December 9 – Party: What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

This year has not been the best for social gatherings. I’m not sure why. But perhaps the one that stands out the most for uniqueness factor is the office summer party.

I work at a medium-sized legal publishers, meaning everyone knows everyone (except perhaps IT). The atmosphere at work is friendly, we all rock up in jeans for work and — as expected of publishers — we can be heavy on the booze.

The summer party started at 4pm sharp. Everyone filed out of the office and was given a goodie bag at the door with two tins of alcohol (either Smirnoff, Pims, G&T…) and a pen.

We all clambered onto an old Routemaster rented for the occasion, and away we went! There were bursts of sunshine amidst the light English summer drizzling, and we sat on the bus sipping our drinks and playing a pub bus quiz whilst being driven around the main sites of London. (All the quiz questions were bus and/or London-themed. My team came 4th, which was respectable.)

After passing by Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament, and a host of other places, we drove north to a pub in Chalk Farm and piled out in high spirits.

That’s when the excitement TRULY began. In the garden area of the pub was an English carnival, replete with a candy floss stall, a coconut shy, the pop-the-balloons-with-darts game, swingball…. There were even prizes! Little stuffed toys of many shapes and sizes.

Not to mention the huge barbeque — burgers, grilled veg, corn on the cob, salads, pastas, etc — and all the free booze. I won one stuffed toy and claimed five more off of the boys, ate three giant candy flosses and learned how to make one, and as the evening approached we all moved into the pub and had a little dance, too!

A great party. And funnily enough, today is the day of the work Christmas party. Wish me luck….