This month I’m getting into the festive spirit by tweeting an East Dulwich advent calendar in pictures. Each day throughout December I’m posting photographs of local businesses and Christmassy things in SE22 that catch my eye.
It’s a bit of fun but also a nice way of highlighting how much is going on in this corner of South East London. Today is Day 10 in my East Dulwich Christmas Countdown which means there’s no turning back - Day 24 is in sight! Time for a round up of what I’ve been drawn to photograph so far.
East Dulwich has some wonderful independent retailers and is a great place to head to for a spot of Christmas shopping. Days 1 to 5 in my advent calendar featured some of the SE22 retailers that have made a Christmassy effort. We all love a Christmas window and, of course, a tinsel-attired sheep!
Three cheers then for Mrs Robinson on Lordship Lane, North Cross Vintage on Fellbrigg Road, The Fresh Flower Company and Postmark on North Cross Road and Zara Taylor on Upland Road who all get a festive thumbs up.
However, not every business has a high street presence. There are tons of local businesses, including my own, based at home, studios or other premises and Days 6 and 7 of my photo calendar featured two of these: Marsha of Cakings and Stephen Shillito.
Marsha designs and makes wonderful cakes ranging from the humble cupcake to stylish tiered creations for weddings. When I saw a snap of some Christmas Tree cupcakes on her blog I thought how perfect for an East Dulwich advent calendar!
Stephen is a designer and illustrator who has become particularly well known for his range of cards and prints celebrating the postcodes of London. The prints make fantastic gifts if you like the idea of something that has a local twist. On the day of the shoot we were on a mission to find ourselves a red background to match the bold colours of his SE22 print. After much searching we had success at the Royal Mail’s sorting office on Silvester Road - how very apt.
If this all seems too commercial you’ll like Days 8 and 9. At the weekend both Santa Claus and the Christmas Yeti were in town - what are the chances of that?! But there was no competition - Day 8 featured a very nicely turned out Santa. And Day 9? Some of the fabulous door wreaths adorning the doors in the streets that surround my home. Gorgeous all of them.
That’s all for now! I’m looking forward to shining the spotlight on lots of other Christmassy goings-on in the days to come. I’ll be doing another round up next week but if you’re a tweeter do a search on the tag #EDXmasCountdown or find me @helenjermyn for daily photo updates.
Helen lives in East Dulwich, London, and has enjoyed taking pictures for as long as she can remember. Helen provides a friendly and professional photography service. Take a moment to explore Helen’s work or to talk through photo commissions visit: www.jermynphotography.com/about.
