9 Holiday Events In California’s Central Coast Wine Country, Plus Gifts To Buy While You’re There

Glittering parades at night, sunny seaside scenery during the day, and festive wine tasting and shopping virtually anytime. It’s easy to see why California’s Central Coast region makes for a wonderful holiday destination.

For me, a trip to the Central Coast in December is especially lovely because I get to take walks on the beach during the typically-warm days before attending a local holiday event or two in the crisply cool evenings. Along the way, I get to browse for Christmas gifts in the beautiful stores and vineyards that offer everything from stellar wines to handcrafted charcuterie boards, delicious almond brittle, and spicy olive oil.

Of course, the shopping, scenery, and wine tasting are wonderful year-round in this area midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but there is a special energy in the sea air during the holiday season. A bonus to a holiday visit in 2022 is that many of the traditional events that were downsized or canceled over the previous two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic are now back in full swing.

Here are nine merry holiday events along California’s Central Coast, plus some things to shop for while you’re there. 

1. Christmas In Cayucos Open House

Cayucos

When I visited Cayucos in December 2021, I was charmed by the light poles on the town’s famous pier that were decorated to resemble candy canes and the businesses decked out in lights and holly.

This year, the little Highway 1 town of about 2,225 residents is bringing back a beloved annual tradition on the second weekend of December. The Christmas In Cayucos Open House is described on the town’s website as an “evening of shopping, dining, and merriment along Ocean Avenue.” Local businesses stay open late and refreshments are provided. The evening also includes visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, horse-drawn carriage and wagon rides, and crafts for the kids.

Gifts To Buy

Downtown Cayucos is known for its excellent antique stores such as Remember When, where you might find vintage jewelry or Fiesta ware dishes, along with surf shops like Good Clean Fun with its host of paddle-and-surf-board choices, cool hoodies, and tanks. Another sweet stop is the Brown Butter Cookie Company where you can pick up a variety of gift packs of the famous crumbly/buttery cookies. I love the small packs of three or four cookies for stocking stuffers.

2. Hearst Castle Christmas Tours

San Simeon

Holiday splendor with old-time Hollywood glamor is available at Hearst Castle, perched on the top of a rolling hill overlooking the small coastal village of San Simeon. Each year from late November through late December, the castle is decked out with holiday decorations reminiscent of the time in the early 20^th century when newspaperman William Randolph Hearst hosted celebrities and movie stars in his resplendent home. Now a state park, the castle has a variety of tours available on its website.

Gifts To Buy

Hearst Castle offers a gift shop stocked with a variety of items that would make cute Christmas gifts, such as coffee mugs and scarves decorated in colorful designs resembling the tiles in the castle. For another nearby option, check out San Simeon’s Hearst Ranch Winery where you can sip wine while looking out on the rugged coastline. Then bring home delicious selections like the Three Sisters Red Cuvée or the Bunkhouse cabernet sauvignon. You could also browse Hearst Ranch’s gift shop for whimsical items like nautical-themed Christmas ornaments and oyster shell garlands.

3. Christmas Light Parade

Paso Robles

Quaint downtown Paso Robles takes centerstage during the holidays with City Park’s gnarled old oak trees draped with strings of lights and businesses decked out in holly and snowflakes. The Christmas Light Parade is a time-honored tradition that happens in early December. As the center of the Central Coast’s wine country, Paso Robles also offers a host of vineyard-focused tastings and parties.

Gifts To Buy

One of the traditional spots to go for Christmas gifts is the General Store Paso Robles where a variety of colorful holiday-themed items are on display. You’ll find everything from adorable avocado-shaped ornaments to Christmas-scented candles, soaps, and sparkling glass Christmas trees. The general store also carries the area’s popular Paso Almonds brittle.

