Christmas is upon us!

Christmas is almost upon us and the streets are fast becoming illuminated. Not only are our towns and cities putting up their Christmas lights but Christmas lovers all over the country are tripling their electricity bills and donning the twinkles all over their homes. We have a look at some of those that stand out.

Here we can see Westminster’s famous statue of Eros has been transformed into a magnificent snow globe. The Piccadilly Circus statue goes through vandalism attempts by drunken revelers every Christmas so this is a unique and glitzy way of trying to protect the city’s iconic statue.

Regent Street has opted for a display of the twelve days of Christmas with each verse of the carol being displayed in between beautiful illuminated snowy branches.

Oxford Street is adorned with a £1 million “snowstorm” design which is the result of a six-month competition run by the New West End Company, which attracted entries from around the world.

Eric Marshalls, 73, outside his home in Bagby, North Yorkshire, UK. Eric spends up to three weeks erecting his display of Christmas lights which he has amassed over 20 years

Town hall chiefs  at Manchester council have bought the cutting-edge multicoloured lighting. They hope they will wow the crowds in Albert Square, with lights also illuminating the iconic town hall. It will allow the Grade II listed building shimmer in all its glory, while providing the first glimpse of the dramatic new illuminations planned for the city all year round.

 Christmas lights that adorn Alex Goodhind’s house in Melksham, Wiltshire.

And further afield a family in Australia have just got themselves  a  world record  for the most Christmas lights on a residential property. The father, David Richards, told reporters he had started working on the display in October.

“I took a week off in [the] October school holidays and then have worked every weekend since,” Mr Richards said.

“I have always loved Christmas. Having the Christmas lights with the community coming in and sharing it is a time when you get to know people you probably should know better,” he added.

He did not rule out doing this again in the future, but said he would need a generator to get any more electricity for his home, AP news agency reported.

The family say they will open the display to visitors in the coming weeks, to raise money for a children’s charity.