Snow, holiday lights, and lots more to see this time of the year.
First snow of the year
Just enough snow to make the city look pretty for a few hours.
Tree at the Vietnam Memorial
The 30th annual Christmas tree at the Vietnam Memorial allowed visitors to put on ornaments at a ceremony last Saturday.
F Street Holiday Market
The holiday market on F Street is free and runs through December 23rd. It attracts a huge crowd (estimates range from 300,000 to 500,000 over the month), with market vendors, food, and lots of performances.
National Mistletoe
The National Mistletoe is a 10-foot sculpture by My Ly Designs, at Anthem Row (near 8th and I), through the end of January. From 3:00 to 6:00 tomorrow (December 13th), Downtown D.C. is sponsoring an attempt to set the Guinness World Record for most couples kissing under the mistletoe, so register with your sweetheart for free at Eventbrite.
Botanic Garden
Dinosaurs and trains outside, cityscapes inside – the show at the Botanic Garden is full of wonders – free through January 4th.
Santas and carolers around town
Santarchy is tomorrow (December 14th), but there are already random Santas around the Mall.
Carolers at the Swedish Embassy:
Festival of Lights
The Festival of Lights at the Mormon Temple in nearby Kensington is in its 48th year, with 500,000 lights – free through January 1st, but parking reservations are required.
Dramatic skies
It may be cold, but the dramatic afternoon skies make it worth it to be outside.
Best and worst
Favorite thing we saw this week: The Albino squirrel, on the Capitol grounds.
Least favorite thing we saw this week: the hole of the former East Wing of the White House – viewed from the Washington Monument (ground-level views are pretty much blocked off).
