Today is expected to be the busiest shopping day of the festive period

Are you ready for Christmas yet?

With only two more sleeps until Christmas, the countdown is on.

Many homes around the country will be putting the finishing touches of Christmas together today.

And many others will be in the country's towns and cities doing the last (or first) of their Christmas gift shopping.

Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels

If that's you, be ready for the busiest day in town of the year.

Retailers are expecting a better Christmas this year with more being spent on Christmas presents as nights out and parties are cancelled.

Today is predicted to be the busiest shopping day of the festive period.

It's expected that consumers will collectively spend over €7 million an hour today.

Research from AIB found people in Cork, Dublin and Tipperary are predicted to be the biggest spenders.

But the pandemic has impacted on footfall, with the numbers in Dublin city down by a third on 2019.