There's an absence of Christmas trees on display above shops in Brigg town centre during the current festive season. This is unusual and we hope to see them return again next December.
However, it's doubtful the town will ever be able to match Christmas Past displays like the one pictured about from 1964, with an unusual camera exposure employed.
Such displays really took off during the 1960s and 1970s, being widely encouraged by the Brigg Chamber of Trade among its members.
Over subsequent years the number of decorated festive firs has fluctuated.
Brigg Blog highlighted the fact that only a few were evident in December 2019 (examples pictured below) and this topic was also raised by Coun Ann Eardley during a council meeting some weeks later.
Subsequently, the Covid emergency arrived and is still with us, of course.
Early last month it was suggested the displaying of Christmas trees above local shop premises would not be organised this year, with regret.
But just in case the situation had changed, we undertook a walk through the town centre on Saturday (December 11) from Queen Street, along Wrawby Street and through the Market Place to the County Bridge. This confirmed the absence of Christmas trees above business premises.
So the Market Place's showpiece tree (pictured above), donated by the Nelthorpe Estate at Scawby and with surrounds provided by Earnshaws, has added significance this year.
Health and safety (elf & safety?) applies to Christmas tree displays above shops. The electrics need to be checked, as do the supporting brackets, and there is the expense of buying trees and putting them up by 'working at heights'.
But if the absence of Christmas trees above business premises continues in 2022 (and we stress 'if'), could consideration be given to placing one or two illuminated firs high up on the frontage of the Angel building?
Various shops, we noted during our Saturday walk, have opted to display Christmas trees inside their front windows. There is a small tree on one side of the Buttercross.