Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

GROVES — Shoppers will have a chance to beat the holiday crowds while shopping local with the 2020 Christmas Tree Trail to Groves.

This year there are 14 participating businesses set to open their doors and offer festive cheer along with sales from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The businesses include:

• Isaac Barbosa Jewelers, 4300 Lincoln Ave., Suite 1
• Merle Norman/Bella Boutique, 4300 Lincoln Ave., Suite 2 and 3
• Sundara Coffee House, 4000 Lincoln Ave.
• Clyde’s Hairloom Florist & Boutique, 5400 39^th St.
• Pat Holmes Real Estate, 4320 Lincoln Ave.
• Sugar Momma Confections, 4311 Lincoln Ave.
• Dairy Queen, 6250 39^th St.

• SHOOGZ on the Avenue, 4319 Lincoln Ave., Suite A
• The Courtyard Café, 4321 Lincoln Ave.
• Magnolia Manor, 4400 Gulf Ave.
• Adorned in Grace and Love Boutique, 4319 Lincoln Ave., Suite C
• Domino’s Pizza, 4101 Main Ave.
• Attic Treasurers, 5235 39^th St.
• The Mission’s Attic, 3300 Twin City Hwy.

A drive past the shops gives a prelude for what is to come on Sunday.

Over at Sundara Coffee House there is a tall, decorated Christmas tree along with a snowman and Santa, and over at Merle Norman the shop window has an elegant display while inside it is decked out festively.

Barbara Freeman, beauty consultant with Merle Norman, said they will offer punch and hors d’oeuvres.

“We would love everybody to get away from their troubles and just come by,” Freeman said, adding the weather is forecast to be beautiful.

Ronnie Boneau, executive director of the Groves Chamber of Commerce, is proud of the businesses that chose to participate.

He said it was hard to even guess which, or how many, businesses would participate due to the pandemic and was impressed with the eventual turnout.

The chamber opted to go ahead with the event knowing this year has been difficult for businesses with the pandemic and the drop in the amount of customers allowed inside locations.

“We wanted to hopefully give the businesses some kind of bump to recoup,” Boneau said. “There is no doubt in my mind, if you look at last year versus this year, they are behind.”

The chamber usually hosts an annual Open House during the Tree Trail to Groves but is not doing so this year due to COVID-19 precautions.

Boneau said the office will be open and will have brochures listing the participating businesses.