Christmas comes quickly on the heels of Thanksgiving this year, and Washington is gearing up to celebrate with a variety of events designed to get people downtown and in the holiday spirit.

On Dec. 7, children are invited to stop into Santa’s Workshop at 133 Main St. before or after the Christmas parade down Main Street. For the price of a Toys for Tots donation, they can have pictures taken with Santa, as well as take part in a variety of crafts — writing letters to Santa, coloring sponsored by Toy Town, making a Christmas tree ornament or creating a reindeer hat. Hot chocolate will be served and surprises given away, according to Beth Byrd, Washington Harbor District Alliance executive director.

“We’ll ask for (cash) donations to Toys for Tots, but we’ll have a box there, so if they want to bring a toy, they can do that too,” Byrd said.

Both the WHDA and the City of Washington are sponsoring Santa’s Workshop, which takes place in conjunction with the Washington Kiwanis Christmas parade at 10 a.m.

But those aren’t the only events happening in Washington on Dec. 7: downtown merchants will have their open houses, the Beaufort County Arts Council’s Holiday Arts and Crafts Show will take place at the Washington Civic Center and the Christmas Tour of Homes will be in full swing.

The Holiday Arts and Crafts Show is open Friday, Dec. 6, from noon to 7 p.m., then again on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A $2 donation will open the door to the work of more than 40 craftsmen and artists, while next door, at the Grace Martin Harwell Senior Center, the Pamlico Senior Citizens will be selling cheese biscuits, homemade soups and other goodies throughout both days of the arts and crafts show.

Again on Saturday, the Christmas Tour of Homes invites the public into some of the most historic homes in Washington. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., guests can take a self-guided inside look at these architectural gems in full Christmas splendor. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25, the day of the event, and ticketholders can use their tickets for a variety of discounts at downtown shops and restaurants, according to a press release from organizer Virginia Finnerty.

The events mark an effort by the City and a variety of civic groups and nonprofits to create a weekend that will usher in the holidays as well as boost business for the independent small business downtown, according to Byrd.

“The hope is to bring business downtown and people to shop local after the parade,” said Jennifer Brennan, community development planner with the City of Washington.

For more information about the Christmas Tour of Homes or the Holiday Arts and Crafts Show, call the Beaufort County Arts Council at 252-946-2504. Tickets for the homes tour can be purchased at the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce and The Little Shoppes of Washington. All Toys for Tots toy donations should be unwrapped, new gifts for children ages infant to 11 years old.