After weeks of planning, you’re ready for your holiday get-together. Your home reflects every last detail on your mood board. Your bar is stocked, and the menu that you’ve carefully planned is ready to go. You even had time to get your hair done. But have you thought about the music?
Music is a crucial — and often overlooked — detail for any gathering. While you might be tempted to hit start on a seasonal playlist on your favorite streaming service, don’t. Instead, block out the time to craft your own soundtrack. This personalized touch will lend itself to a more meaningful and memorable time for you and your guests.
I’ve spent many years working as a DJ in Los Angeles and have played everything from bars and dance clubs to weddings and birthday parties. While the specific music changes from gig to gig, the way I select the songs doesn’t — and it’s the same method you should use when making your playlist. Follow these tips, and your holiday party playlist will sparkle.
Know your vibe
A vibe isn’t a theme or aesthetic. It’s how you want people to move through the space and interact with one another. If you’re throwing a backyard party with room to dance, select songs that will encourage grooving. Dancing probably isn’t an option inside a small upstairs apartment, but you should provide enough of a mood to keep people energized and mingling. Conversely, for a low-key cookie exchange or sit-down meal, you and your guests will benefit from quieter songs and slower beats, which add to the ambience without overpowering conversations.
Embrace your audience
DJs make song selections based on how people react to what’s playing at the moment. Because you’re making a playlist, you’ll have to anticipate how guests might respond to the music. However, you have an advantage in that you actually know the people at your own party. Take that into consideration.
Are the bulk of your guests open to unfamiliar music, or will they complain if you play songs that they haven’t committed to memory? If they’re musically adventurous, that’s fantastic. Put together a playlist that will keep them Shazaming. If your guests have much narrower tastes than your own, you can still surprise them. Look for cover versions and edits of familiar songs as well as tracks with instantly recognizable samples to keep everyone happy.
Also, be mindful of song content. If there are young children or people who are easily offended by profanity or explicit sex and drug references present at your party, search for clean versions or radio edits of songs that might otherwise be too racy.
Build energy
The first hour of your playlist is when guests will arrive, so the music should be welcoming. Avoid playing your highest-energy selections at this time. Instead, cultivate a more relaxed atmosphere while people are settling into your home or event space.
Pick up the pace slightly in the second hour. You’re likely to have late arrivals and people who will still be catching up with one another. Then, move into songs that are a bit more familiar to the crowd, like minor hits from artists you love and covers of well-known songs.
Drop in bangers
Your party should be in full swing by the middle of the playlist, so work in those hits. If there are specific songs that always make you and your pals run out to the dance floor, place them here. If you have a few lesser-known upbeat tunes that you want to play, sandwich them in between the ones people know.
If dancing is not on your itinerary, you’ll still want to hold all the crowd-pleasers for the middle of the playlist. This is to maximize the energy in the room and keep people engaged with their surroundings so that they don’t bail early.
Sprinkle in seasonal tunes
Treat seasonal tunes like, well, seasoning, and add them in to taste. If you and your guests love holiday music, there’s nothing wrong with building an entire playlist of festive jams. If you, like me, feel as if you’re trapped inside a Black Friday sale whenever you’re bombarded with carols and winter love songs, then pick out a few that don’t fill you with dread, and pepper them throughout the playlist.
Holiday music should make sense in the context of your playlist. If you’ve made an indie, ethereal, or dream-pop playlist, check out Cocteau Twins’ version of “Frosty the Snowman,” Low’s 1999 EP Christmas, and Saint Etienne’s compilation album A Glimpse of Stocking. If you’re in a yacht rock mood, consider songs from Christmas Portrait by the Carpenters. And if you and your pals have been obsessing over Kate Bush since the last season of Stranger Things, track down her song “Home for Christmas.”
There are loads of holiday playlists to get you started, but do your own digging too. Check out new releases like “Groovy Xmas” by the Linda Lindas, a great choice if you’re on a pop-punk kick, and “Los Chrismos” by instrumental party music band Los Bitchos, which could work well with multiple styles of music.
Compilation albums are incredibly valuable here. Seek the Trojan Christmas Box Set for reggae and ska, Soul Christmas for vintage 1960s tunes, and the A Very Special Christmas series for ’80s and ’90s throwbacks.
Use music to wind down
Once you hit the middle of the playlist, maintain that energy until it’s time for goodbyes. About 20 minutes before you want everyone out the door, slow down the music. Work in the sad holiday songs. (Wham’s “Last Christmas” is a given, but maybe try Future Islands’ cover if you want something a little different.) Pick out something special for the final song, such as your favorite carol or something sentimental for your guests.
Always source extra music
If you’re planning a four-hour get-together, make a playlist that’s at least five hours long. Schedule all the extra songs after the third-hour mark. If guests stay longer than expected, you’ll have music to keep them excited until you’re ready to skip forward to the last 20 minutes of the playlist.
Check your gear
Avoid using your phone to play music, as you might have to respond to calls or texts from guests. Stick with a TV, tablet, or computer, if possible. Make sure your devices are in working order, fully charged, and connecting properly to the speakers you’re using. Set up near an outlet in case you need to plug in anything while the music is playing. Keep your chargers nearby.
If your playlist is entirely on a streaming service, be sure that your subscription is up to date because commercials or other interruptions are a total vibe killer. Offline playback features can come in handy if you have issues with Wi-Fi. Once you’re set up, hit play and enjoy. You deserve it.
Liz Ohanesian is a Los Angeles-based DJ and writer who has contributed to LA Weekly, Good, Village Voice, Playboy, and Los Angeles magazine.
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