My friend T came to stay for the holidays again, and once again my family rolled out the red carpet. My cousin and his wife hosted a fabulous family day and, sweetly, since everyone knew T was coming, they bought her gifts so she would feel welcome. We also popped in on the family of my friend M, who were also lovely, though that was a little more fraught as I forgot their address and M wasn’t answering her phone, so I spent a few worried moments tipsily wandering their estate and pondering knocking on random doors till I found them…Boxing Day was a little more low key. We went into town for a little sales shopping (I bought a cardi and some books, which feels v on brand) and to see Star Wars at the Tyneside, as T hadn’t yet seen it. On second viewing there were some bits I enjoyed more, but overall my first opinion held: too set on fan pleasing and not enough on actually making a cohesive, exciting movie.As is now T and my tradition, we also went for cocktails. Our first attempt was Banyan, which opened last year but I haven’t been inside of yet. Unfortunately the cocktail list, while impressive, was very canted towards the sweet (I have noticed this is a trend in Newcastle, which is a city with a sweet tooth) so we had wine in there before the film, and went to Beeronomy for an espresso martin to dissect the movie afterwards. I suspect Banyan isn’t a place I would revisit: it’s very pretty, and lots of neon, but the menu’s Thai/Malaysian slant means most of the food is off limits to me, and the bar itself feels a little too Big Night Out. (I must admit I don’t *love* Beeronomy either – it often feels either too packed or too empty, and is a hard space to give any kind of atmosphere – but its proximity to the Tyneside and two-for-one cocktail menu means it’s often a default option…)