28 Days (of Christmas): Empty Norwich on Christmas Day

Tunnel of Light

Norwich, Norfolk, December 2016.

A Pause in Spending: Empty Norwich on Christmas Morning

No small irony in the fact that the quietest retail day of the year comes wedged between the chaos of Christmas shopping and the scramble of the Boxing Day sales. This is Norwich on Christmas Day morning: a strange and empty vibe, populated by lone figures who all feel slightly separate from society, if only for those fleeting moments in which they pass by you on the quiet streets.

Tree Sprites: The Fairies by Norwich Market

Christmas fairy lights in the trees on Gentleman's Walk, Norwich. It wouldn't be the most energy-efficient idea in the world, but I propose a cultural shift: instead of Christmas lights, towns and houses light up over the winter with more general 'seasonal' lights. Mid November through to late February, say, to help counter the New Year blues a touch. The stripping of the lights in the grey early days of a year always feels so harsh and brutal.

Christmas in Doggerland

Another couple of images lurking on my hard drive, from (I think) January 2011. It was certainly into a new year. Have always quite liked the image of discarded (natural) Christmas trees following the festive season. They make the unremitting misery of January feel even more bleak. This tree, dumped in the wash on the beach just outside West Runton, also ties into my neverending fascination with the decaying coast.