Keep festive lights shining

WITH only seven weeks left until the man in the big red suit comes to town, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas in the Far North.

Christmas trees and decorations have been on display in shopping centres for several weeks, with Santa already taking time out from the North Pole to meet all the good boys and girls and listen to their wishlists.

The festive fruit mince pies and fruit cake also made their way on to supermarket shelves last month, some would argue perhaps too early.

But for some residents it’s never too early to start celebrating the most wonderful time of the year.

Some fairy lights have already been taken out of storage, lighting up homes in the lead up to Christmas. And while for some it’s a bad omen to hang up decorations before December 1, for others they go straight up after Halloween.

But with an increase in crime figures of up to 70 per cent combined with surging power prices, a number of Cairns residents have opted to ditch the popular Christmas tradition fearing they could not afford the higher electricity bills and that their property would be damaged or stolen.

So will the next generation miss out on seeing lit-up reindeer on the roof or a house covered in lights that brightens up the whole street?

One of my favourite childhood memories is driving around with my family and visiting streets full of lit-up homes. But each year I see those streets getting darker.

While some people have made the switch to solar lights to save money, or downsized their display, others decided to stop all together. Although times do change, let’s not be afraid to continue this beloved Christmas tradition. Andrea Falvo andrea.falvo@news.com.au