Several people said they were feeling a bit low about the end of Christmas - and that it was great to have a last party to look forward to. I'd said end Christmas with a bang, not a whimper, on the invitation. Everyone said how lovely the house was - all the candles - it is quite magical to have a room completely lit by candles - and the fires and the decorations, the ivy and evergreens withering on the mirrors etc. We had a great mix of food and booze, since people brought left overs - or bought stuff especially - so lots of cheese and cake... which we didn't get through. It was a very happy-making party - and we thought about all sorts of other future social events - and Sue even invited us to one in February - so more to look forward to.
Had some terrifically enjoyable conversations with people - those sort of warm bonding conversations which aren't intellectually stimulating necessarily (though they can be), but where you discover shared values - or feel stronger affinities with friends. I think we are so lucky to know so many good people - ridiculous to think that the room was full of people I didn't know about at Christmas 2008... The only people at the party I knew then were Catriona and Michael... Robert - who now qualifies as almost our oldest Ramsgate friend - couldn't make it. Others couldn't make it, and I am feeling guilty about people I omitted to invite - rather than excluded. No one was deliberately excluded, I even asked a few people I didn't really want (but fortunately they couldn't come) rather than exclude them. But there are people who are not on my mailing lists. Another strange feature was that a lot of my closest 1:1 friends, apart from Clare, Denise and Kirstie, couldn't make it for various reasons - but it all seemed to work perfectly. There was an interesting incident of middle-aged drunken groping... most unusual and indiscreet - but with quite a happy backstory to it - so have to hope it will have a happy ending and not be something he regrets in the morning! It would be great if it worked for them both.
Considering how poor and miserable we have been feeling in the last few days - especially since the car broke down again - it was a very warm, rich-feeling party. No champagne or caviar - but emotionally rich. Ooh - I'm getting all Charles Dickens now - almost feel a quote from A Christmas Carol coming on. Of course we are not "poor" in the classical sense - just intensely cash-strapped. We must have faith in better times, and that we can earn money ourselves, rather than await inheritances - which is pretty sick.
Clare took a the wonderful photo of our tree/window/lights... might have to use it as our Christmas card next year!
Still a bit hungover - haven't removed all the decorations yet - but HAPPY!
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