Party stresses fit for a king

FOR five years straight and for reasons now lost in the mists of Prosecco, we threw a party in our house on Christmas Eve.

- SUSAN LEE

I know. I have no idea what we were thinking either.

Because every year, for five years straight, there would be a row.

It usually hit around 3pm when the stress of organising food and drink and good times for what inevitably turned into too many people for our three-bedroom semi to accommodate became just too much.

I say a row. It was more me shouting and the rest of the family waiting patiently until I burst into tears and then fetching me a gin and a mince pie.

It was the same with the boy’s 18th and with my 50th.

Even the girl’s 21st, which hit in Covid times and, being a Zoom quiz involved nobody actually being in the same room, sent my blood pressure soaring.

There’s no two ways about it – celebrations are stressful.