It's your birthday, so why not turn your home into the ultimate party venue? Create various zones — using twinkling fairy lights, a hired-in glitter-ball or light projector and some party classics on the stereo, you can turn your lounge into a dance floor. Your dining room can be transformed into a chill-out zone by laying down some giant scatter cushions, lots of candles and some ambient tunes. Fairy lanterns, comfy deck chairs and a friend or hired musician strumming on a guitar, and your garden is a mini-festival.

At home, you have none of the dress restrictions you might find in a pub, restaurant or club, so your party can be as relaxed or as dressy an occasion as you want it to be. Absolutely anything goes — whether you want your guests to turn up in cocktail frocks and killer heels, or surf shorts and flip-flops — it’s your call. If your cream carpets or your wooden floors are your pride and joy, but you don’t want your guess to think you're a fusspot, you could give your party a "barefoot hippy" theme and ask people to remove their shoes at the front door.

Music is vital to create the party vibe, and at home you can entirely control the playlist. Put a trusted friend in charge of the stereo (preferably one who shares your taste in music), and have your party tunes lined up in advance — just make sure you "edit" anything too embarrassing from your CD collection, the last thing you want is all your guests knowing about your youthful passion for Chesney Hawkes.

To break the ice with your guests, put a sticker on everyone’s back when they arrive, then have them find their partner (e.g. Mickey and Minnie, Ant and Dec). And for later on, there are few sights more entertaining than a roomful of inebriated grown-ups trying to play Twister.

If money is no object, splash out and hire in professional caterers to do the cooking, serving and (best of all) washing up. For novelty value, ask them to make miniature versions of British favourites like fish and chips or roast beef and Yorkshire pud. Or, if you are on a budget, try the deli counter at your local supermarket. Many have a party catering service producing trays of reasonably priced canapés that you order in advance. If you really want to impress, you could always tell people you made them yourself.

Once again, it's your home so anything goes. Make a huge vat of mulled wine for a winter warmer, or jugs of Pimm’s for a balmy, summer evening. If it's a do at home, most people will bring a bottle, so you can concentrate your time and budget on providing classy extras — mix crème de cassis with champagne to make Kir Royales, or buy some tiny jelly moulds and make vodka jellies. Fill giant bins or even your bath with cold water and ice cubes to get those drinks properly cold.

1.	Happy Birthday / Stevie Wonder
2.	In Da Club / 50 Cent
3.	Birthday / The Sugarcubes
4.	It’s My Party / Cindy Lauper
5.	Atmosphere / Russ Abbott
6.	When I’m 64 / The Beatles
7.	Take Your Mama / Scissor Sisters
8.	My Doorbell / The White Stripes
9.	Fight for Your Right / Beastie Boys
10.	Disco 2000 / Pulp

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