Party season is upon us once more. If you’re planning on hosting a festive dinner party in the run up to Christmas, now’s the time to get thinking how you can make it really shine. From deciding on a theme to changing up your aperitif, here’s our guide to throwing a dinner party with a difference.
While full-on costume parties might not be your thing, having a theme for your Christmas dinner party, however minimal, can be a fun way to set the tone and get everyone talking to one another. From festive jumpers to favourite fictional characters – or something a little more highbrow, like a reference to a news story from the past year – having a theme for your party will ensure there’s a common ground between your guests, whether or not they know one another.
For inspiration, look to the stars: a browse of photos from the many extravagant nights at former New York nightclub Studio 54, which once even saw the dance floor transformed into a farm for Dolly Parton, will show you themed nights (and 70s fashion) at their best. As impossible to recreate as these glossy nights are, the photos provide a fun place to begin brainstorming your party theme.
The number one rule with throwing a themed party is ensuring your guests are 'in the know' and on the same page as to what's required of them effort wise. No one wants to turn up to a party in a full-on elf costume, only to realise others interpreted the theme to mean adding a touch of sparkle to their outfit. For professional help – particularly if you're throwing a party outside your home – look to specialist party planners like Eventa.
Hosting a Christmas dinner party is the perfect opportunity to show off your home in all its festive glory, from the tree to dining table. To go above and beyond, head to your favourite florist and see what they stock by way of winter foliage, then scatter surfaces and pin doorways with this.
If you have enough time, you could book yourself onto a Christmas wreath-making class to personalise your door and make sure it looks just as you want it. We also recommend finding some classy-yet-unusual festive lights to hang – such as Graham & Green’s light-up 3D star. Finally, set your table of dreams and finish it off with tip-top Christmas crackers – here’s our selection of this year’s best.
Who doesn’t love it when one of their all-time favourite songs comes on at a party? But rather than sending out a hen party-esque request for tunes from your guests – leaving you the task of working out how to transition from Drake to Diana Ross in a playlist – why not make things more fun by asking each of your attendees to research which song was number one in the charts when they turned 18 years old? Then add the bizarre assortment you end up with to your playlist – it’s bound to get everyone laughing.
Alternatively, look to a palatable, easy listening playlist likely to appease all tastes – if you're stuck for inspiration, try our current favourite, Spotify's French Chill playlist.
Serving something besides the usual glass of bubbly is a tasteful way to set your Christmas dinner party apart. For example, find a recipe for an all-palates-pleasing cocktail, orswap your go-to bottle of champagne for Crémant – now deemed a fashionable alternative.
Garnishing your cocktails is another sure-fire way to make them more exciting to the eye. No, we’re not talking umbrellas or candied cherries; instead, look to dehydrated fruit, Himalayan rock salt or light-up ice cubes to jazz up your drinks the fashionable way. Or, do it like the experts; London's number one mixologist Ryan 'Lyan' Chetiyawardana has generously shared three festive cocktail recipes with Fortnum & Mason, including his refined Golden Hamper. For tipples with a tailored twist, Mr Lyan's selection has you covered.
Although creating place names in gorgeous calligraphy is a lovely touch, your guests will undoubtedly have sat down to similar name cards countless times before. Instead, use your place settings as an opportunity to do something a little bit different. In need of some inspiration? Personalised gingerbread men bearing the name of the intended guest, and miniature ‘drink me’ bottles with a shot-sized concoction have won us points in the past. If you go with the latter, make sure you prepare non-alcoholic equivalents for guests who might not be drinking.
To get creative with a guided hand, look to the Barbican Centre, Petersham Nurseries or Bread Ahead, each of which offers fun, creative courses in the run up to Christmas. Here's our round-up of the best.
Once seated, get the table talking by orchestrating a blind taste test. We suggest doing this with an unusual variety of wine, such as From Sunday ‘skins’, Pinot Gris – which looks like a red wine but is made from a white wine grape. To ensure you really know your wines and are on top of the ins and outs of running a taste test, why not book a tasting night with Vignette Wines, a new company offering first-rate, multi-sensory wine tasting experiences.
On the night, supply each of your guests with a blindfold (you could use eye masks here) then hand each of them a glass of the wine and ask them to guess whether they’re drinking a red or white wine. It’s an ice breaker that will leave them bonded, baffled and impressed when they remove their masks.
‘What do you do for a living?’ and ‘Where did you grow up?’ are notorious textbook dinner party topics that guests who don’t know one other resort to. Instead of leaving the table to it, take the conversation into your own hands at your dinner party and open up a topic everyone can get involved with. One of our favourites at this time of year is to get everyone around the table to reflect back on their highlight from the last year, then look forward and tell the room about a plan for the year ahead that they are most looking forward to.
A slightly more wicked alternative – and best enjoyed in a well-acquainted group – is to play ‘Rose and Thorn’, whereby each guest reveals who their rose of the last year was (someone who has been a real asset in their life), then who their thorn was (you’ve guessed it, a real pain). Meanwhile, if you and your guests are keen puzzlers, this is your chance to discover a new board game together. (Code Names and The Resistance are two relatively new favourites of the CW team.)
It might sound obvious, but if conversation around the dinner table still ends up dispersing into pockets, try changing up where people are sitting to allow different guests a chance to speak to one another. Most hosts put thought into who they sit next to who – dinner parties, after all, are a chance to introduce friends from different circles who you think would get on – but just in case you sense some boredom (or tension) in the air, it’s in your power to change things up.
So, how best to achieve this without resorting to a nightmarish round of musical chairs? Fundamentally, don't leave your guests seated for too long. Whether you orchestrate a round of drinks standing in the kitchen or move things to the sitting room and invite guests to get comfy, it'll provide them a chance to sit next to a new companion and ensure you get to work your way around the group and catch up with who you want to.
Tarot cards have become all the rage again, with readings becoming a popular form of dinner party entertainment. If you’re looking to insert some magic into the evening, hire a psychic tarot reader who can set up their cards in a quiet space outside the dining room. Willing guests can take it in turns to leave the table for a quick reading.
As enjoyable and rewarding as they often are, dinner parties can be time consuming (and expensive) to host. And who doesn’t love a hack to make the organising easier? To relieve some of the stress, you could make a game out of outsourcing that final, coveted course – the cheese board – to your guests. Instead of asking them to bring a bottle, suggest each person or couple brings the cheese they believe resembles them best. It’s sure to generate some final laughs (and surprises), and will allow you to stay in charge of which wines are served, and when, throughout the night.
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