The City of Washington will officially launch the holidays with “Light Up the City.”

Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., the public is invited to Main Street to help usher in the Christmas season with music, refreshments, shopping and a tree-lighting ceremony. “Light Up the City” is the first in a slew of Washington events that include holiday hay rides, visits with Santa and a home and business decorating contest, where winners receive money off their Washington Utilities bill.

“We have 37 trees that the city is decorating with lights,” said Community Development planner Emily Rebert. “There’s going to be refreshments and cookies and hot cider and cocoa; music playing inside the Turnage and outside the Turnage.”

Working with Arts of the Pamlico, Washington Harbor District Alliance, Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce and Washington Tourism Development Authority, the city will be closing down West Main Street between Respess and Market streets, turning downtown into a pedestrian-only market for the event.

“We really want people to be able to walk around the streets and the enjoy the music and just enjoy downtown,” Rebert said.

The tree-lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, but business and home owners have until Dec. 15 to get their decorations out and up for the annual Spirit of Christmas contest, in which first- and second-place awards in four categories will be given out to the best-decorated properties. The categories are: residential homes inside the historic district; residential homes outside the historic district; businesses inside the historic district; and businesses outside the historic district. First-place winners in each category receive $50 off a utility bill, and second-place winners receive $25 off.

“It’s just to get people geared up and into the spirit — exactly as the title says,” Rebert said.

In a unique twist, it’s not a team of decorators who are doing the Spirit of Christmas judging. Instead, it’s those intimately acquainted with the streets of Washington who are in charge of picking the winners.

“We’re going to have the police department (judging) — they did the voting for me last year — since they’re already out patrolling,” Rebert said. “I let them judge 100 percent.”

Rebert said the competition is part of a city effort to make the most of the holidays for its residents, and after the Christmas trees are taken down and a new year rolls around, staff will be reviewing the events to see how they can make next year’s celebrations even better.

Rebert harkens back to her own childhood when talking about Spirit of Christmas and holiday decorations.

“I remember driving around as a little girl and looking at the Christmas lights. It’s always fun and it just warms your heart,” Rebert said. “It’s always nice to just drive around and look at everyone’s decoration and see what they did.”

Any home or business that is decorated is automatically entered into the Spirit of Christmas contest, but this year’s competition has one change: last year’s winners are not eligible to place again this year, just in the spirit of fairness, Rebert said.

Judging will take place nightly from Dec. 15-21.