4. Vine Street Christmas Victorian Showcase

Paso Robles

On the second weekend of December, Paso Robles’ holiday celebration moves to Vine Street for the Annual Vine Street Victorian Showcase. The event is described on the town’s website as “Christmas spirit worthy of a Hallmark Channel original Christmas movie.” Along with caroling, illuminated floats, and live music, the showcase also features characters such as Ebenezer Scrooge, the Snow Queen, and Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Gifts To Buy

For a store that could easily be a setting in a Hallmark Christmas movie of its own, check out We Olive, a delightfully rustic downtown store that features not just a vast assortment of olive oils, but also unique charcuterie boards, books and utensils for charcuterie, and gingerbreads and jellies.

5. Harmony Christmas Market

Harmony

The town of Harmony might be tiny (population of 18), but it is big on artsy personality. In early December, the quirky town that was once the heart of the region’s dairy industry will host the third annual Harmony Christmas Market, which will feature wares from local businesses, as well as food vendors like the Harmony Valley Creamery.

Gifts To Buy

Among the businesses in Harmony is Harmony Glassworks, a glassblowing studio where shoppers will find a huge collection of glass items like vases, jewelry, platters, lighting, drinking ware, kaleidoscopes, paperweights, and ornaments. Nearby Harmony Cellars offers tasting events and a gift shop.

6. Holiday Plaza And Santa’s House

San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo’s Christmas fun is centered in downtown Mission Plaza, where visitors will find the Holiday Plaza — a festival that features photo opportunities, light tunnels, a 20-foot-high Christmas tree, and a new musical light show. The event also includes a classic carousel and visits with Santa in the traditional Santa’s House. The Holiday Plaza runs from late November through early January and includes a schedule of local musical performers and other entertainment. Santa’s house also has a place for kids to drop off letters for him.

Gifts To Buy

Shopping opportunities abound in downtown San Luis Obispo with national brands such as Barnes and Noble, Apple, Sephora, and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. For locally sourced gifts, stop by SLO Olive, where you’ll find aged balsamic, lemon, garlic olive oil, and a variety of olive oil gift packs.

7. Lighted Boat Parade

Morro Bay

The mid-sized town of Morro Bay takes to the sea in early December for its centerpiece event, the Lighted Boat Parade. The annual event features a line-up of 30 to 40-lit-up fishing, leisure, and yachting boats cruising through the bay near the town’s embarcadero. Morro Bay also hosts a Rotary Santa’s House on select nights throughout December.

Gifts To Buy

Gift shops with holiday gift ideas line the busy embarcadero in downtown Morro Bay. Check out the Under the Sea Gallery for mermaid and nautical-themed items or the Shell Shop for a host of shells and seashell arrangements.

8. Julefest

Solvang

The month-long Julefest in the charming village of Solvang is one of the premier Christmas events of the region, and it features a full schedule of entertainment, dining, and shopping from late November through early January. Solvang plays up its Danish heritage beautifully during the holidays and it has the distinction of being the star of an actual Hallmark Christmas movie in 2020, A Very Charming Christmas Town.

Gifts To Buy

Shops around Solvang offer plentiful holiday-themed items, such as beer steins, collectible dolls, candleholders, children’s books at Edelweiss, blown glass ornaments, wooden nutcrackers, Scandinavian handcrafts, and nativities at Jule Hus.

9. Cambria Christmas Market

Cambria

The Cambria Pines Lodge and nearby Cambria Pines Nursery are transformed into a winter wonderland during the holidays for the Cambria Christmas Market, an extravaganza that features 2 million lights, German-style foods and beverages, and artisan vendors offering German-inspired goods. The event takes place in the scenic village of Cambria, located along the iconic Highway 1 Pacific Coast Highway and near the famous Moonstone Beach.

Gifts To Buy

The Christmas Market is billed as a perfect place to find unique gifts, such as wooden puzzles and games, local food products, jewelry, and home décor. Cambria also has a host of shopping opportunities in its pretty downtown, including the olallieberry jams, syrups, ocean-themed coasters, paintings, and pillows at the gift shop at the popular Linn’s Restaurant.

Pro Tip: The weather on California’s Central Coast tends to be fairly mild in December, with mostly sunny or partly sunny skies and a few days of rain. San Luis Obispo, located in the middle of the Central Coast, has average highs of 65 degrees Fahrenheit during December with lows of 42, and an average of five days of rain for the month.