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Bristol in pics: It's beginning to look a lot like...

Adam Gasson Dozens of people gather round a Christmas tree on the side of Bristol Harbour next to the SS Great Britain. The picture is taken at night and the tree is illuminated with bright lights. Clifton housing can be seen in the backgroundAdam Gasson
Christmas lights and trees have been illuminated across Bristol this past week

The Christmas starting gun has been fired across Bristol, now that we are officially in December.

Decorations, trees and lights have been popping up all over the city and for those whose businesses revolve around this time of year, it's all hands to the pump.

But it's not all about Christmas, with sport carrying on and thousands of students enjoying their graduation days.

Getty Images Players from Bristol City and Plymouth Argyle contest the ball at Ashton Gate. City are in their traditional red shirts and white shorts, while Plymouth are in an all-white change kitGetty Images

A thumping win: Bristol City welcomed struggling Plymouth Argyle to Ashton Gate on Saturday and sent them packing with a 4-0 win.

Adam Gasson A man dressed as engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel stands in front of a Christmas tree on the dockside in Bristol next to the SS Great Britain. The picture is taken at night and the tree's lights are illuminated. Behind the tree the flats on the other side of the harbour are visibleAdam Gasson

Ship shape and Christmas fashion: The tree is up at the SS Great Britain, with festive activities taking place in Brunel Square on the harbourside ahead of its Victorian Christmas event on 7 and 8 December where Mr Brunel and other characters will meet visitors. The baubles on the tree were made by Year 11 students on the SS Great Britain Trust's future engineers scheme.

@joncraig_photos People walk into Bristol Cathedral at night, heading towards the light display called Luxmuralis which is lighting up the nave of the cathedral in the background with a mixture of yellow and purple lights@joncraig_photos

Let there be light: The stunning light show Luxmuralis: In the Beginning has been wowing visitors to Bristol Cathedral over the past week. The light and sound show is a reimagining of the Nativity Story building up to Advent.

Ryan Murphey A woman rehearses for a Circomedia show called Mother Deer in Bristol. She has a fur-type headdress on, with antlers attached, and is lying down on a bed of leavesRyan Murphey

A winter's tale: They're getting ready for a family show at Circomedia, with Mother Deer - based on a northern European folk tale - being staged from 22 to 24 December. Inspired by the winter solstice, it tells the story of Mother Deer in her quest to bring sunshine back to the forest.

Naomi Dring A smiling woman inserts a Christmas tree into a wrapping mechanism at Brackenwood Garden Centre in Abbots Leigh, near Bristol. Behind her are many more Christmas trees ready to be wrappedNaomi Dring

Spruced up: Garden centres all around Bristol, such as here in Brackenwood in Abbots Leigh, are working hard to keep up with demand as thousands of households choose their Christmas tree for this year.

The Wave A Christmas tree with its lights on is seen slightly blurred in the foreground while in the background a man surfs at The Wave near Bristol. The ground in the background shows signs of frost and light snowfallThe Wave

Frosty the surfman: The tree is also up at The Wave on the outskirts of the city, where some chilly dawns have added a certain festive feel for the people donning their wetsuits.

UWE A group of graduating students with black and red gowns walk past a large red illuminated series of letters spelling out "UWE". The students are queuing along one of the floors of the Bristol Beacon to enter the main auditoriumUWE

Celebration time: Thousands of UWE students have been filling the Bristol Beacon's main hall this week to receive their degrees, an occasion to dress up and share the moment with family and friends.

A view from the Prince Street Bridge looking towards the MShed Museum on Bristol Harbourside. It is taken at dusk and the water is dark and the sky is tinted orange. The cranes of the MShed are silhouetted dark against the sky as are the buildings of the Lloyds Ampitheatre. There are small ripples on the water but no boats

Darkness falls: We're still a short way off the shortest day of the year, so for many commuters it's a case of going to work and coming home with the street lights on and the harbourside looking like the above picture. From 21 December the hours of daylight will start to increase.

University of Bristol Two Bristol university students, both female, stand outside the Victoria Rooms in Bristol, both smiling at the camera. One is wearing a traditional headcovering while the other is wearing a blue coat and yellow scarfUniversity of Bristol

Recognition: Talking of higher education, the apprenticeships scheme at the University of Bristol has been recognised by the Department for Education this week. Now in its fifth year, the scheme is aimed at bringing in young people, many of them from the city itself.

Soul Media A man dressed as Father Christmas in a red outfit with white fur trim points to a display at Avon Valley Wildlife and Adventure Park, as a smiling family look in the same direction. Twinkling Christmas lights are visible in the backgroundSoul Media

He gets about: Father Christmas can also be found over at Avon Valley in Keynsham where he is part of the attractions in the Winter Wonderland (which, be warned, also features a Grinch).

Alastair McKee/BBC A group of knitted figures are seen displayed on a table at a church in Wickwar near Bristol as part of an event called Cribfest. The figures include the three wise men, Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus and a shepherd with a pair of sheepAlastair McKee/BBC

And sew it begins: Cribfest, held at St John the Baptist Church, in Chipping Sodbury, featured more than 100 different nativity scenes, some knitted, some made of wax and others created from toilet rolls.

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