December in Dale Quarter has its own shape. The lights go up on the first Saturday, the late-night Thursdays start the week after, and by mid-month the high street is busy enough that you plan a trip to the post box around it. Here is what actually happens this month, roughly in order, with the hours worth aiming for and the ones worth avoiding.

The switch-on, and the first Saturday of the month

The lights go on at 5pm on the first Saturday, with the tree in the square lit at the same moment. Stalls open along the parade from about noon, school choirs take the stage from three, and the whole thing is over by half past six.

If you want to stand near the tree, be there by quarter past four. Families tend to gather at the top of the street by the bank, which gets tight early; the bottom end near the bus stop is roomier and you still get a good view of the lights going on overhead.

Afterwards, the pubs and the two restaurants on the corner fill within twenty minutes. If you want to eat out that night, book, or eat at five and be gone before the crowd arrives.

Late-night shopping, hour by hour

Late-night Thursdays run on the three Thursdays before Christmas, with most shops staying open until eight and a few until nine. Not every shop takes part. The smaller places on the side streets often keep normal hours, so check before you build an evening around one of them.

The busiest stretch is half five to seven. If you can shop at half four, do. If you can't get there until half seven, the tills are quieter and the market stalls are starting to pack down — good for reduced food, less good if you wanted a wreath or the last of the good bread.

• Go on the first late-night Thursday if you have the choice. The second is always the busiest.
• Park at the station car park after four, when the commuters have gone. The library car park fills first.
• Take your own bag. Shops run out of them, and the stallholders will thank you.
• Agree a meeting point away from the middle of the parade. Phone signal there is patchy at the best of times.
• Cards are accepted almost everywhere now, but keep a note or two for stalls and bucket collections.

Markets, fairs and the makers' stalls

The makers' market lands in the community hall on the second weekend, Saturday ten until four and Sunday eleven until three. Ceramics, prints, candles, jam and a bread stall that sells out before lunch. If the bread is your reason for going, go on Saturday morning.

The outdoor fair on the green is the following Saturday, bigger and muddier. Wear boots, take cash for the smaller stalls, and expect the path across the green to be the slowest part of your afternoon.

The school fair is usually the first Friday of the month. If you have children at the school, you already know more about it than anyone else does.

Carols, concerts and the band

Carol singing in the square happens on the Sunday before Christmas at six, free, outdoors, and cold enough that you will be glad of a second layer and a flask. The brass band plays on the bandstand on two Saturday mornings at eleven, an hour each time, with a bucket collection at the end for band funds.

The church carol service is normally half six on the Sunday before Christmas, with doors open twenty minutes earlier; the Christingle comes earlier in the month and fills up quickly. The community choir's concert in the hall is ticketed and tends to sell out in the first week, so if that is on your list, buy early rather than hoping.

Santa, small people and quiet sessions

The grotto at the community centre runs across the two weekends before Christmas, ten until four, with timed slots rather than a single queue. There is a quiet session on the first Sunday morning from half nine until half ten, with the music turned down and fewer people in the room, for children who find the noise difficult. That one needs booking.

The library puts on story sessions on Tuesday afternoons through the month, and they are free. If a child in your family struggles with crowds, weekday late afternoon is the calmest time to walk the lights — school is out but the late-night shoppers have not arrived.

Crowds, parking and the hours to avoid

The heaviest days are the Saturday before Christmas, when the market and the shops collide, the second late-night Thursday, and Boxing Day morning if you are heading anywhere near the sales. The quietest stretches are weekday mornings before eleven, Sunday after four, and most of the week between Christmas and New Year, which is easily the best week of the month for a walk along the canal.

Parking is the main friction point. Both car parks fill by half ten on Saturdays, and the roads around the square close on switch-on day and fair day. Buses run later on late-night Thursdays, but check the last one — the timetable changes over the holidays and the last bus on Boxing Day goes earlier than most people expect.

Your December checklist

• Book now: the choir concert, the grotto quiet session, and any table for switch-on Saturday.
• Check first: which shops are doing late nights, and the last bus home.
• Arrive early: makers' market on Saturday morning, carol service for a seat, grotto for your slot.
• Avoid if you can: the Saturday before Christmas, and the second late-night Thursday.
• Take with you: a bag, a bit of cash, and a warm layer for anything outdoors after dark.
• Keep free: one evening in the week after Christmas. Nothing is scheduled and that is the point.

Times and dates shift a little from year to year, so confirm anything you are travelling for on the parish noticeboard or with the venue directly before you set out. Everything else, you can simply turn up to.

Photo: Nishino Minase / Pexels