If you’re yearning for the quiet desolation of January free from all this humbug: tough. If you’re yarning to get into the Christmas spirit though, take up knitting and get stuck into all that’s going on over the next few weeks.
With trees erected and flashing on Queen Street and in the Bay, with the castle draped in a giant curtain of lights, the city is sending out those festive signals already.
The Hayes is filled with the smell of roasting German sausage as part of the Christmas Markets, and the appearance of a monolithic girder outside City Hall heralds the ice rink and amusements of the Winter Wonderland, which opens on 22 November.
With the temperatures dropping, make sure you keep wrapped up warm!