From the 1960s Romsey organisations worked hard to persuade the shops to decorate their windows. 

Of course Butchers' shops had always done this, making amazing displays of the meat and poultry available for Christmas. 

Shops competed with each other to purchase the prize winning animals at the Christmas Fatstock show and tempt customers in by displaying it.

From 1978 a competition was organised by the Chamber of Trade to give a prize to the best dressed shop window. In 1978 Hobbs Electricals won first prize; in 1984 Man's shop in the Hundred; in 1986 Tony Stares, the butcher, and in 1989 Kirklands. 

From 1979 the town was strung with swathes of lights across the main streets and looked very cheerful but more participation by the public was wanted. So in 1985 the town added the Lantern Procession. RAODS members were involved in wassailling around the town and the Round Table provided a Mummers Play. Sideshows and merry-go-rounds were then fitted into the Market Place. 

Daily Echo: Father Christmas being rescued from the Town Hall 2013, photo: Charles Burnett, Romsey Local

In 1987 Father Christmas was established in a grotto in the Town Hall basement. He has also appeared in Smith Bradbeers, the Library and many schools and halls. Late night shopping events with street entertainers started and proved very popular.

Then on Friday December 13 1991 Father Christmas visited Romsey and made a navigational error. He intended to land in the Market Place but apparently became stranded on the roof of Lloyds Bank. 

The Romsey firefighters arrived complete with sirens and lights to rescue him. He was safely brought down the long '135' ladder and escorted to the Town Hall where his grotto had been built in the basement.

This has now become an annual event. In 1998 He was rescued from the roof of the Midland Bank building but only after a delay because the firefighters were busy attending a fire at North Baddesley.

All was well in the end and Santa was safely delivered to his grotto in Smith Bradbeers Store. The firefighters had an extra task that year when high winds loosened the tethers on the Market Place Christmas Tree which had to be tightened.

In later years the Santa rescue has been from the Town Hall itself.

Now Romsey celebrates with many Christmas fairs and markets, Christmas lights, Carols round the Christmas tree, Winter Carnival and Lantern Parade, with floats, music and dancing, a Reindeer Trail as well as the Santa fun run and the annual Santa Rescue; a far cry from the busy but less colourful Christmases of a century ago.