Every December, the conversation resurfaces in gatherings and after-dinner conversations: should we spend money on Christmas lights, or is it an unnecessary expense? Figures are thrown around—economic cost, commercial return, energy consumption—and, almost always, the debate ends there. But this way of thinking reveals much more about how we view life than about the lights themselves. It has invisible but significant shortcomings. Reducing a public initiative to a cost-benefit analysis is a convenient, but inadequate, way to understand what truly motivates people.

As soon as the traffic light turns red and the vehicles stop, pedestrians leap onto Passeig de Gràcia. But not everyone just wants to cross the street: occasionally, some want a souvenir photo with the Christmas lights and ask for pictures at one of Barcelona's most iconic spots for holiday illumination. The snapshot often lasts only a few seconds, but sometimes the photographer tries a little harder, or the model asks for more shots, making the most of the time the light is red or amber. Of course, some get distracted and don't realize they're dangerously occupying the roadway when the light turns green for cars. It's when their calculations fail that you hear the honking of horns or the exclamations of drivers eager to move on.

It wasn't even six in the evening yet, and the thermometer in Barcelona was already reading below 10 degrees Celsius. It's rare—at least in recent years—for the Catalan capital to get this cold at this time of November, and it was the perfect excuse to dust off scarves and gloves. The occasion was certainly worth it: thousands of people—46,000 according to the Guardia Urbana (Barcelona's municipal police)—gathered on Passeig de Gràcia to be dazzled for the first time by the city's Christmas lights, many of which were being unveiled this year.

Nadal is getting closer and Barcelona is gearing up for the celebrations. After to nominate the city to become the European Capital of ChristmasThis Wednesday, Mayor Jaume Collboni presented the activities planned for this year's festivities. For the second year in a row, the program omits the installation of an artistic nativity scene in the middle of Plaça Sant Jaume. After breaking with this tradition last year, the City Council and the Generalitat (Catalan government) have agreed to return to offering a light show projected onto the facades of the two buildings, details of which have not yet been released. The show, which can be seen every night between November 22nd and January 5th, will run alongside the traditional 15-meter-tall Christmas tree erected in a corner of the square. As for the traditional nativity scene, it will once again be installed, as it was last year, in the City Hall's coach house. It will be open to the public from December 13th to January 5th, and the display will recreate Catalan mountain landscapes, allowing visitors to travel through Catalonia without leaving Barcelona. This year, the Nativity scene triples in size, growing from 24 to almost 70 square meters, and will depict the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the Nativity, the Journey of the Magi, and the Flight into Egypt. The model is the work of the historic Barcelona Nativity Scene Association, and admission is free and no appointment is necessary.