It’s not every day one can open up the front door of a stranger’s home, walk right in and expect to be welcomed by the homeowners. But the day of the annual Christmas Tour of Homes is one of those days.

On Dec. 5, residents and out-of-towners alike will flock to Washington neighborhoods to tour the historic and contemporary, the traditional and modern — both in houses and décor. They are downtown and out of town and the criteria that puts these houses on the tour is that they’re each unique in their own way.

“They’re interesting homes,” said tour organizer Virginia Finnerty. “We like to have a variety; we like little cottages as well as grander homes. I guess variety is the key word.”

The tour date coincides with Washington Harbor District Alliance Christmas events — the Christmas parade and lighted-boat contest on the Washington waterfront docks — as well as Ruth’s House domestic violence shelter’s benefit concert at the Turnage Theatre that night, featuring holiday swing music by the Tar River Swing Band.

The early 20^th century theater is the one non-home on the Christmas Tour of Homes. Organizers are asking ticket holders to visit the theater, home of Arts of the Pamlico, last for mulled cider and cookies, browse through the 2015 Fine Arts Show winners or sit back in the theater to watch a variety of holiday movies — from “Miracle on 34^th Street” to “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” — that will play on continual loop at the Turnage until Dec. 19, according to Finnerty.

Seven homes are listed on this year’s tour, an ideal number, Finnerty said.

“Between seven and nine homes is ideal because people get frustrated if there are too many and they don’t have the time to go to all of them,” she said.

In the past, those homes have ranged from the Italianate grandeur of the circa-1820 Elmwood on West Main Street to more modern, smaller homes of Cypress Landing. The tour has featured waterfront homes and glamorous urban condos. But one thing these 10-plus homes all have in common? Owners who are willing to open their doors wide for a day and embrace the public with the holiday spirit. It’s not an easy thing to do, Finnerty said, but in the end, all homeowners are glad to have done it.

“Even those people who are hesitant at first, when they do it, every one of them has said it was wonderful — they met so many nice people and they really enjoyed it,” Finnerty said. “In the end, they all say how fun it was. The attendees are so appreciative and polite. It’s a bunch of nice ladies.”

The Christmas Tour of Homes has become a Washington tradition, one that started with the reopening of the Turnage Theatre. A fundraiser for the Turnage Theaters Foundation, the tour was held each year the theater was open from 2008 to 2011. But when the theater closed, organizers of the popular holiday event were reluctant to simply drop it — finding another beneficiary was just a matter of looking down the street, to the arts.

“When the theater went dark, they brought it to us,” said Joey Toler, executive director of Arts of the Pamlico. “The momentum was going. Now it’s ended up for the arts council and the Turnage.”

With the purchase of the Turnage Theatre by Arts of the Pamlico in 2013, the Christmas Tour of Homes has landed right where it started.

“It’s a great fundraiser for us. It’s very popular. It draws a lot of people, not only locally, but a lot of people from out of town,” Toler said.

Getting a view into another family’s holiday is always a draw, but there’s another, more practical reason that pulls people in, as well — decorating ideas.

“People are very creative around here and do neat things,” Finnerty said. “You get great ideas as to how to decorate your home for Christmas.”

The self-guided Christmas Tour has proven to be a success, one that brings people  back year after year, simply because there’s a constant rotation of homes — the only way a given property lands on the tour a second time is if it’s changed hands or the owners have done massive renovations.

“Just because someone came (on the tour) last year, it’s not going to be the same. It’s going to be different because they’re different homes,” Finnerty said.

In combination with the Washington Christmas Parade and Hometown Holidays festivities on Dec. 5, the Christmas Tour of Homes is a great launch into the Christmas season — and a great way to sneak a peek behind usually closed doors.

Tickets ($20 in advance, $25 the day of) can be purchased by calling Arts of the Pamlico at 252-946-2504.