For many Brummies, the holidays began the moment the city centre lit up.
The festive displays in department stores and the Christmas market mark the start of the festive period.
New images show what Christmas was like in the city 60 years ago.
Take a look back at these 8 nostalgic pictures of famous Birmingham streets and landmarks during the Christmas season in the 1960s.
5. Birmingham Christmas in the 1960s
Bull Ring Centre, Birmingham, 23/12/1963. A carol service being held on the spiral ramp at the Bull Ring Centre, with the Church of St Martin in the background. Artist John Laing plc | Getty Images
6. 1960
A mother with three young children and a baby in a pram in Birmingham, England, circa 1960. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) | Getty Images
7. Butcher at Christmas and winter time, 1960
Butcher Charles Oswald Lee makes good his promise to give free meat to his customers at his butcher's shop in Birmingham. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) | Getty Images
8. 1967
The occasion was to commemorate the 111th anniversary of the opening of the store. | Birmingham history forum Photo: Birmingham history forum