From sparkly lights to miniature trains, holiday tea to malty beer, wintertime at the Oregon Coast is full of cheery yuletide tradition. Here are some of our favorite ways to be merry at the Coast this season:

    1. Nibble on homemade gingerbread cookies, sip cider and cocoa and enjoy live holiday music at Seaside’s sixth annual Gingerbread Tea at Butterfield Cottage. Exquisite gingerbread houses up for raffle, and proceeds support the Seaside Museum and Historic Society. Tea times are set for 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 and Dec. 17, and the $5 entry ($3 for kids) includes a museum tour.
    1. In Yachats, the whole town joins in the festivities with the Yachats Winter Celebration — a month of lights holiday food, music and cultural events in town through Jan. 1.
    1. Catch the coastal vibe in Florence, where historic Heceta Head Lighthouse hosts its Victorian Christmas Open House. Guests are treated to music, snacks and a visit by Santa; a raffle will include prizes from local businesses. It’s all set for Dec. 17-18; day use parking is $5 and lighthouse admission is free.
    1. Find a hand-blown glass float in Lincoln City (Finders Keepers, through May 31) or Newport (Treasures of the Sea, through Dec. 31). Finders Keepers rewards beachcombers through a mix of luck and hard work. Treasures of the Sea offers clues through a treasure map that visitors can consult at participating businesses.
    1. Drink a tasty seasonal ale at any of the brewpubs along the coast, including Santa’s Private Reserve at Rogue Ales Public House in Astoria and Newport, Pelican Brewery in Tillamook, Pacific City and Cannon Beach; and Kris Kringle at McMenamins Lighthouse Brewpub in Lincoln City.
    1. Enjoy the festivities in Charleston, where the Miniature Village & Christmas Train Display offers an impressive display of more than 200 tiny pieces representing the small towns of Coos County. The popular showcase — which is best seen in the dark, as the miniature lights twinkle — runs through Dec. 24 at the Old Charleston School House. Also in Charleston, visit the 30th annual Holiday Lights at Shore Acres through Dec. 31. The gorgeous space, with its 7-acre botanical gardens and Japanese lily pond, will shine with more than 325,000 lights every night after dark ($5 parking per vehicle).
    1. Party like it’s 1999 on the Southern Oregon Coast, with New Years parties set for North Bend (9 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, Dec. 30) and Coos Bay (8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31), hosted by the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute.

Story by Jen Anderson

Photo courtesy of Heceta Head Lighthouse