At night, multicoloured lights flash from shopfront windows in a futile effort to brighten the atmosphere.

到了晚上，店面橱窗中闪烁着的五颜六色的彩灯徒劳地烘托着氛围。

The temperature dropped, the sidewalks became even more congested, and the Christmas displays began to creep into the shopfronts, like a gaudy, glittering rash.

气温下降，人行道变得更加拥挤，圣诞节的陈列品开始蔓延到店面， 就像华而不实、闪闪发光的皮疹。

For years they shrugged off blips in the broader economy, as many customers came to see online ads as a virtual shopfront that needed to be maintained even in tough times—often at the expense of other ad spending.

多年来，他们对整体经济的波动不屑一顾，因为许多客户开始将在线广告视为即使在困难时期也需要维护的虚拟店​​面——通常以牺牲其他广告支出为代价。