
By Shayna Brown
Muckleshoot — On Dec. 20, Muckleshoot Tribe’s Annual Christmas Party brought families together for a festive day filled with excitement, tradition, and holiday spirit. The event blended cultural pride with modern fun, creating a jolly good time for all ages.
This year’s celebration featured an impressive lineup of attractions. The community was able to enjoy thrilling outdoor rides and cutting‑edge VR experiences that transported them into imaginative fun worlds. The climbing wall had youth racing to the top. The video game truck was a constant hub of energy, giving cousins, friends and siblings a chance to play together throughout the event. Indoors, winter craft stations offered a cozy space for families to create custom beanies, scarfs, and keepsakes that captured the spirit of the season.
Photo booths were scattered throughout the venue, along with professional caricatures, and even a robotic sketch artist, giving families and friends the chance to capture fun festive pictures and drawings to take home. These captured moments added a personal touch to the celebration and helped preserve the joy of the day.
As always, the Christmas Party highlighted the Tribe’s commitment to unity, cultural pride, and community connection. Elders, youth, and families shared a sense of belonging, laughter, and holiday cheer, making the event one of the most meaningful gatherings of the year.

“The cleanup of the Duwamish River is an important step to removing sediment contamination and restoring the river for our culture and future generations.” - Muckleshoot Tribal Chairman Jaison Elkins

You can view all Christmas Party photos commissioned by the Tribe by photographer Danielle Wilcox on her portfolio site, linked here.

King County Executive Dow Constantine has appointed Muckleshoot Tribal Councilman Donny Stevenson to the Washington State Ballpark Public Facilities District (PFD) board of directors.

Muckleshoot’s ties to the Seattle Waterfront received eminent recognition last month when local dignitaries joined Tribal leaders to celebrate the grand opening of the Seattle Aquarium’s Pavilion.
The Muckleshoot Messenger is a Tribal publication created by the Muckleshoot Office of Media Services. Tribal community members and Tribal employees are welcome to submit items to the newspaper such as news, calendar items, photos, poems, and artwork.