The holiday season is party season – as soon as the nights get longer we take full advantage and cram the lead-up to the holidays (Christmas, Hannukah, Festivus, your choice here) with events, parties, cocktails….here are some tips and tricks for making your very own party the buzz of the season:

The prep – setting the scene

A good party stimulates all five senses – those being sight, sound, taste, touch, smell.

Allison Straker of the party planning company, Cry If I Want To suggests keeping these five elements in mind: “Offer nice decor and well presented food (sight); great drinks and delicious food (taste), background music and stimulating conversation (sound), scent of great food, (smell), and comfortable seating so your guests feel at home no matter where the party is held (touch).”

Easier said than done? Not really – an armload of pine boughs and dogwood in a large vase, perhaps with small oranges inside, will take care of sight and smell requirements; if yours is a cocktail party light a gorgeously scented candle about half and hour before the guests arrive.

“Make sure party prep is finished at least an hour or two early so you have time to relax and get ready before your guests arrive,” says Straker. You want to have a great time at the party, too

The list

When it comes to invites keep it interesting. One avid party-goer suggests including a few “frenemies” to the list – saying a little tension and intrigue is good for a party. Or, add a surprise guest or two. Should Santa arrive? Diana Ross? (in full Supremes drag)?
Do not stress arrival time on your invitations. This way your guests will trickle in at different times and those who are often running late do not have to feel pressured.

The look

Think glamour, think drama!

One friend laid strings of twinkling party lights around the perimeter of the room – a little tricky if the layout is such people will step on them, this is NOT the kind of excitement you want.

The season is really a festival of lights regardless of your religion, belief system or inclination so use the motif to advantage. Dozens of white candles might be pretty, tinsel on the house plants, fairy lights festooning the staircase – well, you get the idea.

And, be lavish with flowers or pine boughs. Make a statement!

Food & drink

We love to greet our guests at the door with a tray full of champagne, or frozen vodka shots, or a signature cocktail – all accompanied with a delicious non-alcoholic option for the designated drivers or teetotalers.

Dimi Lezinska, the global brand ambassador for Grey Goose vodka, greets his guests with a delicious – and beautiful – “amuse-bouche” of a drink: “I buy plenty of fresh passion fruit cut them in half, add Grey Goose L’Orange and a little caster sugar on top. They are delicious and a bit unusual.” Once guests have arrived he also proposes a toast and ensures there is great music playing.

When it comes to food, be creative and keep it easy and simple! “I always like to include a pretty or unusual container — fruit on a skewer in a shot glass with a yogurt dip is great, and you eat with your eyes before the food even gets into your mouth,” says Straker.

Food can be as simple or complicated as you are comfortable with – there’s nothing wrong with President’s Choice or equivalent, or a huge platter of smoked salmon and the fixings, with a non-vegetarian option like a huge bowl of hummus and bread. Philippe Starck, the designer of gorgeous products and, as it happens, hotels and restaurants, is known for his “appetizer” platters – huge rounds of Parmesan, a full Prosciutto and sharp knives so your guests can slice at will.

Most of the year we would suggest coming up with a theme for your menu – Mad Men perhaps, with canap�s, dry Martinis, Old Fashioneds and the like – but at this time of year just lavish your guests with whatever is delicious, the season is the theme.

The UK event planners Banana Split, known for throwing parties for such experts as Simon Cowell (they oversaw his 50th birthday party) also often uses food to entertain and delight – at one event they offered caviar on ice “plates”; at Cowell’s they offered fish and chips, a great contrast to the flashy, fabulous crowd.

The closer

To end the night with delight, Straker suggests giving your guests something to bring home, like a treat bag for adults. “Give them a crafty little takeaway that’s personal to them – fill a takeout container with candies and decorate it with their initials”

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