Have you ever noticed how most of Christmas’s best things are luminous? The dazzle of snow, the glow of a log fire, the sparkle of tinsel, and - of course - Christmas lights, and Bristol has no shortage of those: Clifton’s Winter Wonderland - the arcade glittering with fairy-lit trees; in Bristol Zoo, fairy-light monkeys clamber above the real menagerie; the lit-up homes in Southmead that would put a smile on even Ebeneezer’s Scrooge’s face; and St Nicholas Market and the Christmas Steps were made for this season – if it wasn’t for the fake snow, it would be like walking into a Dickensian grotto.

Some may call Christmas lighting a waste of money and electricity but I can’t join in that rational, if somewhat humbuggish, criticism. Why do you think this season’s so fascinated by lights? It’s the long nights and grey days that we’re put through! Poor S.A.D. sufferers can switch on their sunlamps – I’d rather watch the city get its glow on.

This winter’s financial crisis will force many to cut down on their energy consumption meaning less fully-lit sixty-foot Christmas trees and less neon Santas. ‘Light Up Bristol’ – the city’s alternative Christmas lights display, projecting colourful works of local artists and animators on to College Green - had to be put on hold for just those reasons. Last year’s sequences showed reindeer legging it across Bristol Cathedral and giant butterflies cascading out of the council house in Somerset’s very own Jumanji moment. This year, you’ll have to content yourself by looking at clips of the 2007 event at: www.lightupbristol.co.uk

Looking on the bright side of the financial crisis, hopefully this Christmas will see fewer but better home light shows. So unless you’ve been sticking plastic Santas to your house for forty years, I recommend you pick advent candles and hearth fires over light-bulbs.

Park Street and College Green have arguably the best display in the city. You’ll find big stars strung down the middle of Park Street, through which you can enjoy a great view of the little lights of Bedminster. There is a glow on College Green too; the trees that line the walkways have fairy-lights in their branches. The Catherdral’s uplit as well, recalling carol services and Christingles. Beyond that, it’s just a short walk to Cabot Circus where they’ve really gone to town with gargantuan, glowing ball-balls and a fleet of 15ft sparkling reindeer!

There’s little to enjoy about winter’s early nightfall so make the most of your favourite lights and let festive feelings snowball.

Ellie Broughton