Pop superstar Kylie Minogue officially launched the Christmas season on Oxford Street in London last night, helping Capital FM by turning on the Christmas lights for the world-famous shopping street.

The Australian singer was in festive mood as thousands of people filled the traffic-free Oxford Street to see performances from several bands and singers, including Fleur East and Ben Haenow.

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Kylie herself is launching a Christmas album for the first time, which includes material recorded with sister and fellow singer Danii Minogue, so she was in buoyant mood commenting that she had been in the Christmas spirit since recording began in June.

Hundreds of twinkling silver lights are combined with nearly 500 gold baubles to give the impression of falling snowflakes above shoppers in the capital city.

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As ever, some people believe the lights have been turned on too early, with a full month to go before we even hit December. Some other major cities around the world will be lighting up much later, with the Rockefeller Center in New York City having their switch-on ceremony on December 2nd.

Other major UK cities, including Glasgow, are yet to announce dates when their Christmas lights will be turned on. However, some won’t be far behind the capital, with Manchester set to switch their Christmas lights on this coming Saturday, November 7th, and Birmingham to follow suit on the 12th November to coincide with the opening of the German Christmas markets.

We’re all for the early switch-ons. Christmas is the happiest time of the year for many people, and so the sooner we can embrace it and have a smile put on our faces, the better.

Pictures courtesy of Image.net/Getty Images.

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