This week has been my Christmas socialising week. I am not much of a party animal these days, unlike in my distant past when I used to club it six nights a week.

Nowadays, I am in bed by half ten, my social life being restricted to walking the dog and watching TV. However, so far I have managed to fit in my regular evening visits to my friend Carol and two Christmas parties.

I was getting ready for one of them when my daughter came in, ready to advise me on how much makeup was appropriate for the over 40s.

I know they say as you get older you should wear less but generally I look in the mirror and feel slightly more is what is needed.

'Gosh' she said, 'that's a nice dress' so I decided I must have looked all right.

My husband's response was 'oh, you have got legs then', which was as fulsome a compliment as you get from a Yorkshire man.

Anyway, their joint reaction meant I went out feeling glamorous and gorgeous and I had a wonderful time.

They managed to provide their own dinner while I was off having fun. Judging by the number of empty crisp packets and biscuit wrappers littering the living room floor, they had decided on a meal of light snacks.

The dog had helped by hoovering up all the crumbs.

I got up early the next morning in order to launch myself into the house work before going to work.

This was only to impress relatives who had said they were coming round that evening. In the end, they cancelled and I got up early for nothing.

Still, I've one more party to go to so my family will just have to survive one more supper of Pringles and chocolate cake.