All set for Christmas dinner

On 26th October Mummy hazelh bought and wrapped up my Christmas present: a beautiful second-hand, but obviously never used, Highland Stoneware salmon. I used this to serve our first course at Christmas dinner, as blipped.

Our guests today were Jack, Katharine, and Katharine's sister Mary. We've had a great time eating, drinking, and playing games that included charades, Exploding kittens, and an Archers quiz. We ended the night with a couple of episodes of Inside number 9, astonished that Katharine and Jack have never seen this series before.

Only one thing went wrong today: poor Katharine forgot to bring her home-made crackers with her. Fortunately I keep a supply of party headwear for such occasions (who wouldn't?) Instead of paper hats, four of us wore plastic tiaras at dinner, and I constructed a special chef's crown from shiny purple wrapping paper for Mr hazelh. Tomorrow we will cycle down to Leith to pull our crackers.

I received four other amazing second-hand Christmas presents this year:

- As well as the lovely dish, my mother gave me a small silver spoon decorated with a miniature Caithness glass 'paperweight'. My not-so-little sister found this in a charity shop. Her charity shop shopping triumphs above all others.

- My middle sister surprised me with her green Le Creuset saucepan. I have been begging to add this to my Le Creuset rainbow for months. I even looked for it in her kitchen cupboards last Saturday when we were at house, unaware that Mr hazelh had already arranged to bring it back to Edinburgh for me in his rucksack.

- My not-so-little sister gave me an orange ceramic holder shaped as a lounging fox. This charity shop find will look fab in my tango-ed bathroom. I am now on the lookout for a small succulent (but not cactus - shudder) to place inside it.

- My American artist friend Rhea, who does not normally give me a Christmas present, couldn't resist buying a silver brooch/pendant for me from an antique shop in Massachusetts earlier in the year. It's a 3.5cm tall glug jug.

Over the course of the day there have been various phone calls and WhatsApp messages with family members, including my middle sister currently in Wiltshire, and my not-so-little sister and Mummy hazelh in Northumberland. I have missed my mother and sisters today, but I have to say that I do enjoy Christmas here in my own flat in Edinburgh.

Exercise today: not a hope!