Another holiday is just days away, bringing both closures and festivities to ring in the New Year. For special New Year’s Eve gastronomic celebrations, be sure to book your reservations at local Queen Anne restaurants asap - Betty, Book Bindery, Crow, How to Cook a Wolf, LloydMartin, The Melting Pot, Ponti Seafood Grill, Ten Mercer, Toulouse Petit all have special New Year’s Eve menus. Contact us if there are others that we’ve missed!

Here are the closures and events for the holiday week:

Holiday Closures:

• Seattle Public Library – closes at 6pm Monday, Dec 31; closed on Tuesday, Jan 1
• City of Seattle – offices closed Tuesday, Jan 1
• Free Parking Days – Tuesday, Jan 1 is a Free Parking day in Seattle
• Garbage & Recycling – no collection on Tuesday, Jan 1, if your pickup day is Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, collections will be one day later

Traffic Impacts:

• Aurora Bridge: Bridge reduced to one lane in each direction 9pm-5am Sunday, Dec 30, Jan 2 and 3; Fremont Way N southbound on-ramp to the Aurora Bridge will be closed 9pm-5am Sunday, Dec 30, Jan 2 and 3

Multi-Day Events:

• Winterfest, Seattle Center, through Jan 6
• Pacific Northwest Ballet Nutcracker, through Dec 29

Friday, December 28

• SIFF Uptown New & Continuing Films: Barbara, Les Miserables, Django Unchained

Saturday, December 29

• Canoe Steaming Ceremony, Lake Union Park, 5:30am-5:30pm, FREE
• MOHAI Public Grand Opening, SLU, 10am-8pm, FREE with reservation (note: all tickets have been reserved, but a limited number of walk-up tickets will be available every half hour)
• Gates Foundation Give Effect Visitor Center Family Day, 10:30am-3:30pm FREE

Sunday, December 30

• MOHAI Grand Opening Continues, SLU, 10am-8pm Paid Tickets only
• Seahawks vs. Rams, CenturyLink Field, 1:25pm

Monday, December 31 (aka New Year’s Eve)

• New Year’s Around the Globe, Seattle Children’s Museum, 10am-5pm
• Indulgence New Year’s Eve Bash, EMP, 21+ only, 8pm
• Winterfest New Year’s Eve with The Rhythm Nation, Seattle Center Armory, 8:15pm, FREE
• New Year’s at the Needle, Seattle Center, 11:30pm, FREE

Tuesday, January 1

• Polar Bear Plunge, Matthews Beach, registration at 11am, plunge at noon
• Polar Bear Plunge, Golden Gardens, 11am

Have an event that you would like us to report on? Drop us an email at tips@queenanneview.com

MW wrote in our forum today,

Our house in NW Queen Anne (near Dravus) was broken into around midnight New Years Eve; our housesitter returned about an hour later and found a broken back window and indications of a hasty departure. Among the things taken were jewelry with lots of sentimental value (very little street value — e.g., small gold bead bead necklace, jade bead necklace, lots of small dangly earrings). I am posting here on the off-chance the thief dumps any of this jewelry in the neighborhood. If you see anything in an alley, trash can, etc. please respond on this blog. Thank you!

If anyone has any information on this burglary or the stolen items, please respond to MW in the forum.

The Swedish Cultural Center is having a Scandinavian New Year’s Eve bash on Thursday, December 31. There will be Swedish meatball and yellow pea soup for dinner, and pancakes and champagne after midnight to celebrate 2010. The event starts at 8 p.m. at the Center, located at 1920 Dexter Ave N. More information here.

Still looking for a babysitter on New Year’s Eve? The Pacific Science Center is throwing a New Year’s Eve Slumber Party/celebration for kids in grades 2 to 6.

As we count down the final hours in 2009, kids will be captivated by fiery hydrogen balloon explosions, delicious Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream demonstrations, make their own noisemakers and much more!

Parents can drop off their kids at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 31, enjoy a night out, and pick them up again by 9 a.m. on New Year’s Day. For more information, check the PSC website.