London's tradition of streets having festive lights appears to have started on Regent Street, which has had Christmas decorations in some form since the 1880s — although they only became a regular thing in 1948 when the Regent Street Association (RSA — the organisation that represents the interests of the retailers, restaurants and offices in the area) decorated the street with trees. Lights followed in 1954, and the RSA is still responsible for arranging the display. Oxford Street got its Christmas lights in 1959, and over the years a tradition has evolved whereby the lights are switched on by a celebrity in mid-to-late November. Many other central London streets, such as Soho's Carnaby Street, also have their own lights, as do lots of suburban high streets. Some don't just celebrate Christmas — the ones in Edgware, for example, also celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
