Spot the difference: Christmas lights vs Happy Meal

When did street Christmas lights become just another merchandising vehicle? I'm puzzled. I expect snowflakes, Santas, reindeer... ok, Santa is just a Coke pusher, but if a lot of people still don't know that, surely he's come to be something More. Right? Or Less, possibly, but whatever - there's no obvious product placement in the traditional Christmas lights.

Except on Regent Street this year, we have The Incredibles; and on Oxford Street, we have an absolutely ghastly Harry Potter thing that says Christmas not at all. Picture it, my faraway friends: megapowered spotlights aimed up at the clouds, mounted on iron bridges advertising the latest Harry Potter DVD. Festive? Hardly. At least The Incredibles are in the time-honoured red-and-white cola colour combination. And of course Holborn is a complete loss, with just a few fibre optic dandelions attached to random street lights so that, one imagines, the councillors can shrug mournfully and say, 'Well, we tried...'

It is left to Carnaby Street, as usual, to bring some class into the proceedings. Although not as fun as last year's supersized fairy lights; or was it the year before? Whatever. They went well with that giant electrical plug. Sorry chaps, I tried to find pics from this year, but no joy; presumably everyone else is as unimpressed as I am with the West End's effort.