By David Rosen

If you have been to Salty’s at Alki since November 2007, then you likely noticed the 30 huge, decorated nutcrackers that during the holiday season stand like guards of the Christmas spirit.

Gerry Kingen, owner of Salty’s, purchased the nutcrackers in that year and then a few more in 2008 through a fundraiser for the NW Center. The money raised, $40,000, went in support of educational programs for people with disabilities.

Every year now, the nutcrackers are put into place in early November and are taken down after the first week in January. When they are not being showcased, they are stored in a warehouse in South Seattle. There were many different artists from around the city who did the work to bring the figures to life. West Seattle's Kelly Lyles is one of them.

This is the first year that 10 of the nutcrackers will be showcased in the My Macy’s Holiday Parade in downtown Seattle on Friday, November 25, 2011. The parade starts at 9:00 am and will last approximately an hour.

Salty’s is also launching a nutcracker scavenger hunt from December 1 to December 12 on Facebook. 12 five inch tall, hand-blown, hand-painted, glass nutcracker ornaments will be placed somewhere in Seattle. To participate go to Salty’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SaltysSeafood and LIKE them to follow the clues which range from trivia to GPS coordinates. There will only be one clue per day.

In order to win, you must take a photo of yourself holding the nutcracker with the location you found it, then post your photo on Facebook. The first person to correctly guess the location and submit the photo wins a whole entire Salty’s legendary White Chocolate Mousse Cake and also gets to keep the glass nutcracker ornament. The winner will also be entered into the Grand Prize drawing on December 13 for a chance to win a family feast for four at Salty’s, valued at $400. Winnings must be redeemed by April 15, 2012.