We’re here to tell you about FOUR fun upcoming activities to get you feeling festive and optimistic. The first is the North Lambeth Christmas Fair tomorrow (4 December) from 12 to 6.  Set in the stunning grounds of Lambeth Palace, just the venue itself reason to go, as it is almost never open to common folk like us. We’ve never been to this fair, but the press release states that there will be a raffle and big prize draw. Also expect it to involve festive stalls, games, music, local people selling food and wares, and general revelry. While not exclusively, this event is largely geared towards making kids merry and active. So if you don’t have kids you might want to resort to the bar to keep you sane. And if you have kids you might want to resort to the bar to keep you sane. 

Over in Elephant they have a whole range of interesting and fun events taking place at the new, and slightly surreal, Elephant Park. Tomorrow what is being advertised as an ‘Instagrammable Grotto’ event is taking place, which to us sounds like it involves pics of photoshopped subterranean elves with lip implants but  as it also involves kids, hopefully not. There are also Caribbean steel drummers to keep you happy and the lovely independent shops from the now extinct shopping centre for spontaneous gift ideas. A lot more is going on this month if you glance at the website. 

And if all is merriment wasn’t enough, the artistic commune over at Pullen’s Yards in Walworth will be having a studio Open Day all weekend and a good chance to see what they get up to in their studios and perhaps even pick up a unique and quirky gift, like a fork fashioned into a tiara. Perfect fo r a loved or just for us. It is totally free and fascinating. And our mate at the very local Orbit Beers will be there!

And finally, on Wednesday Nine Elms Arts Ministry launched the first window of its giant Advent Calendar. Local artists, schools and community groups have worked together to create 24 Advent windows with support from Wandsworth Council and other sponsors. Sadly, when one of the boxes open it doesn’t reveal a giant Santa that you can bite the arm off of, but instead are highly decorated windows that reveal lovely, local made things one day at a time. The trek starts in Nine Elms and takes you out of Greater Kennington and into Battersea, so you’ve been warned. The route and all you need to know can be found here.