Happy Tuesday, Anchorage. In today’s edition: Holiday tree lighting, ANHC Holiday Bazaar, Pop-Up Play, and more.

Let’s get to it — Cait Baker

📰 In the news

Local creativity on display: Anchorage’s Small Business Saturday featured a Holiday Bazaar at the Captain Cook Hotel. Makers without storefronts, from fish-leather jeweler Salty Sisters Designs to author Tricia Brown, connected with shoppers — read the full story.

Neighbors gather in celebration: Anchorage kicked off the season as Town Square Park glowed during the annual holiday tree lighting despite freezing rain, with hot chocolate, live music, and kids meeting Santa and reindeer — watch the tree lighting.

Brilliance of Bourbon Street: Anchorage Chamber celebrated the 68th Gold Pan Awards with a Mardi Gras theme, honoring Alaska Wealth Advisors, FashionPact, Green Connection, AWAIC, and Volunteer of the Year Vladislav Finko — see all the winners and nominees.

Compare rates for free: The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. Paying more than that? Same, so I did some shopping around and ended up cutting my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too — here’s the comparison tool I used.

Scams are rampant: My step-dad recently got a call from someone pretending to be his grandson, all beat up and asking for bail money. They knew his grandson’s name, how old he is, and what city he lives in. How? Data brokers. They sell your info to anyone willing to pay for it (yup… anyone). Incogni removes your info from all of those sites so scammers can’t use it against you. Cyber Monday discounts are available all week — check ’em out here.

Highlights this week

• Discover gifts at ANHC Holiday Bazaar
• Enjoy free museum night with planetarium shows
• Burn old gear, summon epic snow
• Meet Santa, decorate cookies and ornaments
• Enjoy crafting during a classic movie night
• Need new windows? Check out RBA’s latest deals

🫶 We got your back

Chugach forecasters sound alarm: Avalanche danger was high Sunday in Turnagain Pass, with several large natural and human-triggered slides reported Friday and Saturday, some over 1,000 feet wide. Summit Lake was rated considerable. Forecasters warn weak layers will keep conditions dangerous even between storms. Avoid steep slopes, check the forecast, and carry beacon, shovel, and probe. Get avalanche safety tips.

Slopes buzz with anticipation: Ski season is officially on in Southcentral Alaska. Hilltop Ski Area and Alyeska Resort opened to the public over the weekend after members-only previews. Alyeska has about five groomed runs with more to come as snowfall builds, and both hills expect a stronger season after last winter’s lean snow. Read the full story.

Breakfast burritos, all day: When mornings go sideways and you crave warm, Burrito Factory AK delivers build-your-own burritos from sunrise to dinner, including reindeer sausage and the hulking El Matador. Unfussy, fast, reliably satisfying, it’s prime fuel for errands, snow shoveling, or pretending email can wait.

An emergency vet visit could cost you $7,000+ (ask me how I know 🙃). From the initial fee just to be seen to x-rays, surgery, medicine, and aftercare, it adds up quicker than a chew toy turns into a crime scene. The good news? You could get up to 90% cash back on your vet bill with this pet insurance plan.

Wellness on easy mode: Most probiotics don’t work because they dissolve too early. Seed’s double capsule design means all the right stuff gets delivered to all the right places… at the right time. After decades of gut issues, it’s one of the few things that’s actually helped. Their Daily Essentials Duo covers nutrient gaps and supports everyday health + it’s 40% off right now so it’s a great time to give it a try.

📆 Around town this week

All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirely outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.

This week

🌦️ Outdoor Adventure Series: Scenes, Science, and Stories from Alaska’s Changing Climate @ Anchorage Museum | Tuesday (12/2) at 6:00pm – Trade doomscrolling for the real thing as Roman Dial, Ken Tape, and Paddy Sullivan share field-tested stories of Alaska’s changing Arctic, science included. Catch it in the auditorium or on your couch, free, registration recommended, and part of the first-Tuesday Outdoor Adventure Series.

