It will begin to look a lot like Christmas across Moray today – with several towns staging celebrations to mark the illumination of their festive lights.
New decorations will take pride of place in Elgin and Forres, while soap fans will welcome a TV star to Lossiemouth for the occasion.
Residents in the region’s biggest town will be able to view Christmas in a fresh light this year, as its centre will be aglow with £50,000 of new decorations.
The Elgin Town Centre Benevolent Trust’s Stewart Halkett reckons the wintry display will be a “spectacular sight”.
He added: “These lights are much brighter and better than ones we have used in the past, and there are more of them.”
A group of reindeer will parade through the town centre today at 2pm, and there will also be performances from the Kinloss Barracks and RAF Lossiemouth military wives choirs.
Children in Forres will hold a fancy dress parade as a prelude to the lighting of the town’s festive decorations.
The march will begin at 4pm at Anderson’s Primary School in High Street and continue into the centre.
The procession will be led by members of the Elgin City brass band, who will treat onlookers to a selection of Christmas tunes.
The youngster deemed to have the most eye-catching fancy dress outfit will switch on the town’s Christmas lights at 5pm.
Forres Community Council’s James Duncan said: “This year will be special because we have a few new lights which really look superb.
“We’re all really pleased with it, and hope for the usual good turnout.”
Hollyoaks actor Ashley Taylor Dawson, who plays Darren Osborne, will usher his Moray fans into the Christmas season in Lossiemouth this evening.
Activities will take place in the port from 4pm onwards, and the TV star will turn on the lights at 7pm.
Mr Dawson is a stalwart of the Channel 4 soap opera, taking on the role of Darren in 1999, and in 2013 he made it to the quarter-finals of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.
On Thursday night Cullen residents welcomed the festive period by staging a fireworks display in conjunction with the lighting of the village’s Christmas decorations.