a radio broadcast, this heartwarming tale will remind you and yours of the important things in life and send you home laughing, loving and living the magic of Christmas. Live radio performances were most popular from 1920 until the advent of television in the 1950s. An audience would be brought in to the studio, and hit films such as It’s a Wonderful Life would be produced live on the air for people who would listen while gathered around a radio in their living room.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” features Grant Goodeve and Mark Lund (reprising their roles from Taproot’s 2006 production), Jesse Notehelfer, Eric Riedmann and Candace Vance.

Patrons who purchased tickets for “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol” will be moved into comparable seats on the corresponding nights of the new production. If they had tickets for the preview performances, which have been canceled, Taproot Theatre will contact them to arrange their new tickets. Taproot Theatre’s Dinner & Theatre events will take place at the new location, catered by The Upper Crust. Taproot Theatre will also issue refunds when necessary.

“Sherlock Holmes” will now premiere next year, but Taproot will hold two staged readings at Seattle Pacific University’s McKinley Auditorium, 3307 Third Ave. W., at 8 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 5.  No reservations necessary. Those readings are free, but donations will be accepted for the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund.