Seattle: Free downtown holiday decorations.

If you're around downtown Seattle this holiday season, check out some of the free attractions that local businesses and hotels offer for your amusement. I make a point to visit them and take grainy, blurry pictures each year, but I assure you they're much better in person.

• Teddy Bear Suite and more at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Dec. 1 - Dec. 26 2009. 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Over 130 adorable stuffed bears and children's books with a bear theme in a decorated suite (a new theme each year) at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. Sometimes they have free cookies and coffee in a meeting room on the mezzanine level. There's also a huge, lavish gingerbread house with a new theme each year, on display in the lobby. Free.
  
• Gingerbread Village at Sheraton Seattle, 1400 6th Avenue. Nov. 23, 2009 - Jan. 3, 2010. A collaboration of Seattle Sheraton's culinary team and Seattle's most skilled architectural firms team up for a multi-structure, oversized gingerbread display, plus decorated trees. This year's theme is "A Reel Christmas." Free.
  
• Winter Train and Village at the Seattle Center House. Dec. 1, 2009 - Jan. 1, 2010. 10:30 am - 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm or 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm. The Center House at Seattle Center is home to an early 1900s miniature village. Train enthusiasts and miniature lovers will enjoy the snow surrounding the buildings, lights, and depot. You can also pay a few bucks and be the conductor of your own little train through the village. Cost: $2 suggested donation (cash only).