Shop at home at Christmas Candlelight Shopping Tue.

Next Tuesday's annual Christmas Candlelight Shopping event will have the usual sales, refreshments, giveaways, and Downtown Dollars, and if everything works out, there will be snow.

"It's going to 'snow' at Candlelight Shopping!" said Tourism Director Ashley Barnett. "We're going to have the trial run of our new snow machines next Tuesday night at 6 p.m., then all during December, it'll snow hourly each Friday and Saturday night."

The Washington Downtown Development Authority's annual Christmas Candlelight Shopping from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday will feature Beta Sigma Phi's photos with Santa at the Verizon store, and special sales by downtown merchants. "Stores open that night will extend from Fievet Pharmacy all the way to Cost Cutters," said Pam Eaton, "and they will be marked by luminaries Tuesday night."

As they did last year, the Wilkes County 4-H Dairy Show Team will man a booth by the Chamber of Commerce offering pictures taken with a Christmas calf, and Gym Frogs will perform in the center of The Square at 6 p.m.

Shops stay open until 9 p.m., and the sponsoring Downtown Development Authority will be awarding prizes in Downtown Dollars in $100, $50, and $25 amounts. Also during Candlelight Shopping, the Wills Memorial Hospital Auxiliary "Christmas Tree of Love" will be lit on The Square in honor of and in memory of loved ones.

"Come see how easy it is to shop Washington-Wilkes first," Barnett said, "and see what all our wonderful downtown merchants have."