I love parties.

I love the dressing up, the drinking, the dancing, the snogging inappropriate boys, the general embarrassment that comes with waking up the next morning to find yourself asleep on a hard study floor under a desk. It’s all good.

Unfortunately, now I am a Grown Up, my friends don’t really have parties. (Unless they are keeping them secret. See above…) They seem to worry about things like carpets and hangovers, and would rather have quiet nights in with their husbands, a  nice cup of tea, and the Antiques Roadshow.

So, if I want to go to a party, I normally have to throw my own, which is fine by me, as that way I get to insist on fancy dress and be the centre of attention.

*brief pause while everyone who knows me says to themselves ‘Jo, an exhibitionist? Surely not…’*

Over the last couple of years I’ve had some great parties, each with a theme that incorporates what for me are the key elements of a good party - pretty lights and decorations, potent cocktails, and a requirement to dress as sluttishly as possible.

Like my burlesque themed birthday party, or the party I had to celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

This week I am hosting a Christmas party, at the request of my friend Dev, who wanted a party of her own, but was too worried about her rugs to risk having one at her own house. Unfortunately, work commitments have left me very little planning time, so that all I have really done so far is grab basketfuls of fairy lights in Matalan and buy myself a Christmas Whore outfit from Ann Summers.

Now obviously I don’t want my guests to end up standing around a bare kitchen drinking cheap lager from the Spar, so on Friday, I will do the required trip to Sainsbury’s to stock up on mince pies and mulled wine ingredients, and I’ll festoon the house with sparkly baubles. Tonight I will also be watching Kirstie and Phil’s Perfect Christmas, to get me in the mood, but I’d love some ideas for making my party as festive and fun as possible. Do you have a fab Christmas cocktail recipe you can share? Music recommendations maybe? Or perhaps some top tips for how to prevent myself ending up passed out under a desk? Let me know!