Christmas preparations see a busy festive period for retailers, seafood markets, and airports across Australia

ABC NEWS (Australia)

On Christmas Eve many Australians spent the day putting in place final touches for their celebrations. Some made a last-minute dash for presents while others waited in long queues for the freshest seafood.

Transcript

00:00It's that time again, the big rush ahead of the big day.

00:06Every year I always say, next year I'm going to come a week out, two weeks out, never happens.

00:12Shoppers took advantage of late trading hours, braving the crowds for last minute gifts and

00:18to see Saint Nick.

00:19So we had a picture with Santa, with the kids and it was really, really beautiful, really

00:24magical.

00:25Some retailers say this is the busiest festive period they've ever seen.

00:29It's pretty good.

00:30We got a lot of tourists from other states as well.

00:34But many are feeling the pinch at what can be an expensive time of year.

00:38Cost of living affect us a little bit.

00:41I used to give out 150 vouchers to the near-indies, now they've gone down to 75.

00:46At seafood markets, the lines were endless, just like the options for Christmas lunch.

00:51Prawns, you can't go past prawns, bugs, oysters, not for everyone, they just go down so well.

00:59It's like a Bunnings trip, you know, you go in for one thing, you come out with ten.

01:02Fresh fruit, also a popular pick.

01:05We wish you a yummy mango, we wish you a yummy cherry.

01:11Airports were busy too, with plenty of people in a hurry to get to their holiday destinations.

01:16A bit hectic, so I think next year I might leave it till the 23rd instead of the 24th.

01:23Amongst the chaos of 11th hour prep, families still found time to help those doing it tough.

01:30To give it to people that need food and can't afford it.

01:37Not everyone has everything at this time of year, so yeah, we just love doing it.

01:42Giving more people a chance to have a Merry Christmas.

Category

Transcript

Recommended