Week 16: Party

It was my work Christmas party this week at Bistrotheque in East London. It was a boozy one: margaritas were offered as we arrived at 11am to accompany the All-Hands meeting and awards. Some were still going at midnight; I drank slowly and slipped out early evening. Nice to chat to people in the company over lunch that I wouldn’t normally spend time with.
My Secret Santa gift was a lovely touch: a mini tourist guide to London with clues inserted on selected pages to act as a treasure hunt. I cracked the final clue and was presented with my prize by Charlie who had been sitting opposite me enjoying his handiwork.
H’s Christmas play was the next day. He was Daddy Snowman and sang along to several snow-themed songs with his year 1 class.
We drove to The Trout Inn to meet my in-laws for Saturday lunch. The boys were then booked in to a nearby garden centre’s Santa’s Grotto experience. Such grottos are a slick affair nowadays, with a ticketing system, soft play as you wait for Santa and tea and cake for the grown-ups. Both boys were apparently on Santa’s Nice List. Phew.
With the growing concerns over Omicron and the waning effectiveness of previous vaccinations, I rebooked my third/booster jab to Wednesday, rather than after Christmas. L did the same.
A little later than planned, we put up our Christmas tree. Only one bauble broken so far. I also put up twinkly outdoor lights along the front of the house. The tree lights and outdoor lights are both connected to smart plugs, natch. “Alexa, turn on Christmas”.
I’m not a F1 fan, but Sunday’s Abu Dhabi showdown between Verstappen and Hamilton sounded compelling. The last lap chaos didn’t make sense to me. Lewis was cheated out of the win and championship, surely?

🎉 Week 16: Party