The Hutt News WEDNESDAY, December 18 1935 A CHRISTMAS EFFORT.

Hutt News, Volume 9, Issue 28, 18 December 1935, Page 4

The Hutt News WEDNESDAY, December 18 1935 A CHRISTMAS EFFORT.

To tlie* casual observer at the time of going to press the appearance of the town offers little to 'suggest the proximity of the Christmas season. In view of the ; trouble that has been taken by a - few members of the business community to introduce a measure of co-operation in promoting an appropriate atmosphere of goodwill, one would have been justified in 1 expecting some more visible effort j on the part of individual traders 'o brighten their shops according- ' ly. So far but a few seem to have ; troubled themselves, and with one ' or two refreshing exceptions High Street at the moment is as drab as usual. It may be that the majority are reserving their big effort for the next few days prior 1 to Christmas. For it does seem a big effort for many of the shopkeepers to depart from the set order of their ways, even to the small extent of erecting a few decorations. The value of encouraging early Christmas shopping should, however, be realised. Bright lights and decorations invariably have an attraction, and delay in providing these accepted Christmas features, or neglect to do so, will tend to negative the advantages from the shopkeeper s viewpoint that the carnival attractions are designed to produce. If the current shopping period is to be marked by any public enthusiasm it is essential that the shopkeepers themselves should display some enthusiasm. To sit 'back and allow matters to take their usual course is not sufficient. Nothing tends to promote Christmas trade so much as a show of seasonal festivity. And this,will, not be achieved by the sporadic efforts of a few shops. All must combine in commpn endeavour if Lower Hutt is to be the centie of local shopping that everyone hopes it will be this Christmas. It is hoped that the next day or two will produce more visible signs of special effort on the part ot local traders collectively to brighten up the town appropriate to the sea--Boil, and incidentally to help themselves in the movement to encourage local shopping.