Curate a collection of songs everyone at your holiday soiree will enjoy. Here's how.

Like a bad wedding DJ, a bad party playlist can have guests wanting to make a swift exit — but a good one has the power to actually make the party. A well-planned song lineup will have guests singing and laughing and even encourage an après-feast dance session.

So, how do you make sure your party playlist isn't a flop? Follow these simple steps.

1. With your go-to music app (we love Spotify) find an oldies holiday playlist and use it to select your favourite songs to build a new playlist. Tracks by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerland and Elvis Priestly must make the cut.

2. Find a playlist with new holiday songs (or ones from your childhood) and add your top picks to your line-up. (Think more John Legend's "A Legendary Christmas" album  and less Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime.")

3. Remember the songs you and your guests loved over the decades? The ones you'd play while getting ready for a night out and sing to in the car, cruising around town? Mix them into the playlist, too—Christmas-theme not required. 

4. Round up the best songs of the year (and consider soundtracks from the year's hottest flicks) — and add those. Include new songs by artists your friends probably haven't heard of (this is where your hipster pals come in extra handy), because everyone likes to be introduced to new music.

5. Once you have about four hours worth of songs (approx. 80 songs), hit shuffle, and you're good to go.

Don't feel like building one from scratch? Just use ours, which features a roundup of winter classics, and add in your personal picks.