How to host the perfect Friendsmas

Friendsmas is all about celebrating the joy of your chosen family

Hopefully, Christmas for you means love, nostalgia, and lashings of all your favourite food. But let’s be honest, it can also come with its fair share of stress—awkward conversations, family politics, and the pressure to make everything perfect. As research by Aperol shows, Friendsmas, by contrast, offers the antidote to the hustle and expectations, so you can bring together the people who truly get you—your chosen family.

Friendsmas isn’t just 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 showing gratitude for the friendships that make life brighter and braver and giving them the romance they deserve. So often we save the best—the metaphorical silverware, if you will—for our partners, parents, even our work colleagues, while the people who most loyally and fiercely show up for us get short shrift.

Friendsmas isn’t about tradition or some sense of obligation, it’s about romanticising your life and understanding that love, connection and a sense of belonging can come from many places.

Unlike Christmas, which is so often beholden to traditions, Friendsmas is flexible. One of the joys of Friendsmas is that it doesn’t need to follow the formalities of traditional holiday hosting giving you room to experiment and get playful. Of course, that freedom can in itself be overwhelming, which is why I spoke to self-confessed “dinner party obsessed London girlie” Matilda Bea to get her top hosting tips.

Matilda Bea’s 7 Tips for Hosting Friendsmas

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.