00:00 Now that Halloween is over and done with, for a lot of people it is the start of Christmas
00:07 celebrations. But for some, November is still just a normal month with the Christmas celebrations
00:13 beginning in December. However, in Newcastle it is like Christmas has already begun. Fennec's
00:19 Christmas window has now officially opened and it tells the tale of Narnia, the Lion,
00:24 the Witch and the Wardrobe. For many, that gets people in the Christmas mood seeing the
00:28 festive window with the Christmas music playing around them. And across the city, the Christmas
00:34 lights have been put up ready to be switched on next week which does give Newcastle a very
00:39 Christmassy feel. Soon the streets will be like this again with all the Christmas markets
00:45 and people doing their Christmas shopping. But we wanted to know if the public feel the
00:50 same way about Christmas celebrations beginning so soon before December even starts. Let's
00:56 see what they had to say.
00:59 And it is coming up to Christmas unfortunately and we're seeing the C word at the moment.
01:03 When is too early to start for Christmas?
01:04 Well I'm here now to do some Christmas shopping because I don't like the crowds. So I'm getting
01:09 mine done and dusted and out the way and I can just focus on the nice bits like going
01:14 out and drinking.
01:16 I mean to me, last week in November, it used to be like that at one time and to me they're
01:21 diminishing the whole thing. You know what I mean? It's just not the same. It's going
01:26 to be starting in August before long. It's going to be starting in the summer. I mean
01:30 I love Christmas but it's just too much sometimes.
01:33 It is coming up to Christmas, dare I say it. We're asking people when is too early to start
01:39 Christmas, like your Christmas shopping and things like that?
01:45 Before New Year.
01:50 When do you usually start putting your Christmas tree up and things like that?
01:54 I've always been traditional, 12 days before and 12 days after, even when the children
02:00 were small.
02:01 As Christmas is coming up, it's getting a bit close, when is the right time to start
02:06 getting in the mood for Christmas?
02:09 The last week of November. I don't think you should be putting your tree up in the middle
02:14 of November because by Boxing Day you're sick of it and you want to get it down. I think
02:17 the last week of November and then yeah, good to go. And then you've got a full five weeks.
02:22 Five weeks? Yeah, five weeks of it.
02:25 So it looks like the public have mixed feelings about when Christmas starts, with a few already
02:30 coming out to do some Christmas shopping ahead of the busy season.
02:34 Despite a lot of people's opinions that Christmas should start later, in Newcastle Christmas
02:39 events are taking place well before that.
02:42 The well-known ice rink will be coming back to the Life Science Centre on the 11th of
02:46 November. The Christmas lights will be switched on on the 14th of November and the Christmas
02:51 markets open on the 18th of November.
02:54 So whether you love Christmas or are a bit of a grinch, be prepared as Christmas starts
02:59 early here in the North East.
03:01 [BLANK_AUDIO]
