Too soon? Birmingham locals slay council for putting up Christmas tree two months early

The stockings are already out in Birmingham as preparations begin for the return of its world-famous Frankfurt Christmas Market.

With bins overflowing due to strikes, locals were missing some of the Christmas cheer – it is October after all.

Set to run from Saturday, November 1 until Christmas Eve, the largest German Christmas market outside of Germany or Austria brings the city centre to life each winter and is seen as a sure sign that Christmas is on its way.

But not everyone is feeling the festive cheer just yet, as the arrival of the giant 65-foot Christmas tree and market stalls in Victoria Square has sparked debate among locals.

Some argue it’s far too early for Christmas decorations, especially with Halloween and Bonfire Night still to come.

Richard McQuaid, 39, of Kings Heath, told Birmingham Live: ‘It would be nice if the council came and collected my bins this early – they need to get their priorities right.

‘I’m not sure how festive the people of Birmingham are going to be feeling this year – our bankrupt council won’t collect our bins but they want to throw us a big Christmas party.’

One Facebook user commented: ‘Does the Brum council calendar have a misprint where the months are listed as January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, December, December and December?’

Another Facebook user nearly ‘choked on a hot cross bun’ when reading about the Christmas tree up in October.

However, there has been positive feedback on the festive matter with one person commenting: ‘I personally don’t think it’s that early for the market to open on 1st November a little bit of positivity is what we need especially when people are losing lives in war torn countries.’

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