Best 5 Decked-Out Lighthouses

It’s the time of year when we repel darkness by tying red ribbons and stringing up extra lights—even on lighthouses. These best-dressed lighthouses are, thus, doubly sure to captivate photographers and lift every heart.

Best 5 Holiday Lighthouses in New England

Beavertail Lighthouse

Jamestown, RI

Don’t tell the kids that Santa hails from the ranks of the local fire department. They’ve never seen anything like his ladder-truck ascent to adorn Jamestown’s granite tower with a lighted wreath. Neither, likely, have you. So be there December 3, and visit the candlelit museum and shop that weekend or the next, too. Purchases help preserve this lighthouse, stationed at one of the most treacherous spots on the New England coast. beavertaillight.org

Brant Point Lighthouse

Nantucket, MA

You can walk right up to this bedecked lighthouse, but seeing Brant Point from the water—greeting you or bidding you farewell—is particularly poignant as one year yields to the next. The first wreath was hung in 1997, and for the third year, Nantucket-based floral designer Hafsa Lewis is collaborating with the Coast Guard to give this enormous grapevine construction extra pizzazz. She met her husband, Coast Guard BM1 Charlie Smith, “through this wreath.” Hallmark couldn’t have scripted it better. nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/brn.htm

Cape Neddick “Nubble” Light

York, ME

No lighthouse is more thoroughly illuminated. LED ropes outline the tower, Victorian house, fuel shed, and keeper’s workshop. The offshore spectacle is visible from dusk until midnight November 26 through mid-February. New sparkle is in the works: a fireworks display on November 28 that, like the Nubble, will be visible from Long Sands Beach. nubblelight.org

Edgartown Harbor Light

Edgartown, MA

Caroling and a countdown precede this cast-iron lighthouse’s North Pole–style transformation. This year’s lighting takes place December 8, in the midst of Christmas in Edgartown, a 42-year-old celebration. With colorful lights encircling the lantern room, festooning the railing, and twinkling through a curious little window, it’s a sight that stirs imagination. Coolest of all: You can rent the lighthouse for a private moment. mvmuseum.org/edgartown-lighthouses

Newport Harbor Lighthouse on Goat Island

Newport, RI

Starting Thanksgiving week, the lighthouse at Newport Harbor Island Resort is a holiday dreamscape. Green garland and red bows grace the granite tower and white fencing. A baubled wreath strikes a merry note. Lantern-to-base strands of white bulbs gleam. And the Newport Bridge’s necklace lights make a dazzling backdrop. newportharborisland.com