There is no doubt when you walk into Swansons Nursery that the holidays are here. Among the ornaments, trees and poinsettias, there are several things for the entire family to enjoy.
The Reindeer Festival is underway until Christmas Eve, December 24th and Dasher and Blitzen are always on display.
Santa Claus comes to visit on the weekends from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a professional photographer taking pictures.
The holiday train, with an Egyptian theme this year, is always running.
Dasher and Blitzen take a break at the nursery, along with Curley the camel and Moe the miniature donkey.
Kids and families can take pictures with the more friendly reindeer, Jingle.
Swansons is all decked out for the holidays
Wow.
The animals are not unhappy as others pointed out in another post (although…I could probably gauge their happiness about as easily as others can gauge their unhappiness) and no one is slapping or hitting the animals…instead of whining about it – if you truly are concerned – go see for yourselves how well the animals are cared for and how “small” their “cage” is. I think you’ll be surprised.
look at the pictures! the animals are curled up fetal because they are sad. let them out swansons! and who ever runs this site should not be promoting animal cruelty. I will not spend anymore money at swansons.
They told me they are very happy
“Dasher and Blitzen take a break at the nursery, along with Curley the camel and Moe the miniature donkey.”
where’s Larry, the crazy P.E.T.A. stooge when you need him?
I love the tongue-in-cheek “cargo” in the boxcar of the train in Egyptian-themed diorama. Check it out when you go! It made me laugh.
Having been to the nursery and seen the animals, they seem perfectly content to me. Why not go and visit them, talk to the keepers, and find out about their lives before you pass judgment from a couple of photos?
And as for the criticism for “free advertising” for Swansons, where else in Ballard are there reindeer and camels and whatnot, for kids to see and pet? Seems like more of a community-interest piece than to me. If there’s another place to see such things in Ballard, I’m sure the Swedes would give it press. Just let them know.
I agree. Reindeers live in heards, on sleep snowy mountains and roam for food together, making them very strong and agile creatures. No matter how big the cage is, it’s till a cage and it sucks for the animals. Period. Just because they are well-fed and have all their shots up-to-date does not provide justification for their entrapment. (Don’t even get me started about the African dessert camel). No more shopping at Swanson’s for me.
I see they had to put up a barrier to the trains. Children cannot resist touching the train and its embellishments. My daughter couldn’t.
This is where my daughter met Santa. I love Swansons. It’s too expensive for me, but I love Swansons.
best neighborhood ever!
Curly and Moe are fantastic
Jesus of Nazareth would be so proud. Forcing desert animals to live in cages in rainy cold Seattle so a little garden shop can sell more Christmas crap.
Ethical people in Ballard think this is D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G !!!!
I really wish Swanson’s would stop doing this to these animals.
The reindeer have it bad enough in those small cage, but a camel in the Pacific Northwest winter? Seriously?