A few weeks ago I was excited to receive an email from the lovely people at Jet2 inviting me to attend their bloggers Christmas party and before I knew it the day had arrived. All glammed up with party dress on, I caught a train into Leeds and found my way to Headrow House located in the upscale Victoria Quarter, home to the likes of Harvey Nichols and John Lewis.
The venue comprises a restaurant, beer hall and event spaces with our party taking place in a contemporary styled industrial chic room on the upper floor. On arrival, we were greeted by Emma and Frankie from the Jet2 marketing team who made us all feel very welcome and over glasses of mulled wine and mince pies we started to get to know each other.
Although I’ve been to similar events hosted by national tourist boards, these have all taken place in London so it was not only convenient to travel a short distance but also an opportunity to meet some other northern bloggers.
Introductions over, we were divided into two groups for some hands-on festive fun. First on the agenda for our group was a calligraphy/ brush lettering activity. We started by tracing over some letters and then tried to replicate them freehand remembering to use a thin, light upstroke and then a more emphasised thicker down movement with our pens.
Happy with our progress, we tried out our new lettering skills on gift tags and baubles whilst chatting to one another and having fun. Decorating the baubles was the most difficult with their round, shiny surfaces but with guidance from Phylecia who is an expert in this kind of art work, we all produced tree ornaments to be proud of.
Our action packed afternoon then continued with a cocktail mixing masterclass with the venue’s top bartender. We had the choice of making a salted caramel espresso martini, a margarita or a Merry Berry mocktail and as I wasn’t driving I opted for salted caramel as I adore this sweet and salty caramel flavoured combination.
In groups of five we were invited around the back of the bar and led step-by-step through the process of measuring out vodka and coffee liquor before adding sugar syrup and ice. It was then time for some vigorous shaking until a good head of froth had formed.
After pouring our cocktails into martini glasses and decorating the top with coffee beans all that was left to be done was to sip our pre-lunch drinks which were absolutely delicious and something I’ll definitely be trying out at home over the Christmas holidays.
It was then time for our festive buffet lunch and what a spread it was with a range of delectable meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes. I opted for some tender flat iron steak with horseradish and accompanied this with sides of Camembert and cranberry salad, sprouts with smoked bacon, pigs in blankets and flavoursome garlic dauphinoise potatoes. Whilst tucking in we learnt about each other’s blogs, how they had come to fruition and of their themes ranging from travel through to lifestyle, fitness and parenting.
After more mince pies and a cup of coffee we got stuck into our final activity of the day, a candle making experience combining fragrances of our choice centred around a Jet2 City Breaks destination. With the UK’s third largest airline flying from 10 U.K. airports to more than 60 destinations ranging from Reykjavik to Rome we were spoilt for choice. After much deliberation and fragrance testing I decided to create a Budapest scented candle containing citrus orange, cinnamon and pine needle pure essential oils.
Sitting around a trestle table with our equipment laid out in front of us comprising glass jugs of varying sizes, a pipette and thermometer it almost felt as if I was back in the school science lab about to start a chemistry lesson. Unlike school though, we were gathered in a cosy bar following instructions from Christian, the owner of a local candle making company.
We carefully measured out our selected oils, combined these together and then added hot soy wax which had been heated in a small boiler. Finally, we just needed to attach a wick into the base of a glass jar using sticky backed plastic to hold it still and then to carefully pour the liquid in, label our jar and leave to set for 24 hours.
That concluded our fun packed afternoon Christmas party which had definitely provided the sparkle to put me into the Christmas spirit. The time had flown by and it had been so nice to make some new friends whilst chatting, eating and drinking alongside learning new skills.
Holidays for me are all about looking forward to setting off with excited anticipation, the time spent away and the lovely memories I return home with. Jet2 also highlight that holidays should be about the experience and the creation of memories and that’s exactly what they created for us at their Christmas party.
A huge thank you to Jet2 for inviting me to their festive Christmas party and as always all views and opinions are entirely my own. If you’re like me and already dreaming of your next overseas trip you might find inspiration from the following links as package holidays can offer more protection in these uncertain times.
Jet2 holidays this winter, Jet2 Ski holidays, Jet2 City Breaks, Jet2 Last Minute Deals
If you have enjoyed reading this post, you may also like:
If you use Pinterest please consider sharing and pinning the image below:
Love Travelling Blog 
I hope I can also be part of a bloggers group in London. I will be blogging about London this coming April..
