No, we weren't in fancy dress for our celebrations, we were actually at the local Queen's Theatre in Hornchurch viewing the Moscow Ballet perform Coppelia.
This show tells the tale of a professor who creates a group of dolls, one of which - Coppelia - becomes the object of affection for a local boy.
However all is not as it seems and the professor wants to bring his favourite doll to life by sacrificing a human. Who better than the male who's fallen in love with her?
Unlike other ballets I'd been to this performance had an interval between each of its three acts. Whether this is because of how the Moscow Ballet like to work or due to the small size of our local theatre's stage I don't know.
As always when I watch ballet, I was captured by the movements of these talented men and women - spinning, bending, floating, jumping and leaping. Yet again I couldn't decide where to look next. This time a lot of the music I hadn't heard before, but I still found it relaxing and soothing.
The three sections in this display include celebratory dances, stiff doll-like moves, marriage ceremonies, romantic lifts and comical acts to name just a few.
Despite being in our small local theatrical setting the sets worked well and the dancers moved fluidly across the stage.
However I did find myself comparing the ballet to those I'd seen previously, performed by the English National Ballet and at the London Coliseum.
Obviously The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty are very different shows. One key thing I think made a difference was the two intervals, I felt these reduced the magical feel somewhat and stopped you getting into the story quite so much this time around.
In addition, I don't know if it's the style of this ballet company or the production itself, but the dancing at times didn't always seem so elegant or as synchronised and routines as tight.
That is not to say I didn't enjoy this show though, I thoroughly liked the performance and it was amazing to see such a genre in my little local theatre!
The other beauty of being in a small local theatre - despite the dancers' steps sounding louder - was the fact wherever you sat you'd get a great view.
Regardless of where I was and who was performing, my love for ballet is still going strong.
I love the calming influence of the music and the enchantment of the captivating dancing style. Not to mention the beautiful costumes and the way after each visit I long to be a little girl again playing dress up and being that little magic fairy, angel or princess.
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