Seaside City Hall lawn
440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside | (831) 899-6700, ci.seaside.ca.us
Every year just before Christmas, it looks like a Dr. Seuss specimen wandered into a psychedelic party. This is no ordinary tree-lighting, with nothing about this stately cypress even faintly resembling a traditional triangular Christmas tree; instead the lights sprawl out along each branch, and a colorful string wraps around the trunk. This combination of colors and shapes could easily inspire a dance party.