Shoppers were out in force in the north and north east today on what is traditionally one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
The Eastgate Shopping Centre in Inverness was extremely busy with its car park full by lunchtime.
And tomorrow is expected to be much the same.
Centre manager Jackie Cuddy said: “Trade this year has come in peaks and troughs – it has not been as steady as it usually is at this time of the year.
“There have been some incredible highs and then it goes off a bit again, but overall I think it’s going to be as good as last year.
“The malls are incredibly busy today, with the car park full by 1pm.”
Attractions today included Santa’s grotto, a charity carolathon and two motorised angels.
The Bon Accord & St Nicholas in Aberdeen was also bustling with people buying last minute Christmas presents.
Operations manager Colin Birtwistle said they had seen a surge in the week leading up to Christmas, partly due to concerns regarding the delivery of items bought online.
He said: “At Bon Accord & St Nicholas we have worked hard to make the festive period an enjoyable one for those who have shopped in our malls.
“There has been fantastic entertainment, continuing right through to Christmas, and we have gone out of our way to look after visitors with a number of giveaways and gestures designed to make people smile.”
And Ryan Manson, who is general manager of Union Square in Aberdeen, said: “We expect a really busy weekend at Union Square.
“We’ve extended our opening hours and have 1,700 car parking places to make shopping easier for our visitors.
“We’re expecting the few remaining days of Christmas shopping to be busy as Aberdonians snap up last minute gifts, food and drink.”