Patrons walk around viewing vendor booths at the A Cozy Christmas event at True Vine Brewing Company on Dec. 2. 

Before they were Mr. and Mrs. Pazos, Lindale residents Josh and Megan spent countless date nights enjoying good company, energy and beer at True Vine Brewing Company.

“Whenever we come to True Vine, it’s like we’re family,” Megan said. “We’ve been coming here before our little guy was born, and it was actually kind of like the foundation of our relationship.”

About 500 people attended True Vine Brewing Company’s annual A Cozy Christmas holiday event Saturday to encourage the community to get into the spirit this holiday season.

Santa Claus took pictures with children and inquired about what they wanted for Christmas.

Over 15 vendors selling baked goods, leather and wood crafts and handmade jewelry set up booths around the pavilion. Instead of a live or artificial tree, True Vine strung lights from a fermenter from the original Strohs Brewery, where Schlitz beer was crafted, as its Christmas tree.

The event also featured live music, including a performance by Tyler Legacy Theatre students Addison Dixon and Jerard Mosely, a Tyler Junior College Chorale Department concert, and a carol sing-along with Matt and Megan Magill.

“Our heartbeat and goal has always been to be a brewery for the city, not just a brewery in the city,” said Traci Dixon, True Vine co-founder and owner. “This is why we exist to host these kinds of events to bring people together around the table with a craft beer and give back to our community and support local musicians, artists and vendors.”

Integrity, community and love are pillars of the brewery’s philosophy, which aims to provide a space for wholesome, family-friendly events and ways to give back to Tyler.

The event was free, but the brewery did ask attendees to bring a care package to donate to people experiencing homelessness. Through a partnership with the Tyler Street Team, cold weather packs will be distributed to people experiencing homelessness during the coldest months of the year.

Dixon said people experiencing homelessness get extra attention over the holidays, but then in the coldest months of the year, January and February, they don’t get a lot of attention. Care packs included grocery bags, small backpacks and Ziploc bags containing gloves, beanies, socks, toiletries, hand and foot warmers, shelf-stable snacks and more.

Everything True Vine does is tied to giving back to the community, which is one of many reasons Meagan and Josh participate in as many events as possible. Events like Cozy Christmas are an opportunity to have fun and meet new people in a safe and inviting environment, they said.

“We see people all the time here that we know or meet people that are brand new, so it’s just a good feeling and good vibes all around,” Megan said. “It’s always been a part of us, and now we have him, and he can come too,” Josh added about their son, Kayde.