As the Holiday season nears, lights are going up.  Starting in mid December, the Seattle area always has many opportunities for taking the family out to see the displays.  Here are three of the best!

Olympic Manor – Enter at 23^rd Ave NW and NW 85^th St.  Continues the tradition with their newly refurbished lighted rotating vintage Santa at the entry.  Walk or drive the neighborhood and you will see Santa handing out candy canes and collecting for the Ballard Food Bank. A neighborhood with a magical holiday atmosphere, sure to be a hit with kids, but also beautiful and impressive enough to delight adults.

Candy Cane Lane – In Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood, NE Park Road off Ravenna Boulevard in Seattle . Candy Cane Lane is a series of homes on NE Park Road. Houses are adorned with strings of lights, dancing reindeer, candy cane-striped poles, tinsel snowmen. Signs that say “peace” in different languages — paz, paix, shalom — greet visitors from front lawns.

Woodland Park Zoo WildLights – Features wild animals and wild places recreated in thousands of sparkling LED lights inspired by exotic destinations from across the globe, including “Northern Lights,” “The Water Hole” and “Jungle Lights.” Kicks off  November 29 and continue through January 4, 5:30-8:30 nightly. Closed December 24 and 25. Visit the Zoo’s website for information on tickets at: http://www.zoo.org

Here are 10 creative ways to save money and time through innovative uses of common household items.

Ground Coffee – If your freezer has a lingering odor, fill a small bowl of ground coffee and leave it inside the freezer overnight.

Get Cords under Control – Stuff your folded spare power cord inside an empty toilet paper roll.  You can even write the description on the outside.

Toothpaste – You can prevent your bathroom mirror from steaming up by applying a small amount of non-gel toothpaste and then wiping off.

Uncooked Rice – If you’ve accidentally got your cell phone wet, remove the battery and put both phone and battery inside a bag of uncooked white rice overnight.  This will absorb the moisture and may save it.

DIY Bag Clips – Don’t buy them, just snap off the clips from the edges of an old plastic pants hanger, they work great!

Store Rolls of Wrapping Paper Easily – No need to use tape that will tear the paper. Simply cut a toilet paper roll from end to end and wrap around the roll of paper.

Find Small Lost Items – Slip an old stocking over the end of your vacuum cleaner nozzle. You’ll be happy at how easy it is to find a lost earring or eyeglass screw.

Don’t buy fancy shaped tortillas for taco salads – Simply flip over a muffin pan, nestle a regular tortilla between the spaces and bake until crispy.

Vinegar double duty – Clean the scale on your shower head by filling a baggie with vinegar and tying it around the shower head. In 8 hours it will be clean, with no work.

Post-It Note to the Rescue – before you throw out that Post-It note, run the sticky edge between the keys of your keyboard to collect crumbs and fluff.  Try this now, you will be amazed!

A chill is in the air and the pumpkins are ripe for picking.  Here is just a sampling of pumpkin patches, and corn mazes in the Greater Seattle area:

Bobs Corn : Features a 10-acre corn maze and pumpkin patch with more than 15 types of pumpkins and a free hayride to get to the 15-acre pumpkin field.  Hours: 10am to 7pm daily; Location: 10917 Elliott Road, Snohomish, WA – 360-668-2506

 Carleton Farm : Carleton Farm has fresh fruit, vegetables, jams, pies, and even microbrews year round. From October 1 through 31, the farm brings out its Halloween spirit with a pumpkin patch and corn maze. You can pick your own pumpkin in the patch, or buy one that’s already been picked in the barn. The four-acre corn maze has points that you can find on a map and try to solve the puzzle, or just wander through.  Hours: 10am to dusk daily; Location: 630 Sunnyside Blvd SE, Lake Stevens, WA (some GPS systems may have the city as Everett) – 425-334-2297

 Craven Farm : With 20-acres of pumpkin patch and a 15-acre corn maze, Craven Farm ensures all visitors have lots of room to create some harvest-time memories. Other attractions include baby animals, a snack bar, story time tours on weekdays, hayrides, kettle corn, and scarecrow making. Hours: 9am until dark daily; Location: 13817 Short School Road, Snohomish, WA – 360-568-2601 

Fairbank Animal and Pumpkin Farm : On weekends in October, Fairbank Animal and Pumpkin Farm is a delightful place to visit. Pick out a pumpkin or two or three, and enjoy the onsite baby animal zoo! Chicks, ducklings, calves, sheep, goats, and more all live at the farm. Everyone who visits gets a free cup of food to feed to the animals. There is a small admission fee. Hours: 10am until dusk daily; Location: 15308 52nd Avenue, Edmonds, WA – 425-743-3694

Remlinger Farms : Remlinger Farms puts on a Harvest Festival from late September through October each year, complete with you-pick pumpkins, live entertainment for kids, a corn maze, and even rides! Hours: 10am until dusk daily; Location: 32610 NE 32nd Street, Carnation, WA – 425-333-4135

 Stocker Farms : Stocker Farms goes all out for the month of October. At the main location, pick out your pumpkin from acres of pumpkin fields. Across Highway 9 at 8705 Marsh Road, you’ll find PumpkinPark, with a trout fishing pool for kids, face painting, a barrel train, pumpkin cannon, an air jumper, duck races, hayrides, and more! Hours: 10am to 6pm daily; Location: 10622 Airport Way, Snohomish, WA – 360-568-7391

We just sold this great new construction in Ballard…

We just listed this Condo with a Great View!