👋 Goodbye Inlet View @ Inlet View | Thursday (12/4) at 5:00pm – Swing by Inlet View for a proper sendoff to the old school that taught half of us long division, and patience. Open house vibe, guest speakers, and a nostalgia-fueled stroll through familiar halls, plus a community slideshow of memories in the works.

♻️ Designer Trashion Workshop @ Anchorage Museum | Thursday (12/4) at 6:00pm – Turn your junk drawer into runway. Anchorage Museum’s Seed Lab hosts a hands-on trashion workshop with found materials, creative chaos, and the option to drop in or snag supplies to go. It’s free, registration helps, and your masterpiece could debut at the June Trashion Show.

🎄 2025 ANHC Holiday Bazaar @ Alaska Native Heritage Center | Friday (12/5) at 1:30pm – Skip the mall and head to the Alaska Native Heritage Center for a three-day holiday bazaar with 60+ Alaska Native artists. Jewelry, carvings, hand-sewn pieces, and gifts that mean something. Free admission, the gallery and café are open, plus Saturday extras like Santa and performances.

🕯️ First Friday Hygge Market @ SKHOOP | Friday (12/5) at 5:00pm – Skip the mall elbows and find your holiday calm at the Hygge Market, where cozy meets local without the chaos. Expect fire pits, warm drinks, and actually good gifts from Meg Smith Art + Design, Kicksled Alaska, Stay Spicy Co, and more.

This weekend

🧶 2025 UAA Crafts Fair @ University of Alaska Anchorage | Saturday (12/6) at 10:00am – UAA’s annual crafts fair is back, celebrating real-deal Alaskan makers and their one-of-a-kind goods. Think heirloom woodwork, cozy textiles, and gifts that did not arrive on a barge. Stroll the Student Union, chat with artisans, support local, and feel smugly festive.

🏛️ Bank of America Museums on Us @ Anchorage Museum | Saturday (12/6) at 10:00am – Flash that BoA card and waltz into the Anchorage Museum for free general admission all weekend long. Special exhibits still cost extra, but the 10% museum store discount more than softens the blow. Consider it your monthly excuse to get cultured without spending a dime.

🎈 Pop-Up Play w/ Alaska Children’s Museum (Every 1st Saturday) @ The Workshop | Saturday (12/6) at 1:00pm – Whether you’ve got littles, grandkids, or just miss glitter glue, first Saturdays are for Pop-Up Play with the Alaska Children’s Museum. Free craft day, museum-led fun in the afternoon, and zero admission guilt. Let them run wild, you supervise with coffee.

🏒 University of Alaska Anchorage Men’s Ice Hockey vs Stonehill College – Sponsored by Providence @ University of Alaska Anchorage | Saturday (12/6) at 5:00pm – The Seawolves hit home ice to scrap with Stonehill, and it’s the kind of game that pairs just fine with a rink coffee, a fleece, and your indoor voice turned up. Expect sharp checks, louder students, and a Providence-backed nod to hometown grit.

🎭 Hay Fever @ Cyrano’s Theatre Company | Sunday (12/7) at 3:00pm – Noel Coward’s chaotic country-weekend comedy returns with the Bliss family turning “quiet relaxation” into a full-blown circus of mixed signals and melodrama. Expect flaring tempers, badly timed romances, and a finale so delightfully unhinged you’ll feel grateful your own family gatherings aren’t this theatrical.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

🎶 Live music & entertainment

• 12/3 Community Café @ The Nave – 6:30 pm
• 12/5 The Ugly Sweater Holiday Show @ Discovery Theatre – 7:30 pm
• 12/5 Winter Series @ Alyeska Resort – 9 pm
• 12/6 Sammy Miller and The Congregation @ Anchorage Concert Association – 7:30 pm
• 12/11 Pouya @ Williwaw Social – 10 pm