Last week was probably the most social I've been in around a year, I had an absolute blast and for the first time in a long time, my anxiety levels were massively decreased, life has just been getting better and better.

I'm single, I'm content and for someone who's nearly 45 I don't think I scrub up too badly, well at least not after Abigail's best friend Hannah got involved and did my makeup for my Christmas party on Friday.

This years annual Christmas party was just the best, I absolutely loved it and I lasted until 2am despite not being able to drink a lot of alcohol although I was relieved on Saturday when I woke up without a hangover (unlike many of my guests).

One amazing thing was the Geordie grazing platter, if you are having a party I'd suggest this as the perfect thing to do and it's the sign of a good buffet when you get up to empty plates and platters the next morning.

I think I appreciate my girlfriends more than ever now, I haven't seen a great deal of people this year due to living like Newcastles next great hermit but, Friday night made me realise just how much I appreciate the people I have in my life, I might not have 2 full hands of close friends but the ones I have far outweigh the quantity of people I could have in my life who really wouldn't care about me like these ones do (and the others who were at the party but not in these photos, they know who they are).

Saturday night came around quicker than a beagle chasing a mouse and Harriet and I were invited to the press igloo at Dine By The Tyne, part of  Christmas Tyne, a new Christmas village which offers dining in igloos right on the banks of the Tyne, situated just next to the Baltic, you get the most wonderful views of the Millennium bridge as you feast on food lovingly prepared by the chefs from Colonel Porters.

The Igloo's are available for £200 for 10 friends and that includes a 3 course meal, I actually think for the quality of the delicious food and to spend a fun 90 minutes with some fabulous people you know, well it's a bargain as far as I'm concerned.  Harriet and I had an absolute blast and it was also lovely to be sitting with Lucy and Paul from For The Love Of The North who long time blog readers may know from their Doctor Who themed wedding.  It was so lovely to catch up with them, they're doing so well since they started their North East gift store which really does embody the spirit of all that is good in the North of England.

One of the things I loved about the igloos was the portable speakers they provide, isn't life just more fun when you can accompany an evening with a playlist, oh and for anyone wondering about how cold the pods are, they're super warm, they do have heaters in but by the time you get 10 bodies in, let's just say you shouldn't wear your Geordie big coat!

How to throw the perfect Christmas Party

Christmas is nearly here and whilst it might be 25 sleeps until the big day, it's definitely the start of the Christmas Party season.  I throw one big party a year, it's always an annual Christmas party and it's talked about for the whole of the next year, well at least by my teenagers anyway, mostly recounting the ways in which I embarrassed them/myself/everyone.  Actually though, it's the best thing I do and I think I've got it figured out as a party host.

I think you see, there are some essentials that you need for a great Christmas party so let me share some with you now to aide and abet you in hosting the Christmas soiree of the year.

You've guessed it, no party is complete without my yearly signature cocktail and about 12 kilos of cheese.  Last year I made the perfect Cosmo as taught by the number 1 mixologist in the UK, this year I'll be making the most festive cocktail of all, I like to call it my Christmas Sparkle cocktail.

Christmas Sparkle Cocktail

1 Bottle of Prosecco

1 Bottle of sparkling red grape juice

Cranberries and halved red and white grapes

It's a really simple cocktail, it looks amazing having the halves  of grapes and the cranberries floating around and it tastes quite non-alcoholic so quaff not too much in one go and enjoy this sparkly festive delight.

Food is really important for parties and I like to cook for people, this year I'm turning my kitchen table into a giant grazing board but as it's quite a big table you'll have to come back after next weekend to see how that went, it's likely to be a smorgasbord of delights.

The Christmas Party Outfit

Essential to all good parties is what you're going to wear, this year I've chosen this beautiful burgundy jumpsuit by Coast from JD Williams, being regrettably larger than last year I'm delighted to have found something which is cut really well and doesn't make me look too rotund and it's got pockets which is an essential for me, I love outfits with pockets.  I actually love this outfit, if you see me over Christmas it's very likely that I'll be wearing it out to everything.

