Normally it's rainy and on TV anyway.
This year, that turned out not to be the best solution. It was oddly bright and sunny, and for some reason, no one saw fit to broadcast it on TV this year.
Despite the rough start, the day got better and the GF and I went to the tree lighting in Westlake Plaza. We were just two people among the 15,000 who turned out for the event.
The tree and the Macy's star were all set up and ready for the evening to start.
After and hour of sun setting, crowd plowing, musical renditions, a mayoral greeting (of course people boo'ed the Mayor), the finally lit the tree, carousel, and Macy's star. Then the fireworks started:
And then the cell phones came out. It's amusing how any major event these days is surrounded and captured by dozens or hundreds of cell phones, many of which are likely to do a poor job preserving the event. But they still come out.
The other iconic element of any major Seattle event remain the infamous pile of Starbucks cups. They tower on top of trash cans for miles around as a beacon for the Ghosts of Coffee Consumed.
But don't worry. It's okay. We recycle, tool.
Cell phones and Starbucks are not the only Holiday traditions we have in Seattle. The season would be nothing without annual protesters. Elements of our city were objecting to consumers and corporate dominance long before Occupy Wall Street made is cool.
Overall it was a fun evening and a swell day. It was a great way to green-light the rest of the Christmas season.
You can see a few more pictures of the event here.
