This Saturday two festive community events — the annual Cannon Beach Library Holiday Tea and, across Hemlock St. from the library, the annual Lamp Lighting Ceremony in Sandpiper Square — open the season in Cannon Beach and offer an opportunity for friends, neighbors and visitors to meet and share conversations and exquisite holiday treats.

At the Holiday Tea hot mulled cider, tea and a plethora of holiday cookies and candies, homemade by library members and volunteers, will tempt one and all Saturday, Dec. 1, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the library, 131 N. Hemlock St. The library’s drawing for a hand-stitched, vintage grandmother’s flower garden quilt will occur at 3 p.m. during the Holiday Tea. So, come to the library for warmth, conversation and nourishment before crossing Hemlock for the Lamp Lighting Ceremony at 4 p.m. Both traditional events are free and open to the public.

December is the perfect time to consider joining Cannon Beach Reads, which meets the third Wednesday of every month to discuss important fiction or nonfiction books by Pacific Northwest, U.S. and international authors.

At the group’s November meeting, Elizabeth Becker’s “Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism” elicited the most intense discussion of the year as the author’s critique of tourism industry practices brought comparisons with tourism marketing, practices and effects on the North Coast. One conclusion: Cannon Beach residents, city council members, planners and chamber members should read “Overbooked.”

Cannon Beach Reads will discuss Yuval Noah Harari’s “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m., at the library. Consider joining the discussion of this beautifully crafted history of, and predictions for, our species. These sessions are free, open to the public and offer coffee and refreshments.

Also, at the November meeting current CB readers selected five fiction and seven nonfiction books to read and discuss next year. The monthly discussion schedule and discussants, beginning in January, will be posted in the library and at the Cannon Beach Book Company in early December. The five fiction titles, all classics, for next year include: “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Graham, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams, “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” by James Joyce and “Cannery Row” by John Steinbeck.

Next year Cannon Beach Reads will focus on seven, recently published, nonfiction titles: “Fascism: A Warning” by Madeleine Albright, “The Good Rain: Across Time and Terrain in the Pacific Northwest” by Timothy Egan, “The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World,” by Jeff Goodall, “Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics,” by Stephen Greenblatt, “Lab Girl,” by Jahren Hope, “Barracoon: The Story of the Last ‘Black Cargo,’” by Zora Neale Hurston and “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” by J.D. Vance.

Sponsored by the Friends of Haystack Rock, Samantha Zeman, research assistant at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, will present “Zooplankton: Indicators of Ocean Change,” Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., at the library.

Sponsored by the Friends of Haystack Rock, Samantha Zeman, research assistant at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, will present “Zooplankton: Indicators of Ocean Change,” Wednesday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., at the library. Zeman focuses her study on zooplankton taxonomy and quantifying the importance of lower trophic levels. This free event also is open to the public.

Finally, last week library office manager Kim Catton and library members prepared and mailed the Annual Appeal Letter to library patrons and Cannon Beach residents and visitors.

Last year, donations in response to this appeal represented about one third of the library’s budget. With one part-time paid employee, a small subsidy from the city, a number of fundraising events and 94 volunteers who donated 8,753 hours, the Cannon Beach Library covers utility costs; provides current books, information services, interlibrary loan services and access to computers and Wi-Fi; manages library circulation, public lectures, readings by authors, fundraising events and a venue for community meetings; and maintains the building and its furnishings for Cannon Beach and Arch Cape residents and visitors.

Tax-deductible donations ensure the quality of library services every year. When you receive the annual appeal letter, please give generously to our village’s unique private library, a nonprofit organization that has served the community for 91 years.