It's party season, and isn't it time you hosted one yourself, instead of waiting for invitations to other people's?

After all, your party will probably be the best you've ever been to -- at least it will be with a bit of planning.

Your first priority should be a good mix of people. It's tempting to stick with your own age group or your friends from just one of the social groups in which you circulate, but that would reduce the occasion to just another social evening for that particular collection of friends.

By bringing strands of your life together you increase the sense of occasion and give people opportunities to make new friends.

It's crucial that you encourage people to mingle, and you can do that surreptitiously by casually inviting individuals to help serve drinks or circulate with plates of canaps. Don't make a big deal of it -- a low-key request from a grateful host is often hard to refuse.

Another way to get things moving is to have a welcoming game that encourages people to meet and at least get to know the names of some of their fellow guests.

A straightforward picture quiz, with images placed around the various rooms, forces people to move around rather than sitting or standing defensively in one spot.

It's likely that they will discuss what they're doing with other guests who happen to be struggling with the picture of a face from TV or the news who they think they know but can't quite place.

Another option is to hand each guest a piece of paper with a few clues to the identity of a famous person, who they then pretend to be. Once they've discovered who they are, they then have to find that person's famous partner, so for example you could have Ant looking for Dec.

The trick is that once they've worked out who they are, they then have to offer clues to other guests rather than say outright who they are, and eke out the identity of other people as they seek their partner.

That also prolongs conversation and forces people to be a little more adventurous in mixing.

When everyone is mixing well and enjoying themselves they might be receptive to a few rounds of pass the parcel -- with forfeits, of course, including such outrageus tasks as applying a face mask or using a mild leg-waxer, gargling a famous song with a throat full of water or reciting a verse or line of poetry they might have learned at school and which has stuck in their mind.

Another golden rule for a great Christmas party is to insist that people make an effort with their appearance.

It adds to the occasion if people are wearing smart shoes instead of trainers, and if jeans are left behind in favour of smarter casual clothes.

It just makes everyone feel good about going out, and a bit of sparkle and glitz always raises the bar at Christmas time.

In the same way you should make an effort with your home, so suitable lighting and decorations are essential.

Dim the lights, put up fairy lights, light some scented candles in safe locations, and drape chiffon over curtain poles or other fixtures to convert your lounge from a functional room to one with a mysterious ambience.

As far as drinks and food go, try and avoid placing a bar' in the kitchen.

Once people drift out there to top up the glasses or grab a bite to eat, you're going to lose them for the evening, and the main room at the heart of the party can feel deserted And don't become a slave to the party as host. You're there to enjoy yourself, too, so try to minimise the amount of work you'll be doing while your guests are there.

For example, if you're serving mulled wine, prepare it in advance and have some in festively decorated flasks so it stays hot and so that you don't have to keep going out to prepare more.

For food, keep it simple -- simple for you to prepare, and simple for guests to eat. It's far better to be circulating with plates of items that can be held and eaten without knives and forks than to have everyone sitting on the floor or perching on chairs with plates balanced precariously on their knees and using plastic condiments.

With a drink in one hand and a mini-pizza or some similar snack in the other your guests will enjoying nibbling away, so you can just keep the snacks coming, and by the time the serious dancing kicks off they'll be fully fed and ready to burn off some energy.

Champagne is a must, and with everyone hoping to get in the party mood it should flow.

You can start with a couple of good quality bottles but then move on to Cava a little later when it will be difficult for all but the most critical palate to sense the difference.

Hopefully your guests will provide a bottle each and a few cans or bottles of lager, but that should be a clear request from you when sending out the invitations -- which should be informative but fun.

Tell people the obvious information such as where, when, what time and the theme (if you have one), but invites should also include a note confirming that nibbles or snacks will be available, plus the fact that you are expecting guests to bring a bottle.

You should also suggest a time for carriages' or coffee' indicating subtly yet clearly that you don't expect people to be at your place through to the break of dawn.

Music can come in various forms. The age of the iPod means that anyone can throw together a decent selection of music to last three or four hours, but you have to be careful.

Simply putting the machine on shuffle' can be disastrous, because you can find things hotting up with a few songs that everyone knows and loves and wants to dance to, suddenly being followed by a 23-minute Pink Floyd rarity -- great for long train journeys but not ideal for your Christmas party.

Another option is to go live' with a singer or singer/keyboard combo.

That's not without its risks, but as long as you're not making the booking blind you'll be OK.

You could pop to a music bar or club and find a keyboard player or duo whose style you like.

This type of entertainer could provide a couple of marvellous dance segments and they would still be able to pop off and put in their normal evening's work, leaving you to provide the rest of the music from CD or iPod.

If the performer is able to fit you in before their normal evening gig it could help you to secure their services at a much reduced price.

Another option is to route a non-stop music TV channel through your hi-fi and project the videos on to a bare wall.

This can really crank up the feeling of having your own club at home, and it'll encourage people to dance, mimicking the videos on show.

Finally, the key is to relax and enjoy yourself. By all means keep an objective eye and ear on how things are going, but if you're fully at ease with your party, your guests will be, too.