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope so too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds like my perfect day! I love making things and in fact I have been making my own candles for the past year. It’s really satisfying. How nice of Jet2 to invite you and for organising this day for people. Glad you had such a great time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
How interesting that you have started making your own candles Anna. It was such fun to learn how to do this at the party and very kind of Jet2 to invite me along.
LikeLike
Omg that day sounds like heaven. I love making things and have started to make my own candles for the past year in fact. Lovely for Jet2 to invite you and for organising this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was indeed lovely that Jet2 invited me along to their Christmas party and trying my hand at candle making and bauble decorating was great fun. Wishing you a very Happy New Year!
LikeLike
What a lovely day, lovely for you to be invited too Marion. Hope you enjoyed Christmas Day with your family. All the best Sue x
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Sue. We had a lovely family Christmas Day at our home and have just woken up to a scattering of snow, just a pity it didn’t fall yesterday but will be nice for our Boxing Day walk later.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooo very festive, looks like a lovely thing to do 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It was so nice to have been invited to the party Hannah, thanks so much for your lovely message.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have to admit to being mildly jealous of the lifestyle you have tapped into, Marion, but I’m glad that Jet2 are still afloat after the horrendous season the travel industry have endured. Looking forward to my brief trip with them to the UK this week. Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas. And that looks like such a nice cocktail 🤣🎅☃️🎄💕
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Jo for your interest in this post. I was so lucky to have been invited to their festive gathering in Leeds. I’m sure you will be well looked after on your Jet2 flight this week. Will you be in England over Christmas? Wherever you might be do have a lovely time. Take care, Marion
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just for 3 days, Marion. Home again on Boxing Day. Hoping to escape whatever lockdown is coming!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you do too Jo. Will be lovely for you to be reunited with your family. M xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a fun party!
LikeLiked by 2 people
It was magical Lyssy. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Jet2 were so kind to invite me along.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a fun and festive event! I love the activities they had for you to do- especially the calligraphy on the ornaments and gift tags! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas Marion and that all good things come your way in the new year 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much for your interest in this post on the Jet2 Christmas party. It was so lovely to have been invited. All good wishes to you all for the holiday season too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was fun packed 😁
LikeLiked by 2 people
It was such a fun afternoon party and Jet2 were so kind d to invite me along. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
LikeLike
Sounds like a fun Christmas party. How nice to have been invited and connect with other bloggers. The salted caramel espresso martini looks delicious. I would have opted for that flavour as well.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It was such a fun party Linda and I was so pleased to have been invited along. Thanks do much for commenting.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sounds like you had heaps of fun meeting other bloggers, trying out calligraphy and learning to make candles, Marion. Happy Holidays and all the best to you in the year to come! Aiva
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks so much Aiva. I had a lovely time at the party in Leeds and my scented candle is so nice.A happy Christmas to you all too.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lots of food and festivities! How wonderful you made your own holiday drinks and had plenty of minced pies: I tried minced pies while in the UK years ago, and I really like them– I just wish they were a thing here in the US!
LikeLiked by 2 people
It was such a fun party Rebecca and I was so pleased to have been invited along. I didn’t realise that mince pies weren’t a festive thing over in the US too! Thanks so much for your welcome thoughts.
LikeLiked by 2 people
What a fun time you had. You are to be admired and congratulated for all the hard work you do on your blog, which has earned you the right share good times with like-minded people. Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year 2022. Gwen
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you so much for your kind words Gwen. Wishing you a very Happy Christmas too!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Looks like a wonderful party. Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year 2022.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wishing you a very Happy Christmas too Ian and thank you for your much appreciated thoughts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a fun pre-Christmas afternoon! I love all the activities – hmm, I wouldn’t mind to try my hand on mixing some cocktails 😉.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Mixing cocktails and then drinking them afterwards can’t be beaten at a party can it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looks like a lot of fun! I’m now even more homesick than I was ha ha.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I was so lucky to get invited and to actually be around so that I could attend. Hope your weekend is going well. It’s very misty with us today.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It looks like a lot of fun Marion. Glad you were able to join the get together. Happy Sunday. Allan
LikeLiked by 2 people
It was such a fun day out Allan with good company. Thanks so much for commenting.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sounds as if it was a lovely day out.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It really was Sheree, thanks so much for reading.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Particularly enjoyed the cocktails
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did too!
LikeLiked by 1 person