I've been working in Sydney over the last few weeks, coming and going into the big smoke and generally being overwhelmed by all the people and the general busyness of the whole place. Not really my thing...
Earlier in the week, the traffic flow into our workplace was altered and congested... and I was wondering what was going on. So, on a following free day, I wandered in to see what was happening in the general area... and apparently it was the unveiling and lighting up of the large City of Sydney Christmas Tree in Martin Place... seeing at daytime, well... I'm sure it looked more impressive when it was lit up... but it is still pretty damn impressive in the daytime!
The whole of Martin place (both top and bottom areas) has also been converted into a sort of Christmas market sort of thing... with lots of stalls selling food and gifts opening up in the evening, a sort of Australian equivalent to the European Christmas markets... with similar architecture for their huts, which looks really weird and out of place in the Australian summer!
In the evening (I visited again later...), it is quite a bustling sort of atmosphere, with Santa and buskers and other street performers entertaining the crowds that gather to view the tree, eat interesting foods, and to shop at the craft stalls.
Honestly, this is a pretty impressive schedule for the opening of the Christmas season in Sydney... and this is at the START of December! Pffff... I wonder how much more they can do over the coming weeks!