THE calendar may have turned to December this morning but there is still minimal sign of Christmas cheer in the air.

The lights are up but – despite a busy Saturday – the shops still appear to be a long way short of the sort of footfall they should reasonably expect with less than four weeks to Christmas Day.

Part of that is down to the recent unprecedented flooding across the south and east of the county in particular, which has kept thousands of commuters and shoppers out of the city.

But clearly there is still a mass exodus over the border – not least on the recent day of action when so many public sector workers from across the country used the day off to stock up for Christmas, causing massive tailbacks in Newry as a result.

This week must mark the start of the Christmas season in a big way – or businesses will be facing an even bleaker New Year than they had envisaged.

The perception is that the North offers better value for money – and that’s undoubtedly true to a point. But what happens when it comes to service or replacement of goods? Are shoppers going to trek up and down across the border when they have exemplary customer service on their own doorstep?

And while some goods may be cheaper, when you count up the cost of travel and the goods you purchased in haste that you never planned to buy in the first place, the gap is a lot closer than some might think.

There is also the collective responsibility which we all share to maintain jobs in Galway – there is little point complaining if you’ve spent all your disposable income in another jurisdiction.

The weather may have meant a shorter Christmas season for the shops but there is still plenty of time to lift the gloom and make this a profitable month for us all. And that would be cause for Christmas cheer this festive season.