Hello and welcome to Friends Through a Lens, the podcast mini-series where I talk to my real-life

Friends about the show Friends Through a Lens of their choosing.

My name is Caroline and I've been put in charge of Cups and Ice.

And it's Rachel's birthday birthday so it's time to

poach the salmon it's Alexandra Haddo.

Hello!

You are here today in a very special context which is I believe you to be the queen of house parties.

Thank you so much. That is one of the biggest compliments I've ever received.

How is it that you've come to earn this title?

About nearly, actually it was only about two years ago. I mean, I've always enjoyed them. Yeah. About two years ago. So I'm 37. I was 35. And I was like, you know what? I haven't been to a great house party in years. Because I feel like you have them a lot in your 20s up to like 27, 28.

And then I feel like everyone puts on a play of trying to be old and grown up for a while.

Yes.

And then you realize, I mean, I'd never did that, but like a lot of people did.

And then you sort of, house parties just went for a while.

I think it's that age that it happens.

And I was like, do you know what, I'm going to throw a big Christmas party. And I told everybody about it months in advance, big Christmas house party. You came. You bought a bottle of Moe. I remember it. It was a good year for me. It was fiscally speaking. Very clear. I was like, wow. Caroline has really classed this up a notch. And it was such a great time that now I have one for Christmas and my birthday, but then we just had one for my boyfriend's birthday. So three a year, which I think is... Yeah. But you know what's funny? Because I feel like it's much more regular than that. But I think, do I just think that because of the general paucity of people having house parties in their 30s. Yeah, maybe, yeah.

It's interesting because I think you are right.

I think when we're very young and very broke, a house party is something that's had a necessity because you can't afford to drink all night in someone's gaff.

So obviously when we're young, it's pre-drinks, which is often kind of a party of its own.

Yeah. And then you go out and then you might have an afters or whatever. Exactly. Yeah.

And then that sort of might go into your sort of mid-20s. And then, and I do think sort of

Instagram and sort of people getting increasingly house proud has something to answer to this. People stop inviting people over because people are very shamed of their homes. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Or it goes the other way. And when you get a bit of cash, you're like, oh, my house is nice. I don't want to invite everyone over and ruin it. There's that in it as well. But there's both. I think it's both polarisation of that. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So house parties, as per the show Friends, I actually do think you see that exact journey mimicked in Friends. Yes, I think you're right. There is a lull in the middle seasons. Yeah. And during that lull, the house parties get very bad.

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