What began decades ago as a simple tree lighting on the Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside has grown into one of the community’s most spirited traditions. This year’s “Lights on the Green,” organized by the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, once again drew crowds of families, businesses and local organizations for an evening designed to kick off the holiday season on Dec. 6.
The event, now in its third year under its revamped format, reflects the vision of the newer Chamber board that set out to transform the lighting into something bigger.
“We wanted to make it more than a tree lighting,” said Brittany Humes, secretary of the Chamber. “We wanted to make it a community event. We want to see Oceanside be the best it can be and to see the community thrive.”
This year’s festivities brought in a wide mix of local groups that helped turn the green into a holiday village. Children from The H Academy preschool performed Christmas songs onstage, followed by Oceanside Middle School’s swing choir, which sang before welcoming Santa — who arrived on a fire truck — for the ceremonial tree lighting.
Around the green, local organizations handed out treats and hosted activities. The Chamber offers a make-your-own ornament station, featuring a snowman theme. The Oceanside Kiwanis Club served hot chocolate, while the Oceanside Community Warriors handed our doughnuts and promoted their toy drive. FrameBar offered holiday glasses for kids, Lady Java’s coffee truck poured warm drinks and COBS Bread gave out fresh pastries.
New this year was a family photo booth that printed pictures on the spot — a hit with parents trying to capture a full-family moment during the holidays.
“The best thing this event does is just bring the community together,” Humes said. “We want people to love the town that they live in and want to be part of the town too.”
For some residents, the event offered a fresh perspective on their hometown traditions. Lifelong Oceanside resident Gianna Rey-Tyler attended for the first time to watch her daughter, Gemma, a pre-K student at The H Academy, perform with her classmates.
“It was wonderful to partake in such a fun event,” Rey-Tyler said. “Seeing everyone there smiling and having a good time, even though it was very cold, was amazing. It feels really special to be part of a community that does nice things like this.”
Rey-Tyler said her favorite moment was watching Gemma sing after weeks of practice at home, and that the family photo booth was a close second, though the biggest takeaway was how the night strengthened her sense of community pride.
“Different organizations are able to showcase all the good things they have to offer and interact with people they may not have otherwise been able to reach,” Rey-Tyler said. “We will definitely be back next year.”
With another year of holiday cheer behind them, organizers said they’re already looking ahead to building an even brighter celebration next year. For many, the event wasn’t just a celebration of the season, but a reminder of what makes Oceanside feel like home.
