Christmas Party Ideas & Themes

Christmas time in London is absolutely magical; from the enormous tree in Trafalgar Square to the twinkling lights in the trees of Sloane Square, London starts to sparkle.

Notwithstanding the economic challenges, 2012 has been a magical year that has given London a much needed morale boost. So why not build on the feel-good factor of the summer and make your festive celebrations this year really memorable? Our mini-guide, which has been published in Absolutely Chelsea, is intended to fire your imagination, introduce you to some carefully curated luxuries and share ideas about how to be the perfect host.

Want to make your Christmas party stand out from the crowd? Our top tip for doing something a bit different this year is to develop a theme as a golden thread around which to develop the other elements of your party.

Unless you know what you are doing, themed parties are notoriously difficult to pull off. Many themes can seem to offer endless depth and creative possibilities only to falter upon implementation on the day. All too often we attend parties where the theme extends only as far as the guest’s fancy dress. A well-executed theme gives you a structure to guide your planning of a menu, the decoration, the drinks and the impressions you want to leave your guests with when they depart. It is those lasting memories that make your party stand out from the many we all go to in the festive season.

Developing a party around a theme does not necessarily make it more expensive, it just requires a little more thought. To get you going, let us take you on a journey through two of our most beautiful, over-looked and downright magical christmas themes.

The Nutcracker Christmas Party

The Nutcracker, brought to life by Tchaikovsky’s lovely music, is an essential part of Christmas for so many London residents, who throng to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in the first weeks of December. In the ballet Clara, who creeps downstairs at midnight, is led on a magical journey by an enchanted Nutcracker.

So, why not take your guests on a wonderful journey from your beautifully decorated living room (Act I in the ballet), through a pine forest in winter (Act II) where you serve dinner. Then onto the land of the sweets (Act III) where dessert represents the pitched battle between the Mouse King and gingerbread soldiers. If you really want to go to town on this theme, dress your staff in appropriate costumes including liveried nutcrackers, fairies and princes.

Serve your guests a specially designed Clara’s cocktail from a Russian Samovar (see recipe below designed by the head barman at The Goring).

As half of the Nutcracker takes place in the ‘Land of the Sweets’ you shouldn’t find it too hard to put together a tantalising array of sugared delights such as chocolate from Spain, sweet black Arabian coffee, candy canes from Russia and of course sugar-plums, iced snowflakes, sugar mice and gingerbread soldiers!

Think about inventive ways to serve up all of these magnificent sweets. Imagine your guests’ delight as they realise that the dessert buffet is served from your Christmas tree, with children and adults alike tussling to get to their favourites that are all lying in and amongst the branches. Although the Nutcracker is bound to conjure up images of sweets and sugared food, don’t forget to incorporate your theme throughout your savoury food as well.

Nutcracker Cocktail: The head barman at The Goring, has specifically designed a delicious Nutcracker cocktail which will get you and your guests into the Christmas spirit!

Take 25ml of Frangelico and muddle with some grated hazelnut in a cocktail shaker. Then add;

• 15ml of Kahlua

• 10ml of Creme de Cacao

• 25ml of your favourite congac

• 75ml of Double Cream

• Shake this with ice and pour into a martini glass.

• Garnish with grated hazelnuts

Enjoy!

For an alternative theme, how about another festive option:

The Three Kings Party

On the cold winter nights in London, why not take your guests on a magical sensory journey? Let them experience the sights, the sounds, the smells and tastes of the orient: Intoxicating perfumes, mystical music, dazzling colours, extraordinary culinary delights and of course, the star of Bethlehem burning bright above your party! With the Nutcracker Christmas theme we suggested that from the very start you should immerse your guests in the wonder of Clara’s world. However, with The Three Kings theme we feel you should take a different approach and steal a tip which the most exclusive party planners employ… the ‘Reveal’.

Put simply, a reveal is sudden and unexpected; the unveiling of a previously hidden area of your party. Think doors being thrown open, curtains thrown aside and lights flooding a sumptuously decorated room to gasps of delight and amazement. This all sounds very simple, in many ways it is, but it belies the artifice and careful manipulation that the great entertainers employ to astonish their guests. The level of plotting and deception is entirely up to you, but for the budding illusionists amongst you, this is how we would do it!

While we are all for creating a real surprise, it can be a very nice touch to hint at what is about to be revealed with your traditional decorations that your guests will see as they arrive. Why not create a golden frame around a television, running a carrousel of masterpiece paintings depicting the three kings. Alternatively, you could project these wonderfully coloured works onto the walls or ceilings of your ‘holding room’. Golden crowns could adorn your tree and mantelpiece and (our favourite) a guiding star above your front door, leading your guests to your party!

