Whether you think mid-November is too early or not, light switch-ons effectively signal the start Christmas – and one of the biggest every year is at Bluewater.

This year, the Greenhithe shopping centre-cum-leisure destination is giving it some welly.

Taking place from 6.30pm on Friday, November 14,  the 45-minute event will feature fireworks, choreographed lasers,  lights and flames to entertain the whole family.

Santa, who will be in his grotto at the centre’s Ice Palace full time from November 27, will switch on the lights, which include the iconic illuminated reindeer which welcome shoppers.

Heart radio DJ Toby Anstis will preside over the affair.

Toby, 43, also hosted last year’s festivities.

He said: “It has come round so quick. I always look forward to it.

“I’m buzzing around Christmas anyway, the earlier the better for me – maybe not over doing it with the Christmas songs, but all the lights going on and going out and doing bits of Christmas shopping.

“I’ve already bought a couple of presents. My sister had twin baby girls six months ago so I have bought them little baby outfits.

“Bluewater is an amazing shopping mall that everyone from everywhere goes to do their Christmas shopping and to come along next Friday for the Christmas lights is a bonus because it is going to be phenomenal display.

“They really have pulled out all the stops this year.”

As well as the switch-on, the evening will also see the launch of the Giving Tree.

A 15ft tree will go up near Marks and Spencer to support local charities in Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

On the tree, there will be 5,000 tags with the likes of ‘girl, aged five’ or ‘boy, aged eight’ and the idea is you pick up an extra present for someone who really needs it.

Toby said: “It’s really, really cool.

“It is a just a chance for you to go in and buy one extra present for someone who really needs it and deserves it this Christmas. You get the present and put it under the tree on your way out.

“There will be 5,000 presents for 5,000 children this Christmas. It really touched me, I think it is a beautiful thing.”

Christmas is a big deal in the Anstis household, Toby said, and this year he hopes his whole family – including five young nieces and nephews – will be heading out to the Alps for some snow.

He said: “We’re going to try to go skiing, that’s the plan.

“I’m hoping to fly out after my show on Christmas Eve.

“Hopefully we’ll have Christmas dinner round a table in the Alps, in a log chalet somewhere, which will be beautiful. It’s very Wham Last Christmas. If you picture that video, I’m hoping it will be something like that.”

As a radio DJ, you would imagine that Toby gets as sick as anyone of hearing Christmas songs but he seems remarkably upbeat about the prospect of hearing more.

He counts The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York, Wham’s Last Christmas and Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You as his three favourite festive tracks.

 In order to not make the nation fed up, Heart saves the songs til December but Toby admitted accidentally slipping one on recently.

He said: “When I had my iPod on shuffle on the way to work the other day it suddenly started playing Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas is You. For a moment, I went ‘Ah’ but then I thought ‘actually, it’s not that far away’.”

Of course, it is impossible to talk to a Heart DJ at the moment without asking about their Who’s on Heart competition.

For those among you that are unfamiliar with it, there are three mystery celebrities each saying either ‘Who’s’, ‘on’ or ‘heart’. Listeners have to guess who they are.

It’s deliciously simple but also devilishly difficult. Over the course of 11 months, with phone-ins every hour, only two names have been guessed and the prize money has gone up to £100,000.

Toby said: “It’s unbelievable isn’t it? We have got one more celebrity left. It’s been phenomenal this competition. It’s got everyone talking.

“I don’t know who it is.

“My boss said to me yesterday, he said to me ‘you know what Toby, I can’t obviously say but you’re really going to kick yourself’.

“He thinks the one that hasn’t been guessed would have been the first one guessed. He thinks it’s even more obvious than the first two.

He added: “I thought it would be done in the summer.

“The way it has carried on and the momentum it has got now, and obviously £100,000 for Christmas is amazing, I still love doing it.

“I’ve done it every hour of every day (while on air) since January 4. I still love having the callers on and having a little play with them.

“When I good guess comes in, I don’t find out until half way through that process. My producer gives me a thumbs up or thumbs down, so I’m kind of tense with them.”