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Health & Fitness

Snowflake Lane—Tips for Parents

Snowflake Lane in Bellevue is a must-do for little ones this holiday season. Go early. Park wisely.

I survived the madness of Snowflake Lane in Bellevue! Here are my tips to anyone who is taking children to the event, which begins at 7 every night until the 24th.

Go early! We left Sammamish at 4, got parking, had dinner at PF Changs, wandered around until 6:40, then got what we thought was a good viewing spot. The streets filled to such capacity that by 6:59, we were packed in like sardines and we lifted our nine year olds to the window ledge of Changs and stood in front of them for safety.

Parking: I like the open air parking in front of JC Penny's off Bellevue Way. The tiered garage parking is hard to get out of after the show. If you're in there, you might as well go to a movie to wait for the crowd to disperse, or do an hour of shopping.

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Dress Warmly, just in case. Although you can plan to get hot chocolate just before the show at the Starbucks by Changs, the lineup was thirty minutes long on Sunday and we opted to forego the planned beverage. (When the drumming begins it's a hard heart who doesn't jump up and down, anyhow).

Find Your Perfect Spot: If you stand on the sidewalk, the excitement is all around you, the characters give out lollipops and you can get a photo of your child with a polar bear, snow fairy, penguin, toy soldier on stilts etc. However, it's hard for the little ones to see over the sea of people unless you hoist them onto shoulders or carry them. The view is fantastic from the Skybridge to Lincoln Square but you don't have 'snow' falling on you or the live toys walking all around you. The drummers paraded outside from the entrance to Lincoln Square by the Container Store under that amazing Chihuly glass fixture, so if you stood near there, you'd see the procession.

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I highly recommend this event (for young children, especially), and kids at heart. Leave the dog at home. There was a man there last night with a teacup something in a santa suit who said his 'baby' was terrified of the loud drumming. Duh! It's loudish but not overly so—similar to the parade at Disneyland. The drummers must be rock stars in their field, probably high school drummers who wait all year to do Snowflake Lane. They are really, really good and I challenge anyone to walk away from this in a bad mood. The procession to your car afterwards is full of people singing, dancing, laughing with loads of holiday spirit (unless you are pushing a stroller and those poor people are just trying to get their toddler through the mass of people).

Note: We also did the Botanical Gardens and I highly recommend you go at 5, when it opens, to get good parking and to see the pretty light displays without the throngs of people in front of you blocking the view. The free nights are over and it now costs $5 for anyone over ten years old but I think the under ten crowd are the ones who will appreciate the thousands of lights the most. It's something fun to do but if you park just past the "limited mobility" entrance there is a bit of an uphill walk from parking to the gardens on a dark sidewalk, so be aware.

Next up: Skating, either in Bellevue at the open air rink or in Renton, at Castle Icewhere you can skate inside, weekdays from 11-3, same price for both with skate rental.

Carolling in the neighborhood is a fun way to get kids out. Grab a few kids and simply do Jingle Bells or We Wish You a Merry Christmas, going door to door on your street.

Light viewing in pajamas is always fun. Be sure to consult the where locals can post their favorite displays.

Got any good suggestions of things you like to do with your children during the school break? Share...

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