Matilda Bea’s Top 7 Tips for Holiday Season Hosting

My hope for you—my Christmas wish, if you will—is that this festive season is loaded with love, plates heavy with all your favourite food, and the warming glow of nostalgia. If now isn’t the time to indulge your inner child, then I don’t know when is. What I do know is that even when you’re fortunate enough to have all the aforementioned festive fare, this time of year can also come with its fair share of stress; awkward conversations, inherited expectations, family politics, and the ever-present pressure to recreate a version of the day that may no longer fit who you are, or the life you’re living now.

Friendsmas, by contrast, offers a welcome antidote to the hustle and expectations. It’s a chance to bring together the people who truly get you, your chosen family. The friends who have held your hand through breakups and breakthroughs, who’ve seen you at your worst and loved you despite it; or if you’re really lucky, because of it. The people who make ordinary evenings feel like something worth celebrating. And yet, so often, our friends are the only people we don’t celebrate.

This is why Friendsmas is more than a celebration (though any excuse to bring your people together is worthy of pulling out all the stops, in my humble opinion): it’s an act of connection. It’s about recognising that family isn’t always defined by blood or tradition, but by consistency, care, and the people who show up again and again. It’s about giving friendships the romance they deserve. So often we save the best—the metaphorical silverware—for partners, parents, or polite dinner parties, while the friends who carry us through life get the leftovers.

So, this year, why not let Christmas honour where you are, rather than where you think you should be? Hosting is all about romanticising your life and understanding that love, belonging, and meaning can come from many places and change shape over time.

Unlike Christmas, which is so often beholden to tradition, Friendsmas is gloriously flexible. There are no rules, rigid formats, or inherited scripts to follow. No wonder that a survey from Courvoisier, found that 63% of Brits say they are trading big parties for smaller gatherings that allow for genuine connection, and 60% of hosts are rejecting the noise of sprawling guestlists so that they can actually be part of the moment themselves.

With Freindsmas, you can host a candlelit dinner or a chaotic potluck, dress up or stay in PJs, start a new ritual or scrap them all together. That freedom is part of the joy, but it can also feel a little overwhelming.

Which is why I spoke to self-confessed “dinner party obsessed London girlie” Matilda Bea to get her failsafe tips for hosting Friendsmas, or well, whatever you want. Read on for her top seven failsafe hosting tips.

Matilda Bea’s Top 7 Tips for Holiday Season Hosting

1. Give your dinner party a theme and stick to it

“This helps your guests to get a feel for the dress code and alludes to the spirit of the evening. This could be centred around something specific - such as the drink of the evening, the cuisine you are serving, or a seasonal touch. This can carry through all elements of the evening, such as bespoke menus and place cards, an easy way to make it look like you’ve gone above and beyond.”

2. Jazz up your glassware

“Jazz up your glassware with some festive garnishes or even paint your guests’ names on each glass with a semi-permanent glass pen. This avoids the age-old problem of losing your glass, as it quite literally has your name on it.”

3. Let there be light!

“Use small rechargeable table lamps, candle lanterns, or floor lamps dotted around the room to set the mood and give a warm and cosy ambience, perfect for a dark wintery night.”

4. Set up a self-serve cocktail station

“Such as an Aperol Spritz bar, this will make hosting and serving it a lot easier for you throughout the evening – print out little recipe cards in the theme of your festive party with instructions if the cocktail requires mixing.”

5. Greet each guest as they arrive

“If guests do not know each other, make thoughtful introductions. Arrange a seating plan to encourage interaction and mingling.”

6. Put ice in your sink

“This is a fun way to create a makeshift bar. For an added touch, incorporate a nod to your theme and add festive foliage or other seasonal details.”

7. Plan ahead by creating a budget and sticking to it

“Christmas time can be expensive before considering hosting, so it's important to keep your finances in mind. Create a checklist to ensure nothing is overlooked.”

Shop Festive Party Essentials

Figue 75 Winter Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients

25ml Mermaid Winter Gin

12.5ml Cointreau

Top up with Prosecco

Garnish

A twist of orange peel

Method

Pour Mermaid Winter Gin and Cointreau into a flute and top with prosecco. Finish with a twist of orange peel.