The Christmas spirit is abundant and Bermudians appear to be showing their generosity by opening up their wallets – as seen in Hamilton on Saturday which was full of shoppers and long traffic lines.

Shay Dawn Burgess, of St. George's, taking advantage of last-minute sales, said the Christmas season meant spending time with friends and keeping with tradition.

"People should not forget the real reason for the season," she said.

"And that is to come together to love and appreciate each other. I'm really excited about one gift I purchased, a gombey doll as well as books from Dale Butler.

"This year I did some shopping away and I'm here today picking up a few last-minute gifts, I really like the atmosphere too."

For Wilson Lee, 37, from New York, on the Island for a vacation with his wife, the season brought with it a chance to travel and see how others celebrate the holiday.

He explained: "I don't celebrate Christmas spiritually but I like this time of the year because I get to spend time with friends and family.

"We bought a few gifts here, but we're mainly focused on having a fun time while we're here."

Bob Rinehurst, also visiting the Island from Greenwich, Connecticut, said while he usually enjoys the christmas season, he worries it is becoming too commercialised, in a society that places a lot of emphasis on presents and cosmetics.

"We need to remember that it's a holiday about the birth of Christ, first and foremost and not get too into shopping sprees and department store sales and who has the best Christmas lights on display," he noted.

"It's also important that we, as adults, remind our children of the real meaning of this time of year so they can grow up and continue the tradition.

"In my family, we do the gift exchange thing too... but I'll probably be in Church on Christmas Day, I like to hear the sound of Christmas carols and I love the snow that goes along with it where I'm from."

Inside a Reid Street store, one customer was overheard describing the last-minute shopping mad-dash which guzzled the City of Hamilton as "a mad house".

On Front Street, most shoppers appeared too busy observing store window displays to field questions from The Royal Gazette, perhaps good news for the retail sector which, for years now, has been urging residents to "Buy Bermuda" instead of spending their money on goods from overseas.