The waft of grilled sausage and taste of mulled wine is a highlight for many a jumper-clad reveller as they look on in awe as lights are switched on in town centres across the county.

But while it's the most wonderful time of the year for many do rising bills and warnings of rolling black outs mean we have to reconsider how we mark the start of the festive season?

Some residents have branded displays along one Kent high street "outrageous".

But others say they are more needed than ever and business owners say it brings a much-needed boost in footfall – the year they vanished was like the Grinch had visited, said one.

The festive illuminations across the centre of Canterbury will finally be lit up on Saturday, November 12, having been installed a month ago.

It will be the first big lights switch-on in Kent, with towns across the county getting in the festive spirit this year.

Maidstone's will be lit in Jubilee Square on Thursday, November 17, with Gravesend's being illuminated the next day, along with displays at Strood, Westwood Cross and Chatham.

More will follow in Dartford, Sittingbourne, Gillingham and elsewhere, with high street businesses all over Kent hoping the lights will draw in Christmas shoppers.

Bosses from Canterbury's Business Improvement District (Bid), which pays for the decorations, insist the festoons help to boost trade for retailers and make visitors to the area feel safer in the dark.

But some have questioned whether the displays should have been hung at a time when bills continue to climb and National Grid bosses warn rolling power cuts are a possibility.

Speaking after the lights were erected last month, local Kate Wintie, 36, told KentOnline: "I think with the cost-of-living crisis at the moment, it's a bit outrageous because it's not important to have the lights.

"People could be having blackouts and can't afford to heat their homes. If it was closer to Christmas time it would be nice."

National Grid chief John Pettigrew has said the firm's "base assumption" is it will be able to meet heating and lighting demands this winter.

Despite this, he admitted there is a possibility of "energy shortfalls".

In these cases, the company will attempt to boost supplies by reviving out-of-use power stations, before paying households and businesses to reduce consumption at peak times.

Mr Pettigrew said rolling outages would be a last resort.

And after the Christmas lights were hung across the city centre last month, resident Claire Smith asked: "Should power not be conserved - as they're saying to consumers - because we're looking at blackouts?"

Chris Grant agreed, arguing "these are unprecedented times and we should be making savings".

Bid has opted to leave the lights on for 24 hours a day following switch-on events in previous years.

Its chief executive, Lisa Carlson, says this is because the cost of installing timers is "prohibitive" when compared to the amount spent on energy.

She also says the group would have to pay for workmen using cherry pickers to turn off the displays at 12 separate locations if they decided to operate them manually, a move she describes as "unaffordable".

But resident Chantal Delli Paoli suggests the lights should be left on for shorter periods of time this year.

"If the Ukraine war has resulted in a shortage of gas globally, surely those lights are at risk of going out," she said.

"Will the decorations this Christmas shine for shorter periods each day in a bid to cut energy consumption?"

Ms Carlson says it is yet to be determined whether her organisation will decide to turn the illuminations off during the day over the next two months.

Bid took over the running of the lights in November 2014, after Canterbury City Council pulled its funding amid "severe cuts in government funding" the year before.

The not-for-profit organisation - which is funded through levies on high street firms - spends about £68,000 a year to run them.

And while the festive displays have been criticised by some, many businesses and residents are in favour of having them.

Milos Lazic, who runs Lazix coffee house in Butchery Lane, thinks "they're a great idea".

"It makes the city look very pretty and festive, especially during these times when everything is a bit depressing," the 29-year-old said.

"I do, though, understand they're not essential."

Businesswoman Sarah Wren, the owner of Oscar and Bentleys in Guildhall Street, insists the festoons help to make "Canterbury a thriving Christmas city".

"It was dark, it was dismal, there was no joy. It felt like the Grinch had come to Canterbury..."

The restaurateur says she noticed a drop in takings when the local authority decided not to erect any displays nine years ago.

"I'm delighted we are having them again," she stated.

"We had a real problem before Bid came along because the council said they could no longer afford to have the lights on.

"The town had no Christmas spirit - it was dark, it was dismal, there was no joy. It felt like the Grinch had come to Canterbury.

"It was noticeable how much our takings went down, so for me the Christmas lights are absolutely vital to businesses. The lights help make Canterbury a thriving Christmas city."

Meanwhile, other residents page branded those wanting rid of the lights "miserable".

One noted they are "more vital than ever to raise the mood of struggling people".

The displays run through St George's Street, The Parade, St Peter's Street and along St Dunstan's, while also covering many of the surrounding routes.

Gala Lights - the firm that installs the illuminations - has previously told Bid that it provides more coverage in Canterbury than at any of the other locations it helps to illuminate, including Brighton and York.

Ms Carlson says this will provide local firms with much-needed support over the festive period.

"More lights make people feel safer..."

"Canterbury’s businesses have shown extraordinary resilience over the past two years to weather the pandemic, the impacts of Brexit and now the inflation and energy crisis," she said.

"Given all the uncertainty businesses and their staff still face, we want to provide as much support as possible this year, not least because the festive period is such a crucial time.

"Canterbury is a Christmas destination for national and international visitors.

"The lights compliment the popular Christmas market, Father Christmas’ Grotto at Fenwick, a Christmas panto trail, Cathedral services, an award-winning pantomime and, as ever, beautiful window displays.

"It's also pretty dark here without them on, and more lights make people feel safer."

Ms Carlson also stresses they are "very, very low cost and low energy because they're LED lights".

It is estimated the decorations cost about £340,000 split over five years.

They will be taken down in early January.