The Parties Begin!

YOUR MINDFUL MOMENT

Let’s get this party started right

The first Christmas party of the season is always a bit of a test, isn’t it?

Everyone’s excited, the drinks are flowing freely, and there’s an unspoken pressure to join in: to be fun, to be festive, to prove you’re not boring just because you’re being sensible, “One of us, one of us.”

But go hard on night one, and you could be setting yourself up for a hard time for the rest of the season.

You can absolutely enjoy the party, have brilliant conversations, dance badly to Wham, screech along with Mariah, and wake up tomorrow without regret.

You just need a plan. Not a rigid, joyless set of unwavering rules but a smart, supportive set of personal guidelines that lets you be present, have fun, and still respect the version of yourself who’ll have to be up at 6am tomorrow with the kids.

What you can do

• Ready: Get ready for the night: Eat (never turn up on an empty stomach). Hydrate (you’ll thank me for it tomorrow). Check ahead and know what your drink options are before you arrive.

• Steady: Pace yourself. Low, no & mid-strength drinks are your friends. Put your glass down between swigs. Sip, don’t chug. Take regular time-outs whenever you need them.

• Go: Don’t overstay just for the sake of it. You’re not missing anything coherent after the first couple of hours anyway, so save the cab fare, get the last train & forgo the drunken kebab on the way home (you’re saving money, calories & a hangover – winning!)