Regardless of how tall that particularly tale is, the spirit of Scrooge seems to rear its ahead as soon as the first Christmas lights twinkle into life – ever year, before Halloween, on the glowing facade of The Dome bar and restaurant on George Street.
Read More:
It is a good few weeks before Edinburgh goes into full-on festive mode in the city centre, by which time dividing lines are drawn. For many businesses, particularly in the city centre, Christmas simply can’t come soon enough.
It is little wonder. By the time the city’s official Christmas festival is up and running in mid-November, the heart of the Scottish capital is literally going like a fair, thanks to a seemingly endless array of rides, stalls, entertainment and festive attractions spread across both the west and east sections on Princes Street Gardens.
Edinburgh’s Christmas festival runs from mid-November till early January. (Image: Ben Whiting)
According to official figures, around 2.8 million visitors flocked to the main Christmas events in Edinburgh last year.
This isn’t the overall tally for how many people came to Edinburgh city centre for an overnight visit last Christmas, or the overall attendance at shows or events in the city centre the festive season.
Edinburgh’s Christmas festival transforms Princes Street Gardens each year. (Image: Stephen Bridger/Getty images)
It was mainly the overall figure for the festival crowds which east and west Princes Street Gardens, well as the pop-up ice rink and “ice bar” on George Street, and a “Santa village” in St Andrew Square.
Readers may recall a recent story of how Santa had been ousted from the historic square, the latest battleground over Edinburgh’s festivals and their impact on the city.
Father Christmas and his elves have had to relocate to Princes Street Gardens, the undoubled epicentre of the city’s festive offering, but one which continues to divide opinion.
It is more than 25 years Edinburgh decided to launch a full-on Christmas festival, partly because of the success of official Hogmanay events which had been launched a few years earlier.
As with the new year festival, which runs for four-days, there is no doubt Edinburgh’s Christmas offering has long been of huge benefit to the city.
The city centre is consistently busy from mid-November until the shops close on Christmas Eve.
Yet Edinburgh’s heritage guardians, many of whom would happily banish all forms of enjoyment from the gardens, have long complained the Christmas festival has turned a World Heritage Site into a glorified fairground site.
I can vividly recall the festive season stooshie which broke out one year after a business leader decided a Christmas drinks reception at the Balmoral Hotel was a good time to take the critics of the “Disneyfication” of Edinburgh to task.
I find myself somewhere in the middle of the annual debate over the festive season transformation of the city.
Every time I have emerged from Waverley Station in recent weeks I have found myself stopping and staring in wonderment at how impressive the city centre, including many of its most historic buildings, look lit up for Christmas.
Other views, including from the top of The Mound and Market Street, looking down onto Princes Street, the National Gallery and the Balmoral Hotel, are equally impressive.
A bustling, buzzing city centre in the run-up to Christmas is surely preferable to one which which is enveloped in darkness by late afternoon.
Yet the prospect of a visit to the Christmas market seems to bring out The Grinch in me.
The food and drink stalls seem as ridiculously over-priced as the pop-up bars and trucks that now dominate Bristo Square and George Square during the Fringe.
It’s hardly to imagine anything with less appeal than braving the crowds on a blustery Edinburgh night when there are so many warm and welcoming pubs within walking distance of the gardens.
The Christmas festival is said to be worth more than £150m to the city’s economy and this figure seems destined to growth further in future years with the city polling so well compared to rival winter destinations.
But I would argue this is more to do with Edinburgh’s full festive offering rather than the actual experience on offer at its undoubtedly busy markets.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a festive season in Edinburgh to anyone – on condition that they actually give the gardens a miss to make the most of their time and money.
The outdoor light trails in the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh Castle and Edinburgh Zoo are much more appealing for a festive night out and still offer incredible views of the city.
For me, the real festive spirit is to be found in the city’s theatres and concert halls, which seem to be as busy in December as any other time of the year, including August.
A huge array of festive pantos, plays, film screenings, carol-singing extravaganzas is on offer in historic venues like the Usher Hall, St Giles’ Cathedral, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Queen’s Hall, Assembly Rooms and Festival Theatre – all within walking distance of each other.
They are packed out for weeks because people know they are very likely to get a high-quality Christmas experience.
I’ll be trying to pay them all a visit before a single present is wrapped.