The organizers of the neighborhood Wacktastic Holiday Light Show have been so busy with the holidays, they finally just had time to send us pictures and the list of winners, which were awarded on Dec. 20.

The winner of the community voting, with 883 votes, was Toby Hilden at 731 N. 88th St.

Second prize was Karl Picard at 6819 Phinney Ave. N., with 782 votes.

And third prize was Deborah Marlott at 8737-8735 Greenwood Ave. N., with 562 votes.

Click here to see more entries in this year’s contest. Congratulations to all the winners!

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.

I don’t know how other neighborhood businesses fared with last-minute shoppers today, but Santoros Books was absolutely packed when we were there this morning. That was probably because Stephanie Luckerath, Santoro’s resident storyteller, held a special Christmas Eve story time from 11 a.m. to noon.

Here’s Steph exuberantly reading Lemony Snickett’s “The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story,” while wearing her Grinch jammies. And, yes, she did some pretty enthusiastic screaming.

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!

We got a note this morning from Margaret:

This morning I found open packaging and mail. Some mail was not opened but the holiday cards clearly were. This looks like it was all stolen from people’s porches and mail boxes.

These items came from addresses in the 92nd-95th blocks in the Dayton Ave N, Evanston and N 92nd area. Packaging was Amazon. I will be making an attempt to contact the addressees on the envelopes this evening, 12/23/09.

I called the non emergency police # and was told they could not do anything about the items I found until the owners made the report. I can be contacted by email at mwilliamson9750@hotmail.com.

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.

Did you make it out to the luminaria display between 81st and 84th streets tonight? We checked it out tonight and enjoyed the ambiance. The PhinneyWood Kid just wanted to blow out the lights. Fortunately, he failed. Here’s a low-light pic of a stretch of 81st just west of Greenwood Avenue.

We even ran into a group of carolers spreading holiday cheer. Thanks, luminaria folks and carolers, for spreading holiday spirit in the neighborhood! Goodness knows we could use it.

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!

Neighbors on 81st to 84th streets between Greenwood and 3rd avenues are planning their annual luminaria display in celebration of the holidays and the solstice from 5-9 p.m. on Saturday. Everyone is invited to stroll through the neighborhood and enjoy the lights.

The 84th St blocks between Greenwood and 3rd have done this for the last two years. This year, neighbors on the other blocks have decided to participate as well. Altogether, eight blocks, plus 1st Ave between 80th and 85th should be included in the display. Take a walk in the neighborhood and enjoy the view.

Here’s a photo from last year.

Phinney resident Wendy Miller and her neighbors invite everyone to the first annual ”The Ridge Celebration of Christmas” from 7-9 p.m. Saturday on the corner of N. 65th St. & Greenwood Ave. N.

Last winter when Seattle got LOTS of snow and the whole city shut down for days, people complained about it, but I think Phinney Ridge was one of the best places to be–sledding, walking, and meeting new neighbors. If you were around for it and happened to pass by 65th and Greenwood on one afternoon, you would have seen my roommates and me set up with a table on the corner serving hot cocoa and coffee to everyone. It was a random idea that I had that morning—and what a blessing it turned out to be! In the four years I’d lived on Phinney Ridge, I never interacted with so many neighbors as I did that afternoon.

It got me to thinking that wouldn’t it be great if we had another opportunity to do that without depending on snowstorms?

So, I decided to do something! Come on down to the corner of 65th and Greenwood for the Ridge Celebration of Christmas Sat, Dec 19 from 7-9pm. (We call our house “The Ridge”). We’ll be outside, have yummy treats, warm beverages, caroling, and a Living Nativity. I invite you to come, bundle up, and bring your friends and family! It would be great to meet you and celebrate the season with you.

Can you cut your carbon footprint to have absolutely no impact on the planet? One man tried, and you can see the results at the pre-DVD release community screening of “No Impact Man” at 7 p.m. Friday at the Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N. 85th St.

Studies show that 70% of us are unhappy with the shopping frenzy that surrounds the holidays but most of us don’t know how to get off the treadmill. What if we worked together to find another way to celebrate? During the days of the historic UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen, we’re bringing people together to talk about shopping. Join the No Impact Project (NIP) and Center for a New American Dream (CNAD) for a nationwide pre-DVD release community screening of the documentary, “No Impact Man.” A $5 donation or 3 items of non-perishable food are encouraged. All proceeds will go to the No Impact Project and or local food banks. Questions? Contact Emily at the Greenwood Senior Center: (206) 297-0875, or emily@greenwoodseniorcenter.org.