The Town Council’s artificial Christmas tree and large candles were being unloaded today — a clear sign that the festive season is almost here. There are now just five days to go until the Abingdon Christmas Extravaganza, when the town’s lights will be switched on.

According to the Fat Face countdown, however, there are still 31 days until Christmas itself (as of Monday).

Over on the Market Place, I arrived too late to choose from the smaller Christmas trees; the only one left was an XXL size.

Helen & Douglas House launched their Christmas season yesterday with a rare Sunday opening and an eye-catching display of Christmas jumpers, ties, and decorations. By today, some had already sold, but there were still plenty of good ones available — including these XXL jumpers.

While doing the ‘What’s On’ last week, I missed two Christmas fairs and an Agnostics Anonymous meeting. Both fairs take place on the same day as the Extravaganza: one is at Abingdon Baptist Church and the other at St Helen’s church. Agnostics Anonymous meets on Tuesday 25th at 7:30 pm, asking the question: Can you believe in science and the Bible?