IT seems like just yesterday that the Christmas tree was packed away and decorations were pulled down.
But, with another festive season already upon us, local businesses have been busily preparing for what they hope will be a productive period.
Scone Sports Store owner Wayne Parkinson is gearing up for his first Christmas in the shop’s new location on Kelly Street.
He said it had enabled the business to cater for a larger variety of people.
“It’s a new shop and we’ve got a completely new range that people were saying they would like to have,” he said.
“We’ve got a bigger store and more items, so hopefully that’s less reason for people to go elsewhere.”
Scone Chamber of Commerce & Industry president Ben Wyndham added a number of initiatives would take place over the next month.
“We’re running a late night shopping event on December 15 which will include busking, so we’re inviting school kids and any musicians who want to perform,” he said.
“There’s also going to be a prize on the night for someone who has done a certain amount of Christmas shopping along the main street between now and then.”
Mr Wyndham said he hoped these initiatives would help increase the amount of people pounding the pavement in town.
“We [the Chamber] just keep pushing that shop local angle,” he said.
“Hopefully the last two years have been a bit of an anomaly after the mining downturn and it’ll pick up again this year.”
Following the festive period, Mr Wyndham said the Chamber’s goal for the New Year was to focus on preparations for the imminent Scone Bypass.
“We want to start getting everyone working towards developments post-Bypass,” he said.
“There will be a networking event at the Belmore [Hotel] on December 2, where a guest speaker from the Branxton Chamber of Commerce will discuss how they’ve dealt with the Branxton Bypass and how it’s changed the community.”
