Alvantor Bubble Tent - Seattle Times Report
| Cathy S
COVID can’t dim magic of a Seattle Santa’s snow-globe wonderland
Santa has brought his magic to the streets of Greenwood in the glowing orb of a plastic snow globe.
Dan Kemmis, known as The Seattle Santa, has been setting up on the corner of Greenwood Avenue North and North 76th Street in Seattle in a plastic bubble tent that’s all decorated and dressed like the North Pole. He plans to do it daily from approximately 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. until Dec. 23.
The prospect of a year without seeing the joy in the faces of children was sad. “I need Santa,” Kemmis said. “I don’t know what I would have done.”
So, with 15 years of experience, a little ingenuity and funds, he was able to pull off a display that has generated a line of folks and families in the evenings since it started.
“It’s turned out so neato,” he said.
In past years, Kemmis has put on an annual Christmas Eve walk in downtown Seattle to give gifts to the homeless community. This year he said he is sending a portion of donations collected from the Santa display to a few select families for housing assistance, with the rest reserved for a food bank.
More than a decade ago, when Kemmis started the Christmas Eve walk, he was approached by a woman named Allena Gabosch with some suggestions on how to improve. At first, he was taken aback, but then a deep friendship was formed. Gabosch died in late November after a long battle with health issues. She is memorialized in the latest issue of Seattle Gay News.
Kemmis said the snow globe is a tribute to her. “We are honored by her, and we honor her with our efforts.”
Santa is planning to be at the corner of Greenwood Avenue North and North 76th Street in Seattle daily from approximately 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. until Dec. 23, with a break from 2 to 2:30 p.m.