BBC news 2009-12-21 加文本 (额外篇)

As Christmas approaches, towns and cities around the UK are preparing for a peculiarly British celebration.

The switching on of a town’s Christmas lights has become an increasingly competitive event over the years, with some councils spending lots of money to attract A-list celebrities to do the honours.

The American singer Mariah Carey flew to London in November to switch on the lights at one of the city’s biggest shopping centres, while Jim Carrey illuminated Oxford Street and promoted his new film at the same time.

The historic English city of Bath was brought to a standstill as thousands of fans flocked to see the Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage conduct the switching-on ceremony.

However, some celebrations do not go according to plan as was seen in Birmingham when dozens of people were injured in a crowd surge as the famous British boy band JLS took the stage.

Not all towns can afford to bring in an internationally-known star, so many switch-on ceremonies are handled by ex-TV talent show contestants.

The hit TV programme the X Factor has supplied many smaller municipalities with a low-budget celebrity like Chico, a singer who reached the quarter-finals of that show back in 2005.

Pantomime stars are also much in demand at this time of year, as they endeavour to promote their Christmas shows.

But if your council hasn’t got the budget to bring in a famous face, what are the cheaper alternatives?

A town in the west of England chose to let the public decide by submitting their suggestions online. The result: a 21-year-old DIY store worker was given the prestigious duty.

"I was amazed and delighted to be asked," said Scott Parker, "it's just a privilege and not something I'd ever thought about before."