Looby also has her own sparkly party number, she saw this one on a recent trip to Saunsbury's and at just over £20 I think it's a bargain and she's also rocking the outfit, especially with her blue hair.

The Perfect Party Guests

So now we've figured out what we're eating, drinking and wearing, it's time to think about the guests, I guess I'm lucky that I don't have a great huge number of friends because by the time I invite my friends and the kids all invite theirs we still end up with between 20-30 people in my house but it's always pleasant, having a range of ages really keeps it light and lovely.  I have the best friends who all know how to party and none of them mind if I suddenly announce that I'm going to bed at 11pm, in fact last year when I did that, I heard a few of them were still there quite happily quaffing and chatting until 2am!  Just don't forget to source some emergency seats and you're sure to have the best time ever.

The week of minimal spending

Last week is always going to be a memorable one, I finished my Christmas shopping, I threw the Christmas Party of the year (well in my book anyway, it was the only Christmas party to which I was invited and that was only because I threw it), and I didn't work outdoors at all because of the weather.  Wait, me, have a whole weekend off so close to Christmas?

It's true, I'd already booked Saturday into my calendar as a day off and on Friday I took the wise move to reschedule Sunday's clients because of the cold, it's rare I reschedule due to cold but I have Reynauds and 95% of my clients are under the age of 5, for me, being out in -5 temperatures for 4 hours could actually induce hypothermia and for my small clients, well it's just not fun and it can actually be painful for even an hour.  I love what I do but it's definitely not worth dying for.

So this week after the flamboyant week that was last week and the no working, well this week has to be the week of minimal spending.

I have a veg box due tomorrow, I have a pretty full fridge and freezer and I'm not planning on going out for anything other than therapy, dog walking and tomorrow I have a newborn photo shoot (indoors).  Next weekend, well I think it may warm up a little, I'm due to be outdoors for 5 hours on Saturday and 4 on Sunday, usually, I'm used to January being super cold so I only go out for a maximum of 2 hours at a time.  I'll be watching the weather keenly this week because I don't want to disappoint families so very close to Christmas and I also really need to work, I only have Saturday, Sunday and next Tuesday outdoors doing photography before I break up for the Christmas holidays, yet another reason why I really am having a week of minimal spending.

On the top of my to-do list, make a gingerbread house and when Looby surfaces from her Monday sleep in (she always gets up late on Mondays after doing a full day at the stables on Sundays) that is our task of the day, we were kindly gifted one by my favourites, the Biscuiteers and I'm excited to try and make the best gingerbread house ever!  I've also got the ingredients to make some gingerbread and I want to make fudge this week too although my minimal spend might have to stretch to the fudge ingredients it won't be too much.

Next week is really the big countdown to the most magical day of the year, for me, I'll be honest, it's Christmas Eve, so full of magic and expectation, even now in my forties I believe that anything could happen on Christmas Eve, it's such a special day and I always make the time to go to my local parish church for the crib service, it's the nearest thing to a Nativity play I get to experience now my own children are older and I love that hour to reflect and sing Christmas carols as loud as my lungs will let me.  I usually cook a Christmas dinner for friends afterwards but I'm still not sure what I'm doing this year, maybe it's more fun to not quite know what to expect.

The enormous Christmas shop will surely happen next week too, I have booked my Waitrose slot for the 21st and I need to pop into Aldi and Iceland so minimal spend this week will be followed by stocking up the winter store cupboard and I for one am determined to let the Christmas bubble last for as long as possible, I don't want to engage in real life, I want to relax during Twixtmas, I want to take long baths and catch up on reading books and watching trashy movies, there's no need to rush back into the outside world I feel and this year, I might just have a big enough fridge-freezer to achieve that and on that note, I'll stop writing before this becomes a blog about kitchen appliances *shudders*