How will you be celebrating Christmas this year? We’ll be hosting our extended family at home in London for a day filled with good food and wine.
What gift are you hoping to receive in your stocking? Rose Noir perfume by Byredo.
What is your favourite/family Christmas tradition? Creating festive paperchains out of wallpaper offcuts with the children and decorating the tree together with trinkets old and new.
Favourite festive film and song? My favourite festive film is Home Alone and song is Fairytale of New York by The Pogues.
Best place to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere? Midnight Christmas carols by candlelight at St Leonard's, Shoreditch is always magical. The beauty of the ancient church bathed in the simple light is mesmerising.
Top tip for surviving the festive season in style? Everything in moderation, including moderation!
Create a dancefloor It’s usually a good idea to have a bit of a rearrange of your space. Move your breakables. Move furniture to make room for dancing.
Preparation is key Get all the stressful work done before your guests arrive. At the beginning of a party you should be making the finishing touches, this means putting the salmon on the blinis or popping the Morello cherries into glasses. This way it looks as though everything has effortlessly come together (even if it doesn’t feel that way).
Game-free zone I’m personally not a fan of playing games at a party. If you / your guests aren’t fun enough without games, then you probably shouldn’t be having a party.
Food for thought Have plenty of food that you can bring out throughout the night. I find everyone gets a bit peckish again towards the end of a party, so I’ll make sure to keep something back for then. You don’t want to send your guests home hungry and looking for kebabs.
Look the part It always feels like more of an event when your guests are well turned out so don't feel bad about imposing a dress code or asking people to put something sparkly on. It will only add to the fun of the evening.
Tried and tested For a dinner party it’s always advisable to cook something you are familiar with and not venture into unknown territory hours before your guests arrive – no one wants a pre-meal meltdown!
Make it personal For Christmas dinner, why not suggest your guests make and bring a Christmas cracker filled with something individual and personal for a fun twist on secret Santa!
Drink up
Who doesn't love a drinks trolley? Set up a cocktail station as a go-to destination for beverages during your event. This can be a real visual treat if you can put it all together on a traditional trolley.
For today only, House of Hackney are offering 20% off everything on www.houseofhackney.com.
Please click here to discover House of Hackney's Christmas gift guide.
