Christmas lights: 

It is finally that time of the year where Christmas is around the corner, the weather is getting colder, and the Christmas buffets are making an appearance once again. However, in my opinion, a true staple of the holiday season are the Christmas lights decorating cities, towns, and even villages. Near the end of November, most towns will turn their Christmas lights on until the end of January. However, some can argue that in light of the energy crisis and economic struggles after covid, if it is still worth investing in Christmas lights because the cost of their running can sometimes reach tens of thousands of pounds (depending on how extravagant the town decides to go with their lights.) This article weighs up whether Christmas lights are worth the costs.  

Even from a young age, I have always been in awe of Christmas lights in my local area. My favourite memories have been of driving through towns at night and staring mesmerised at the different Christmas lights. They always brought a festive atmosphere to the air and have warmed the hearts of millions. 

It is also a common occurrence to see farmhouses in the Wiltshire area go all out with their Christmas lights. They are always lovely to see because of the time and effort that goes into the decorations ultimately makes the finished product more admirable and impressive.  

In Warminster, businesses get the opportunity to pay a small sum of money to have a lit up mini-Christmas tree above their establishment so they can do their bit to add to the festive spirit. Walking through town at this time of year is lovely because of the trees and lights.  

I spoke to a couple locals about the Christmas lights and their opinions on the matter. One said that ‘they are very nice... they’re dated. They've been up for a very long time. For as long as I can remember, they have been the same, but other than that, they’re still very nice.’ Another simply said ‘They are the joy of Christmas’ and that ‘Christmas decorations in town give it a community feel’ 

Although the lights are all very lovely to see, they can be very costly to buy, replace, and run. Many towns spend a couple thousand pounds on the running of Christmas lights, and some spend a considerable amount more for more extravagant lights. Considering the energy crisis, surely that money could be used for something a little more practical? I asked a local about their opinions on this, and they said ‘yes. I don’t think that is very good considering the state of some roads and how run down some of the areas can be.’  

However, to remove the Christmas lights all together, it would be disastrous, and it would be a surefire way to taint the holiday spirit. ‘They are a staple of Warminster, especially around Christmas time.’ ‘It would be very sad [to remove the lights] because it is a nice feeling of Christmas lights and the Christmas decorations in town give it a community feel. So, if you didn’t have the community feel, then that’s never good at Christmas. However, if they did have to do that for the energy crisis then I do understand. But it would be sad, maybe they could just put tinsel up instead’  

To conclude, Christmas lights are a lovely staple of community spirit, and it helps to keep the hopes and festivity alive. Maybe some councils can set a lower budget and put the leftover money to helping the community in other ways.