Is this too many people for Christmas?

Thats how I feel about

We had 26 yesterday. Think there’s 20 here at various points today.

i love it and the kids all love it. I was in a quiz team last night with 2 of mine and 2 of my niblings and it was brilliant.

we all spend a lot of time together through the year and I do think that makes a difference. It’s just very natural

Of course it’s doable. Personally as a host enjoyed this year far more with half the number of people. It’s just too much and you can’t properly spend quality time with anyone or your own children.

Had 16 last year we have quite a big house. Having 8 this year has been SO much more enjoyable. Any more is just too many. Definitely best to stagger meeting up over the Christmas period if a larger family or it’s just too much work

How fabulous.
It definitely works when everyone plays a part and pulls together.
Sounds like you may have started a lovely tradition.

Good on you OP! Sounds like a fabulous day and I've loved the hosting tips and ideas on the thread. Happy Christmas:)

I've been wondering how it went

Hire a marquee for the garden with heating! Borrow paste tables / camping tables and chairs, and everyone has the fun of decorating when they get there!
Use hot pans of water on top of the stove to place plates for keeping food warm or even see if anyone has some old style hostess trolley or the table top version to help! The kids can sort the cutlery and crackers. It could be a lot of fun if done that way!
(NB As long as you don't have a wind tunnel for a garden which could turn the marquee into a sail!)

I cook Xmas dinner for 15-18 on Christmas eve. We put two tables in the large living room, and have one in the dining room - keep the excess tables and chairs in the garage eaves. Chaos reigns on Xmas eve in our house!

Hands up who has space for a marquee!

Have you considered hiring a marquee with tables, chairs, heaters and hostess trollies? I know quite a few people who do this year after year. Food is served buffet style - once dinner is over and cleared away, it's party time!

Yikes but it does sound like fun too.

People have said lots but ask a brother or DH to be responsible for organising and chivvying the men present to take their part.

I have hosted this many several times and it’s usually great fun. It makes Christmas feel very special and festive! My biggest tips:

Use a catering company to hire a couple of extra ovens. These come on wheels and are just plugged into a regular socket. They can be placed in another room if the kitchen is full. It makes the timings so much easier.

We hire collapsible tables and chairs like you’d have at a wedding/function. They also supply tablecloths.

Hire plates, cutlery, glassware - for an extra £25 the company we use takes them back unwashed! Just stack them back in the crate and no cleaning for you!

Sounds great to me, I do the same with about the same numbers. Plan and name your kitchen helpers and make it known that they will be the only ones in the kitchen with you. It will be chaos but everyone will eventually get fed and you’ll have a great day…enjoy xx

It’s fine it’s what Christmas is all about!
I would get someone else to do the meat so you can crack on with all the other bits x

So ive done this for the past 5 years with around the same number of people OP, fewer children though. Its definately doable as sounds like your house is big enough and you have two ovens. we borrow chairs and foldable tables and everyone pitches in and brings a dish. Sounds like our families are similar in that they dont just turn up and expected to be waited on. My tips would be
set everything up the night before so all the table, chairs, table settings are done. Prep and cook as much as you can the day before, I always ask people to come later and not too early as i like to have the morning with the kids, time to tidy the wrapping up and chill a bit. so i serve it around 2/3ish make sure you have plenty of warming plates, we do it buffet style so everyone helps themselves and just keep it on warming plates, i always buy the yorkshires ready made as one less thing to worry about. We love it and theres always loads of food and left overs for the next day.

The kids will love it! We host Christmas for all family every year (30 years now🥴) Most we’ve had is 22. Here’s how we did it. Two large cheap tressel tables (wallpaper tables) together in the upstairs hall (large, empty room with Kitchen, livingroom dining room off of it) Tables covered in a home-made massive Christmas table cloth. Make sure you have enough chairs, glasses, crockery, cutlery, napkins, serving dishes & serving spoons. (Check it all in advance)
We do the Turkey, stuffing, bread sauce, gravy, pigs in blankets. All prepped night before. Sister brings potatoes and all veg ready peeled (BIL does this Christmas morning) also crackers for the table, home made mince pies, Christmas baking. She also brings pots for the veg. MIL brings home made Christmas pudding (brandy butter, cream & custard). MIL brings steamer for the pudding. DM does cranberry sauce. DF brings home made soup. Other sister does fabulous canapés and pavlova.
We used to use fancy wedding China - not dishwasher proof. We now use basic white China which is dishwasher proof. Dishwasher runs constantly. (You’ll need lots of tabs). We use Delia Smith’s Christmas book for all the timings and stick religiously to it. (This is key) Buy a few cheap timers. Stick a post it note on each saying what each timer is for
You do need to do a LOT of prep. Do get people to bring stuff ready made. Make sure you have plenty fridge space, ice, wooden spoons, balloon whisks, colanders, oven gloves and aprons. Work out where everything is going in advance. Even with two ovens a separate grill and six hob rings it will be chaos. Make sure the Turkey and the roasting tin for it fits in the oven!
Build in some time to sit down. Build in time for champagne and canapés when everyone arrives. Delegate as much as possible. You will be knackered. Something will burn ( last year it was pigs in blankets) but if you love Christmas and love your family and have a relaxed attitude, it will be fine. Have great one.

I do this every year. It's fun but definitely chaos at times. Biggest issues are keeping food warm and that everything on this scales takes longer - don't underestimate. I borrow banquet tables and chairs that i set up and dress the day before. I buy a hostess trolley from marketplace (usually ~£20) that I give away after Xmas. I assign everyone food and drink to bring via a huge whatssapp list. And ask they to bring it ready to eat e. G turkey already carved, on a serving dish. I try to do 2-3 dishes of each food type so that you're not waiting so long for someone to pass the food along. When guests arrive I have allocated a coat/bag area, a pudding 'drop' (somewhere well away from kitchen) so that starters go straight on the table. I get a couple of helpers to serve and everyone else to sit. After food, we collapse the tables and some of the chairs. And play games. I ask someone in advance to organise a game such as a big poster of photos of 'name the celebrity or find the theme' or a quiz with say 8 questions, each pinned on the wall in a separate area to help with crowd management.

I know this sounds like a military exercise but honestly, if it's really well prepared, it goes like a dream and I only have to worry about making 100 cups of tea later on

Are you in the weird hormone stage determined that another baby won't change anything?
Have you even had the baby yet?
May be a plan B, C & D might be good just in case things don't go to Plan A.

Fuck that
Nope

@thebradybunch love your open attitude and approach to family x

it’s one day a year so fine for a bit of chaos - that’s part of the fun in our house!

we use a wallpaper table, folding chairs and stools, lap trays so some eat on the sofa - not the classiest or easiest way to eat but good laughs and memories

we do try to share out the cooking and cleaning and there’s always someone trying to get out of it 🤣🤣

Sounds like you’ve got it susses and wish you and the whole family a fab time - you’ll have more fun than all of the miserable sods moaning that it’ll never work 🤣🤣

Too many.