Christmas Lights!

What are we doing, switching on the lights so early? 🙁

@The Irish Times wrote:

Christmas lights switched on in Dublin
AOIFE CARR

Christmas came early to a wet and miserable Dublin tonight when the Lord Mayor Eibhlin Byrne switched on 100,000 lights on a 15 meter high Christmas tree on O’Connell Street.

The tree is the centre piece of the city’s street lighting for Christmas and is the tallest ever erected in Ireland. The 100,000 LED lights surround 99 glass spheres of varying sizes

The energy efficient tree was designed by Blanchere, a French firm, who also created the lighting for the Eiffel Tower.

There will also be new lights in Henry St/Mary St, South Anne Street, St Andrew St., Trinity Street, North Earl Street, Talbot St and South Great Georges St. Their design was chosen by the businesses in each street to suit the character of their respective areas.

Commenting on the lights, Ms Byrne invited people to come into the city and experience them first-hand.

“Whether you want to enjoy a simple walk through the city, a coffee or serious shopping I believe that Dublin has something for all of us.

Most of all take the time to savour the magic of the city and keep old traditions like “coming to town to see the lights” alive for a new generation.”

© 2008 irishtimes.com

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1109/breaking35.htm

A tradition emerged in Ballsbridge over the last 30 years or so, whereby it was customary for visitors to Funderland to smash all the local bus shelters on the first day that the funfair opened.

As far as I’m aware, most of the bus shelters in the area are now made of some sort of plastic, so observance of this time-honoured ritual is now more problematic.

With a glass tree now in place in the centre of town, does anyone know what safeguards are in place to ensure that this pagan practice does not move to a pre-christmas date on our main street?