Put down the Chinese! Dec. 24 fun is on tap at the 10th 'Latkepalooza' at the Triple Door

Put down the Chinese takeout.

If you're young and Jewish (or just looking for a ho-ho-ho-less way to spend Christmas Eve), Latkepalooza is Seattle's answer to: "What should we do Dec. 24 if we're not waiting for Santa?"

"It's typically a night where there's not a lot going on for Jews," said Josh Furman, assistant director of Jconnect Seattle (a UW-affiliated organization for post-college Jews that, in addition to the annual Latkepalooza, puts on upward of 50 events a month). "A lot of Jews will eat Chinese food, watch movies. Those are the traditions we've heard of.

"But in Seattle we have a big party."

That party — the 10th anniversary of Latkepalooza — is at The Triple Door this year. Things kick off at 9:30 p.m. and will continue until the bar closes at 2 a.m. DJ Piha (Max Piha) will spin R&B, dance and Top 40; alcohol will flow; and, of course, you can get a latke (that's a potato pancake for all of you goys). All proceeds benefit an after-school program for at-risk youth in Kiryat Malachi, Israel, Seattle's sister city.

In previous years, Latkepalooza has featured specific entertainment like karaoke or comedy, but this go-round, Furman said, organizers just wanted a big social gathering, with opportunities for Seattle newcomers to get a feel for the scene, and for Jconnect groupies to, well, connect.

"I know at least one couple who met at Latkepalooza last year, and they now live together," Furman said.

He expects hundreds of partygoers, and noted that the group's events have a dedicated group of followers.

"Last year we had Latkepalooza at the War Room on Capitol Hill, and it was at the end of that awful snowstorm that shut down Seattle. We were worried that people wouldn't be able to make it, but we literally had people walking through the snow and braving the elements. One girl walked over two miles in the snow to make it," he said.

At 7:30 p.m., The Stranger's David Schmader hosts (and provides commentary for) the infamous movie "Showgirls." Latkepalooza tickets will also get you two-for-one passes for "Showgirls," just in case Christmas Eve really isn't complete without a bad movie.

Joanna Horowitz: jbhorowitz@gmail.com