Eat, drink and be merry. It’s a phrase which never fails to conjure up magical images of a picture-perfect Christmas.

Snow covered roofs, nativity scenes, Father Christmas, reindeer and piles of perfectly-wrapped presents all form an essential part of our happy childhood memories.

Even now, the chance to forget about work, spend some quality time with our families and enjoy our favourite foods and drinks is what make Christmas time extra special.

But if you’re planning to enjoy the festivities by inviting over your family and friends for a Christmas get together, there are some simple steps you can take to make your life easier – and a lot more enjoyable.

1 Prepare your festive food in advance

Planning ahead always pays off. So, why not come up with a Christmas-themed menu which can be finished long before the arrival of your first guests? Serve it from the centre of the dining table as a buffet and you can then spend more time getting ready to ensure you look your best. It may not work for Christmas Day, but that would spoil all of the fun anyway!

2 Give your guests fridge access

Serving drinks all the time can be an energy sapper, particularly if you’re planning to invite a lot of guests to your party. Get rid of the stress by removing the process altogether - and tell everyone to help themselves. Sounds simple, but you’d be amazed how few people actually do it!

3 Let ‘Secret Santa’ take the stress out of buying presents

If you’ve got a big family or group of friends, you’ll know how difficult and time-consuming it can be to buy presents for all of them. Not to mention stressful! Eradicate all of those issues by agreeing to take part in a ‘Secret Santa’ and set a spending limit. This way everyone involved only buys one present, saving precious time and money.

4 Get some special ‘spare’ dining chairs

Ever been to a dinner party and ended up sitting on a ‘spare’ dining chair which is wobbly, worn out and old? Make sure that doesn’t happen when you stage your Christmas cracker by getting prepared well in advance. Take a look at our dining chairs collection today and find an affordable solution for every budget.

5 Make more room for your guests

Getting everyone around the dinner table can sometimes be a bit of a tough task, but it always makes for a better dinner party if you can manage to pull it off. Why not guarantee a seat for all your guests and buy an extending dining table that will prove its value every Christmas?

6 Invest in some luxury leather dining chairs

Everyone deserves something special at Christmas time and nothing says luxurious more than stylish leather dining chairs. Combine this with a beautifully laid Christmas table to create a picture perfect set up.