Hosting
How to Host a Christmas Party in London: A Host's Guide
The format that works, the menu that delivers, the playlist that lands — a complete guide to hosting an unforgettable Christmas party at home in London.
A proper Christmas party in London runs to a clear shape: drinks, a sit-down supper, coffee and pudding elsewhere, taxis by midnight. This is a host's guide to doing it properly — not a corporate function or generic "festive drinks", but the kind of evening guests talk about until next December.
The format that always works
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6:30pm | Drinks, standing, with canapés |
| 8:00pm | Sit-down supper, three courses, six to twelve people |
| 10:30pm | Coffee, brandy and pudding, in another room |
| Midnight | Taxis |
Three rooms used in sequence, with a clear shape to the evening — drinks in the drawing room, dinner in the dining room, coffee back in the drawing room or a study. If you have a single open-plan space, keep the same shape and reset the room between stages.
How many people
- 6–8 — intimate, conversational, easiest to host.
- 10–12 — the sweet spot: enough energy for a real party, still a single conversation possible at the table.
- 14+ — two conversations, two waiters, a different kind of party.
- 20+ — standing-only drinks, no sit-down, different planning altogether.
For a first attempt, 8–10 is ideal.
The invitations
Send paper, by post, in the first week of November — the difference between a party people remember to come to and one that becomes a WhatsApp problem. Thick card, embossed if you can stretch to it, name, date, address and dress code, reply by paper or email.
- Where to order
- Smythson, Liberty, Mount Street Printers, Papyrus, or any local stationer
- Cost
- £80–£200 for 30 cards
The dress code
Pick one and put it on the invitation:
- Cocktail — men in suits, women in cocktail dresses.
- Black tie — the showstopper, only for big-occasion parties.
- Festive — smart, with a touch of seasonal colour, no novelty jumpers.
- Smart casual — only if you really mean it; otherwise it confuses people.
A clear dress code raises the whole evening's energy.
The drinks
Choose one signature opening drink, pre-poured on a tray so the first drink is never a question:
- English sparkling wine (Nyetimber, Chapel Down).
- Champagne cocktails (sugar cube, Angostura, brandy, topped with champagne).
- Negronis at room temperature, in small glasses.
- A small, properly chilled glass of Manzanilla sherry.
A proper bar also needs a non-alcoholic option (Seedlip and tonic with lime is the modern standard), still and sparkling water, table wine (one white, one red, a bottle per two guests), port for cheese, and brandy or whisky for after dinner.
The canapés
Three canapés, served in sequence over 90 minutes, is enough: smoked salmon blini with crème fraîche and dill; mini Yorkshire puddings with rare beef and horseradish; Stilton and walnut shortbread with honey. Make in advance, plate as guests arrive, walk the room with one platter at a time.
The dinner
Don't serve Christmas dinner — your guests have eaten or are about to eat several. Pick a Christmas-adjacent menu instead.
- Starter
- Smoked haddock chowder, or twice-baked cheese soufflé
- Main
- Slow-roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary potatoes, or beef Wellington with horseradish sauce
- Pudding
- Sticky toffee pudding with brandy butter, or sherry trifle
Follow with a proper cheeseboard in the drawing room, port, a fig and a small pile of biscuits. Mince pies appear at coffee, not dessert.
The room
The single biggest factor in how a party feels is the lighting:
- Overhead lighting off completely, always.
- Lamps on at low brightness in every corner of every room.
- Candles everywhere — tealights on the mantelpiece, pillars on the table, tapers in candelabra, a real fire if you have one.
- String lights woven into garlands on the mantelpiece, bannister and windows.
- The tree lit properly, warm white only.
A house lit this way is a different house: every conversation feels longer, every photograph looks like a film still.
The music
A pre-built playlist, low volume, no skips, six hours minimum so cycling isn't noticed. Mix classic crooners (Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald), acoustic Christmas (Sufjan Stevens, Norah Jones) and a few jazz instrumentals. Avoid novelty hits, contemporary pop Christmas, and anything that demands attention — music sets the volume of conversation.
The first impression
The departure
Have cab numbers programmed. Walk every guest to the door. Press a small parcel into their hand on the way out — a single homemade mince pie in waxed paper, a tiny jar of chutney, or a candle. Cost: a few pounds per guest. Memory: lasts.
The day after
Send a paper note the next morning to every guest — three lines: "Loved having you. Loved that story about [thing]. Happy Christmas." Nobody else does this, and everyone remembers the host who does.
Make your front door the moment the party begins. Request a Christmas lighting quote →
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