Christmas Parties – A Lifestyle Journalist’s Guide On How To Make Yours Sparkle!

My favorite Christmas parties are a blur of flirting, laughing, and dancing. My least favorite Christmas parties are the ones I spend in front of a hot stove watching a show because I was too busy to put on my makeup.

Here are my top tips on throwing a fabulous Christmas party, gleaned from a lifetime of birthdays and other holidays, and my work as a lifestyle journalist for publications like Vogue, Red and In Style.

SET THE MOOD

Everyone loves getting a proper invitation to a Christmas party. She says I’m making an effort and so are you.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Give your Christmas party a subtle festive feel by dotting glass bowls filled with sparkly baubles and strung fairy lights around the mirrors. And try to forget that it’s a silly season. Call me a killjoy, but Mrs. Claus’s reindeer antlers and polyester aprons are out.

HEALTH

There’s nothing worse than Christmas parties serving mulled white wine and stale potato chips. Equally bad are complicated cocktails that require endless shakes or shakes. Instead, go for a really good but reasonably priced white, red and, budget permitting, sparkling wine (a thin, dry Prosecco is infinitely better than cheap Champagne). Order by truckload.

BE GENEROUS

Snacks need to be hearty and filling (to soak up all that booze). Skip the complicated cocktail sticks and serve up one-bite snacks: homemade sausage rolls, plump olives, and cheese straws. Allow 15-20 canapés per person. Large bowls also work well. Slice a ham to serve with buns and lots of seasonings (you can even add a festive hot sauce or two). A large fish or cottage pie works if you portion it out onto side dishes.

GET COZY

The best Christmas parties are the ones where people can barely move without stepping on someone’s toes. He forces people into conversation, and the punching and shoving makes everyone relax. A large ballroom for ten will not work. In the worst case, put them in the kitchen.

GET HELP

Point it out to a local cafe staff member or younger student brother. At the very least, ask a trusted friend who is good at socializing to help you fill the glasses.

LET THE PARTY BEGIN

As tempting as those CDs of Christmas carols are, choose music like Frank Sinatra’s Songs for Swinging Lovers, Kylie, and The Best of the 80s. You’re not trying to win an iPod Mix of the Year award, but rather looking for music that makes toes wiggle and hips sway without them even realizing it.

Call me a killjoy, but Mrs. Claus’s reindeer antlers and polyester aprons are out!