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FESTIVE GATHERINGS

I KNOW it’s hard to weigh up all the conflicting advice. But last week my office team decided to have a seasonal get-together. The vibe was low-key: supermarket bubbly, M&S party food, slippers allowed. It didn’t feel irresponsible: we all had up-to-date negative lateral flow tests — and, well, we all live together.

Attendees were myself, my husband, our two sons and the cat. You know the type: no small talk, unpredictable drinker, haughty, yet the centre of attention. And there were games, like at a disputed Downing Street shindig. And we could dance like nobody was watching: nobody was.

The only bigger parties I will now go to this year, will be in books. In Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, Old Fezziwig gives a generous Christmas Eve party for his staff and neighbours, with music, dancing, a splendid spread, and, at its close, the beaming hosts shaking hands with every single guest.

There are some crackers in Murder In Midwinter, a selection of yuletide crime short stories. The Queen’s Square by Dorothy L. Sayers is set amid a fancy-dress ball where everyone must come dressed as a figure from a game. Play is interrupted by the discovery of a body in the tapestry-room. Luckily, Lord Peter Wimsey (Jack o’ Hearts) is attending.

In Bridget Jones’s Diary, our poor heroine goes through paroxysms of panic when she thinks she has not been invited to any Christmas dos, only to discover a stash of cards under her doormat. Soon, she reports: ‘For ten days now have been living in state of permanent hangover and foraging sub-existence without proper meals.’

That is how I used to experience this period, and it makes me feel a combination of nostalgia and horror to recall it. This year, be sensible, but don’t let the bad news grinch and ghost of Covid Future entirely extinguish your festive spirits. Whether you’re a party of one, two, or a carefully-vetted gathering, enjoy yourself.