Photos by angeoverhere have now been gratefully incorporated into the web page for our Christmas meal on Saturday.

I had to start today with an emergency trip to a nearby branch of Waterstone's to change a present I bought yesterday, which its intended recipient turned out already to have. But that's been done successfully now, and the replacement book should be appreciated.

Meanwhile, at home, we've been preparing for a party to be hosted by my parents tomorrow night. We've done this a couple of times before, previously on Christmas Eve itself, but this year it is to be the 23rd, because many of my Mum's friends can't make the 24th. I'm really looking forward to it, because I love Christmas parties anyway, and I shall also get to see two dear friends: Amy and Fleur WINOLJ. I'll also at last get to meet Amy's new baby daughter, Holly, who was born in July, but whom I've so far seen only in pictures: picture like these, in fact.

In preparation for the party, I have today:

• decorated our tree
• vacuumed the whole of the downstairs
• swept the hall floor, which is wooden
• cooked some cocktail sausages
• stuck an orange full of cloves ready for the mulled wine (slurp!)
• painted my toe-nails gold
• hung up a wicker ball thing with bits of vegetation sticking out of it over the front door
• basted pears cooked in red wine sauce by my Mum
• worked out how many verses we will sing of various carols (for yes, it will be a musical evening also)

The cat was a significant hazard during activities 1 and 4, but we have so far managed to neutralise the danger by distracting her with alternative activities / food.

Later this evening, my sister will arrive by train from London to join the family for Xmas, so we shall be able to stay up late giggling and doing sisterly things. Hurrah!