BELHAVEN — It’s time to break out the red and green décor, breathe in the crisp air and the smell of Fraser firs, and make a trip to a festive downtown Belhaven.

Sure, it’s not yet Thanksgiving, but it’s not too early to get into the Christmas spirit.

Handpicked Sister and Market 32 are teaming up for the annual Holiday Open House and Christmas Gala, and Friday evening, residents are invited to ring in the holiday season with special store discounts, beer and wine, hors d’oeuvres, door prizes and live music. Open house/gala hours run from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Guests are invited to stroll between the participating businesses on Main and Pamlico streets in Belhaven. Along with Handpicked Sister and Market 32, Riddick and Windley Hardware Store will help host the event, as well.

Friday night also marks the official start of the holiday shopping season in downtown Belhaven. Stores will be open until 8 p.m. every Friday from now until Christmas.

While the event is meant to encourage the retail/sales side of things, it is also meant to offer a fun night for residents to come together. Organizers are hoping to see familiar faces and their families come out for the open house, as well as out-of-towners.

The holiday fun doesn’t stop there, though.

Other open houses scheduled in Belhaven include: Attic Life, Southern Tuck and Sarah’s of Belhaven on Dec. 1; and Coastal Cottage Life and Vendor Boutiques on Dec. 8.

The open house is yet another collaboration among multiple Belhaven businesses that are pushing a “community over competition” campaign to bring in more people to the downtown area. The last big collaboration was the “Belhaven’s Got Style” fashion show on Sept. 30.

“Our love for Belhaven and wanting to see our town prosper is our real motivation and the unifying point of this event,” Handpicked Sister owner Amy Powell Johnson said in a previous interview. “Hopefully the public will gain a sense of what a special community Belhaven really is.”