Nothing says Christmas quite like being stocked up on wine and spirits! Create your own bar area at home by using an antique display cabinet or a vintage sideboard to store everything you need. Display sparkling glassware behind glazed doors. Leave room on table top for your selection of drinks - your guests will appreciate a wide selection to choose from! Have some mulled wine or cider warming through on the stove for guests who'd prefer a warm tipple.

Vintage ice buckets are a great addition to any bar area and will save you running to the freezer for each drink. Use vintage bowls to store lemons, limes, olives, and other festive bits to add to your guests glasses.  Vintage and mid century drinks trolleys are also fantastic for serving guests and can be wheeled to the most convenient position. 

When it comes to glassware, go the whole hog with your drinks, and decant spirits into some beautiful vintage glass decanters.  Use festive greenery, candlelight and strategically placed lamps or fairy lights to create ambience (it'll make your glassware twinkle for a real Christmas feel!). Aim to have a wide selection of glasses available, or you'll not have enough and many find yourself washing up throughout the party! You'll want to have some wine glasses, tumblers, perhaps some shot glasses and champagne flutes for toasting. We have some lovely glass cocktail stirrers available online as well as a collection of vintage plastic cocktail stirrers.

Vintage platters are perfect for parties. With enough space to serve a variety of canapes and hors d'oeuvres, it'll give you time to enjoy the party rather than constantly restocking the food. Think party food on skewers for a simple and easy way to serve guests. Choose sweet fruit skewers with drizzled chocolate, or savoury skewers with marinated chicken and roasted vegetables for some easy choices. We like to use small glass dishes and sectional vintage nibbles trays, in either stainless steel or wood.

If you don't want to overdo it on the decorating front, go for quite simple Christmas decorations. Nice touches around the room should be plenty, as you'll need space for your delicious party food. Try using vintage glass bowls or vases filled with candles or white fairy lights for a little sparkle around the room. You could use glass decanters filled with tiny copper string lights for something different. Sprigs of holly, poinsettias, and mistletoe all create that Christmas warmth we all know and love. All of these work well as table decorations and centrepieces if you are using a dining table to serve your food. Of course, you could just opt for a huge real Christmas tree and decorate it beautifully!

Music should be top of the list at any Christmas party! You'll find lots of ready made Christmas playlists online, packed with the well known Christmas sing-a-long tunes. Keep your festive celebration upbeat with some Wizzard and Slade, and crank up the volume! (We suggest you invite the neighbours too!). If you prefer a quiet, traditional gathering, add Christmas carols and traditional festive songs to your playlist for a softer, mellow evening. Have a few party games up your sleeve if things get a little quiet. 

Remember to have fun! It's easy to forget to have fun when you're responsible for entertaining. Don't get stressed out. No-one will remember if your food was slightly overcooked, no-one will notice if you didn't get round to putting up as many decorations as you planned to. What they will remember is a fabulous host that gave them a night full of fun!