I started drinking at 2.30.

Had to leave the pub as it was a sausage and red tie fest.

Have eaten.

Going to go to a quieter pub.

All my fam are working in the service ind. and so I expect to end up locked in a bar till the wee hours and then walking out of a 'place' a few miles from home about ten am.

Feel guilty in advance for quitting liverpool, again, when I can and leaving everyone I love.

I'm not sure I can be arsed with ours.  I missed the Officers' Mess Christmas ball because I couldn't be bothered sorting out a kilt before it, and didn't know enough people to make it worthwhile.  One of the Squadrons I work on had a Christmas do but I was already off on leave for that.  My Squadron had a piss-up in the crew room, but I was working.  The had a pub day for my Flight, but I was off on leave.  We have a formal Christmas Lunch in January (is it late or early?) but it's the weekend after I get back from America so I doubt I could be bothered....

Boy, we have a lot of Christmas parties though.

Just got back from ours. Starved meself all day and walked into a champagne reception at the Queens Hotel, Leeds. Virtually horizontal after two glasses of bubbly, enter three courses of good grub and I spent the next three hours trying to get legless with limited results.

Multiple Jagerbombs, Disaronno and Cokes, Peronis, vin rouges, Baileys and Glenfiddichs later, still merry but not legless. I blame my sensible angel on the shoulder that demanded I down the occasional glass of water. Thank Christ it was a free bar, now settling down with some cold pizza and Tim Vine.

Good drinking at ours to start, a rather tame Secret Santa, and then an okay curry.

And then an hour's drive home.

Ours started at 1:30 yesterday. Management provided Irish stew, soup, various breads and a member of staff with the right skills provided cakes etc. Management also provided a hearty supply of wine and beer along with crisps etc.

We set up a beefy AV system (our estate includes a couple of concert venues) with a pile of playlists. I did a quiz which also involved darts and WiiFit ski-jumping challenges between rounds to keep it varied.

A lot of people complimented the management supplied drink with their own - quite a few stay on into the evening - when I OP'd here , there weren't many left. It wound up a bit early this year but in previous years it has gone on a bit too late so it's no bad thing.

I called in this morning and the canteen looked pretty ropey - did a bit of tidyup so not to abuse the goodwill of the cleaning staff.

There were a few reveals as to some relationships that have secretly sprung up during the year so it was all good fun.....

Given that I had a good share of red wine, Black Bush and Glenmorangie I really should feel worse than I deserve today - but I won't complain. Will be fun on Monday doing the post mortem.

Mine is this evening, just a meal out this year.
Bloody Mary prawn cocktail.

Beef shin with maple carrots and fondant potato.

Cheery and orange spiced sponge with Christmas pudding ice cream.

Can't wait!

Nice.  My office is full of people I've never seen before, all sporting boxfresh drip, aromatic necks and (presumably) shaved pubes.

Ours is tomorrow but I don’t think I’m going to go. A bunch of people got Covid last Friday and I think they’re all going to turn out to be ‘coincidentally’ better in time for the meal. I’ll have to cancel all my Christmas plans if I get Covid at this point as my Grandad’s been on death’s door with lung issues a lot of the year (he’s actually made a really good recovery to an OK state of health but obviously we need to keep him that way!)

You only have to isolate for 4 or 5 days now. But not sure why that is the case.

Better to be safe.

They seem to have all caught it from someone who got Covid after travelling, isolated for about a week and clearly thought they were fully recovered before coming back in, which is part of what worries me.

I once saw a colleague snort 2 grams of coke in one line. The manager of the nightclub said she could have it for free if she did it in one go, which she did.

feeling rough.

Missed last week's Xmas party as painter was late to arrive and late to leave. Arranged to meet an ex colleague for a Xmas lunch today. Cancelled it as painter is a no show today so I'm WFH.

I wonder does he do piano lessons?

Had my do last night, was enjoyable. I left at about 11 as the drunkenness started to kick on with everyone else.

Bosses announced early on that we could have today off which really is the way to do it. Not a lot of point in encouraging/paying for everyone to get drunk then expecting them to function at work the next day.

Spoke to painter, he sounds awful - definitely ill.

Forgot to ask about piano.