Emails have been going back and forth for months over where we would spend Christmas.

It's nearly four months into our round the world trip and we've been joined by my sister, Dani and her boyfriend, Zak. They have just started a three month trip of SE Asia and decided to join us for Christmas before they go off on their own adventures.

Two of our friends from home, Pete and Sally are also with us - they're here on a two week holiday.

My boyfriend Tim has been saying since before we left England that he wanted to be in Ko Phangan for the Full Moon party. Dani and Zak hate the idea and wanted us to meet in Crabbi or Kho Phi Phi. Pete and Sally were not really bothered about going either because they'd been to the Full Moon party before.

In the end, Tim got his way. We compromised and decided to go to the Full Moon party and then all travel together afterwards - first to Crabbi and then on to Kho Phi Phi.

So we find ourselves gathered on Ko Phangan for Christmas.

After far too many of those killer buckets, Christmas Day eventually came around.

It's the first time I've ever been away for Christmas, so it was odd waking up to glorious sunshine and water lapping at the terrace of our beach bungalow.

We were in the most beautiful of places, but I found myself feeling a little down. I had a ridiculous row with my boyfriend two nights before - a row that only two travel partners who have been living in each others pockets for months could have.

Looking back it's really funny now - Our bungalow was one of the first places we had been to that had a dresser with a shelf on it. Virtually all of the other rooms we've stayed in over the past four months have had a bed, a chair and that's it. We argued because he wanted the stereo and speakers only on the dresser and I was insisting on putting my stuff there rather than on the floor. I cannot begin to tell you how much of a row we had. It was the first real row on the trip. Those of you that have never travelled with a partner will think that's mad...those of you that have will know the score.

Nonetheless, we had a nice Christmas. The owner of the bungalows we were in made us a huge fish and seafood BBQ on the beach and then lit us a fire.

And so the singing, dancing, laughing and lots of drinking went on, well into the night.

I decided Christmas away from home wasn't too bad after all and settled down to get some sleep - we wanted to make sure we weren't too hung over for the Full Moon party the next day.

Dani and Zak decided that night to give the Full Moon party a miss. After much protesting from all of us, they decided they still wanted to leave for Crabbi on Boxing Day to find us all some accommodation in advance ready for when we joined them a couple of days later.

Back in our bungalow and a couple of Geckos were celebrating too....on the ceiling of our hut...

We crashed, drunk and content having long forgotten about stupid rows over shelves and stereos. The light of the full moon was shining through the cracks in the bamboo hut walls and the sound of the sea lapping at the terrace sang me to sleep.

I often look at the moon now and wonder whether it knew that night what the universe was busy planning for the next day.