In an ideal world our Christmas shopping would take place on picturesque Dickensian cobbled streets, with snow gently falling.

We'd happily wander through pretty shops, where service would come with a smile, and the streets would be filled with the sound of carol singers and the aroma of roasting chestnuts. "Merry Christmas!" we'd call to each other as we gathered our shopping.

In reality, of course, it's a case of elbowing your way through crowds in soulless shopping centres, tripping over pushchairs and trying to keep a lid on your mood as mild irritation spills over into blind fury.

Tired old Christmas songs are piped into the air, quick-tempered shop assistants snap at you, your legs ache as you stand in queues for an eternity and of course you can never find exactly what you're looking for anyway.

Everyone around you is as stressed out as you are and you can't wait to go home so you end up buying any old rubbish just to put an end to the whole miserable experience.

Take a deep breath and relax Christmas shopping needn't be so stressful.

Home shopping parties have undergone a revolution in recent years. Thirty years ago it was all Tupperware and Pippa Dee, but now home shopping offers everything from underwear to face lifts.

It's all a far cry from the 1970s when women gathered in each others' homes for drinks, nibbles and animated chatter about plastic kitchen containers. Husbands were packed off to the pub or banished to the garden shed. A Tupperware party was considered no place for a man.

But times have changed - and so have the items being passed around at home-selling parties. These days you're more likely to find women trying on lingerie, giggling over sex toys or trying out Botox in the comfort of their living-rooms. You can even have cookery demonstrations by chefs in your own kitchen.

Whether it's Tupperware, Virgin Vie or The Body Shop at Home, there's something primal about a bunch of women bonding over slipper socks, foot scrubs, lipsticks and labour-saving kitchen devices, with the added bonus of getting through several bottles of wine and a mountain of cheese nibbles.

And younger females are getting in on the act too, with sleepover parties and pampering sessions for pre-teens becoming increasingly popular.

Home parties are more successful than ever, with thousands held in the UK every week and the focus is evolving.

Hannah Cygan-Wrobleski of Brighouse transforms ordinary living rooms into sumptuous boudoirs with displays of cushions, candles, bed linen, table runners, handbags, ceramics, jewellery boxes, vases, pyjamas, even Panama hats.

As a consultant for Halo Living, Hannah travels the country holding home parties with a difference. Launched by furniture company Halo, the home accessories range includes goods sourced from around the world, from Thai silk throws to Morrocan-style lanterns.

"The home environment is the best place to showcase the products," says Hannah. "You get an idea of how something might look in your own home.

"Gone are the days when home-selling parties were just about the consultant standing at the front demonstrating and selling things.

"I try and turn it into more of an experience; I involve everyone in discussions about what looks good, what colours work well together and what would go well in certain rooms. Guests have ten minutes to use my box of goodies' to create a new look in their room with our accessories.

"Partygoers can release their creative flair. Many have never realised they can be so good at interior design. And I'm there to offer tips in interiors which always goes down well.

"By passing goods around, people can feel different textures and see how, say, a throw might look together with a particular cushion. I set fun quizzes and colour co-ordination challenges that people can do together, it's an informal way of involving everyone. It's a personalised interior design service and a sensory home party experience."

The home accessories include Thai silk throws and cushions made from a 100-year-old pattern passed down through a family, Panama hats made using traditional techniques native to Equador, and cushions and towels embroidered with Swarovski crystals.

"Interiors are about personalising your home with items so it makes sense to see them in a home environment first," says Hannah. "The Halo Night In' party concept helps people furnish their homes with often limited edition accessories like faux fur cushions, handwoven throws and baby gifts."

Suzanne Johns recently held a Halo Living party at her Gomersal home. "It's years since I've had a home party but this appealed because the products are just the sort of things I'd want for my home," she says. "It was a nice social occasion for family and friends. With so many gorgeous products laid out on my mantelpiece, dining table and around the room - and benefiting from Hannah's advice - we found ourselves getting plenty of Christmas shopping done!

"Seeing the products arranged at home, rather than on a department store shelf, gave a much better feel for how you can enhance your home.

"I'm not the world's greatest shopper, but when shopping is accompanied by a glass of wine, banter with friends and one-to-one advice it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience!"

For Hannah, 30, the consultant role fits in with life as a busy mum. "I work around my son's school day and have time to spend with my husband while co-ordinating parties on a national level," she says. "I'd worked in sales and after having Alekzander, who's now four, I was looking for something more flexible. The party planning experience needed a revamp, I think people will grasp this with open arms."

Hannah is seeking new consultants, who she trains in their homes. "There's an entrepreneurial aspect, with opportunities to develop a network and build your own team. Bookings tend to come at parties, it's an organic process," she says.

Hannah pooled her party planning experience with the interior design expertise of Kate Hardcastle, marketing director for Halo, who sources products around the world.

"I remember as a child making silver foil hedgehogs' covered in cheese cubes on sticks for my mum's Tupperware parties. This home accessories concept is a world away from that," says Kate.

"There's nothing else like it. It's a party concept created and developed on friendship and passion for style here in Yorkshire."

  • For more information call 0845 850 4256, visit www.haloliving.co.uk or e-mail: nightin@haloliving.co.uk