The beauty of a party plan that includes a reveal is that it allows you to include a theme which is so very different that you would never consider it if it meant incorporating it into your whole party. That said, if you do have the time and the space to run wild with the theme, there is nothing from stopping you from creating room after room of themed wonder! But lets just assume that you are only going to go to town in one particular room. Top of our list of recommendations would be the dining room, or at least, the room where you will be serving your food! This way you can maximise the impact, hitting all the senses. The room must stand in complete contrast to what your guests have been experiencing hitherto. Move away from Viennese delights and plant your guests firmly in the orient; Melchior’s Isfahan, Caspar’s Jodhpur, Balthazar’s Arabia.

It could seem a little tricky to marry all these themes together, but why not set your dinner in an Arabian souk or, much more fun in our opinion, in a spectacular Bedouin tent. This sets you straight away in the enthralling romance of Arabia that everyone can relate to. Against this backdrop of low Moroccan tables, satin and silk, the flicker of lanterns and the aroma of burning incense and spices, you can set aside areas for the other travelling kings, each with his own distinct style.

Melchior from Isfahan gives you heavenly blues and immutable gold; the sun and the sky reflecting off the water and mirrored in its complexity in the painted tiles. Light and space, geometric wonder and the mystical colours of Lapis Lazuli are all themes which you can use. Tables cloths with intricate patterns, long bowls of scented rose water scattered with golden petals and an awning covering the table and your guests, transporting them to a Safavid world of vaulted perfection.

Caspar from Jodhpur allows you to indulge in the opulence of the ‘Palace of Flowers’; Gold, ivory and regal blossoms stand out from the simplicity of your Persian area. Flowers should be strewn across the table and floor, drapes and textiles in sumptuous colours and textures should evoke all the glory of regal Rajasthan: Crimson, Purples and pinks, glittering jewels, plates, cutlery and ! Scented bowls of spices, sparkling lights and you really must get an elephant for two in there somewhere!

And of course, if you are feeling brave and very creative, you could try to weave some traditional decorations in and amongst your oriental dream scape: Mistletoe, holly and fir lining the ceiling and walls, alongside golden and silver pine cones. If you cant recreate a whole tent, or if you have gone for a less complex setup up, why not create the night sky on the ceiling, a projector for those with an eye for astronomical precision, or even just lights and glittering decorated stars.

While we are all for creating a real surprise, it can be a very nice touch to hint at what is about to be revealed with your traditional decorations that your guests will see as they arrive. Why not create a golden frame around a television, running a carrousel of masterpiece paintings depicting the three kings. Alternatively, you could project these wonderfully coloured works onto the walls or ceilings of your ‘holding room’. Golden crowns could adorn your tree and mantelpiece and (our favourite) a guiding star above your front door, leading your guests to your party!

One of our favourite ideas for gathering all of your guests together and making the party that little bit more interactive is the serving of crown cakes; circular cakes made up of individual buns in the shape of a crown. Three of your lucky guests will find a whole almond backed in the centre of their slices and will be crowned ‘Kings’ of the party! You should have at least three good crowns and some regal looking throws to wrap them in! For those with the space and the inclination, Camels can be hired for the evening and ridden by your guests, or maybe your newly crowned kings! Small parting gifts are a lovely way to remind your guests of the wonderful evening that they have just experienced. If presents of Gold, frankincense and myrrh seem a little over the top then why not look for copies of T S Eliot’s poem ‘The Journey of the Magi’. However, our favourite idea is to send gifts on behalf of each of guests to the children at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Food and Drinks:

Think bowls of pistachios and mulberries, flat breads yoghurts, delicate meat soup with torshi (pickles), jeweled rice, sautéed shrimps with herbs and tamarind, stuffed boned quail with rose petals. Create three bespoke cocktails, one for each king:

• Cardamom Martinis,

• Melchior’s punch, (manhattans with orange zest, barberries and rose petals)

• Dormi Jesu: Champagne, Damson Vodka, stirred and garnished with a Cinnamon Stick

For fresh non alcoholic cocktails, think of mangoes and mint and christmas lassis. These can be followed by Persian Tea and Arabian Coffee served at the low tables or heated outside areas covered in cushions, with Hookahs and Turkish cigarettes.

Entertainment:

The Three King’s theme should give you lots of inspiration when looking for entertainment at your party. All the traditional epiphany carols can be sung sweetly by choristers or even choral scholars fresh down from the hallowed halls of Oxbridge colleges! Why not engage a famous singer to give a rendition of Cornelius Christmas favourite ‘Three kings from Persian lands afar’? With your themed area however, the possibilities become a little more exotic however! Dancers in flowing silks can dazzle your guests, groups of Levantine musicians can play you songs of the desert and night sky, and actors can be engaged to give enthralling renditions of the journey of the three kings and the Christmas story.