Katherine Chloé Cahoon

You’ve probably heard of Seattle’s historic landmark, the stunning Fairmont Olympic Hotel. The circa 1924 Italian Renaissance structure is a quick ride to CenturyLink Field, home of the Seahawks. It’s also within walking distance of world class theaters, shopping, restaurants, and Pike Place Market overlooking the sea. A short hop from there is hip, young Belltown and the Space Needle.

While all of this may sound familiar, you might not have heard of the Fairmont Olympic’s night manager, Charles Corey—although professional athletes, celebrities, musicians, and producers who have stayed at the hotel all know him well and show him their respect. No detail is ever forgotten under Charles’ watch. It is not unusual for him to quietly do an incredible, unrequested favor for a hotel guest, such as rounding up newspapers from around the world critiquing an artist’s new release, or escorting a celebrity through a secret corridor to give him precious privacy. Charles regularly extends courtesies to non-famous guests too, which is why my family considers him a good friend.

Knowing that I’m an all-out Seahawks fan, Charles sent me an adaptation he wrote entitled, 12 Days of Christmas-Seahawks Style. He wrote it in only ten minutes, and it’s ingenious since the fans consider themselves, collectively, the team’s 12th Man.

He let me share it with you, and I wanted to present it with photos of him so, naturally, we wore our blue-and-green to show our Hawks’ pride. My dad and mom took the photos. When the shoot was done and we were about to drive away, to my surprise, there were twelve chocolate-chip cookies and three cartons of milk in my car. See, I told you Charles thinks of every detail.

Now, without further ado, I am proud to present 12 Days of Christmas―Seahawks Style!

On the first day of Christmas, Blitz the mascot gave to me,
the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the second day of Christmas, Marshawn Lynch gave to me,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the third day of Christmas, Richard Sherman gave to me,
three tipped interceptions,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the fourth day of Christmas, Bobby Wagner gave to me,
four recovered fumbles,
three tipped interceptions,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the fifth day of Christmas, Russell Wilson gave to me,
five brilliant touchdowns!
four recovered fumbles,
three tipped interceptions,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
Luke Willson gave to me,
six fingertip catches,
five brilliant touchdowns!
four recovered fumbles,
three tipped interceptions,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
Kam Chancellor gave to me,
seven massive tackles,
six fingertip catches,
five brilliant touchdowns!
four recovered fumbles,
three tipped interceptions,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
Steven Hauschka gave to me,
eight stunning kicks,
seven massive tackles,
six fingertip catches,
five brilliant touchdowns!
four recovered fumbles,
three tipped interceptions,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
Earl Thomas gave to me,
nine defensive gems,
eight stunning kicks,
seven massive tackles,
six fingertip catches,
five brilliant touchdowns!
four recovered fumbles,
three tipped interceptions,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
Doug Baldwin gave to me,
ten needed yards,
nine defensive gems,
eight stunning kicks,
seven massive tackles,
six fingertip catches,
five brilliant touchdowns!
four recovered fumbles,
three tipped interceptions,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
Pete Carroll gave to me,
eleven arguments with referees,
ten needed yards,
nine defensive gems,
eight stunning kicks,
seven massive tackles,
six fingertip catches,
five brilliant touchdowns!
four recovered fumbles,
three tipped interceptions,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
the 12th Man gave to me,
twelve deafening roars,
eleven arguments with referees,
ten needed yards,
nine defensive gems,
eight stunning kicks,
seven massive tackles,
six fingertip catches,
five brilliant touchdowns!
four recovered fumbles,
three tipped interceptions,
two seismic quakes,
and the raising of the 12th Man flag.

On a closing note, the Fairmont Olympic is a no-miss if you’re in Seattle this holiday season…complete with a two-story Christmas tree, a Teddy Bear Suite bearing complimentary candy canes, and Santa checking his list.