There’s just one thing that I don’t understand. Christmas light displays switched on during the day. I’m not talking decorations or tinsel, but actual lights switched on as if to compete against sunlight. I’ve been heading into the Perth CBD in between editing sessions just to get some fresh air and to experience the Christmas spirit. That’s when I noticed that the Christmas lights, approximately 2,000 of them blinking away. I thought it was just some of them, like ones underneath walkways, but no. It was ALL of them.

Naturally I took photos.

These were the first ones I noticed that were switched on blinking away underneath two walkways in Murray St Mall. These are noticeable at a distance but it defies logic as to why they should even be switched on in the first place. It’s daylight!

Being the ever curious one I had a look at the Christmas lights arranged around the trunks of trees in Murray St Mall to find that these were also switched on. The overall effect of these lights against the surroundings was negligible to nil. It was tricky photographing them to capture the light and to show the full sunlight of the day.

And to emphasise the point of where these photos were taken, here is a location shot. Forrest Chase.

There’s a certain amount of irony that the 2011 CHOGM is due to take place in Perth was an opportunity to “showcase the city as one of the world’s great energy-efficient cities”, The West Australian, 30th November 2009. Here is an example where energy and money are being wasted on powering Christmas light displays during daylight hours. This is not being efficient.

And when I voiced my concerns to the City of Perth Events folk dotted around the malls in their red shirts, they told me to contact City of Perth directly. That and I was made to feel as if I was mad for speaking out against the light display during the day. If Christmas spirit is to be measured by wattage, then the meaning of the holiday season is truly lost.