Is this too many people for Christmas?

Far too many for Christmas dinner - or even for hosting Xmas really, you don't have enough space even for people to sit and they will be there for hours?

Does everyone who is invited know how many are coming and what the set up will be like? If I had it sprung on me that there wasn't even a place to sit when I was expecting a nice family Christmas day I would be really annoyed!

Far too many for Christmas dinner - or even for hosting Xmas really, you don't have enough space even for people to sit and they will be there for hours?

Does everyone who is invited know how many are coming and what the set up will be like? If I had it sprung on me that there wasn't even a place to sit when I was expecting a nice family Christmas day I would be really annoyed!

How many toilets do you have you may need a portaloo

It will be a seating issue. I host Christmas and usually have 30ish people. I can seat them all in my dining room though so no problems. The food isn’t a problem as it’s just increasing sizes. I’d make sure you can seat all the adults as a minimum.

Why did you invite EVERYONE
Is this your first Christmas hosting?

You have a small baby this is going to be hell

Don't be so utterly ridiculous. They'll have to take it in turns one family at a time to come to yours they shouldn't be even entertaining the idea of them all coming round why are they doing this to you

It's doable if you can get a couple of wallpaper tables and have extra seating. Everyone bring a dish and drinks and have a list of what everyone is bringing so nobody doing a lion's share. Have a leave time too so nobody outstays their welcome. Communication is key. It will be exhausting but fun if you all get on and people respect each other. Good luck OP

That sounds far too many, but if everyone's happy to sit on the floor and muck in it might be fun! The kids will love it

Sounds like hell at the best of times let alone with a small child, toddler AND a newborn.

buffet also sounds like the way to go to me too. I don’t see how you’d get everyone sat down for a full turkey dinner

Is there any way you could rescind the invite, that seems a lot of people in a small space . If you do go ahead plan out what everyone can cook and bring with them and don't take it all on yourself. Could you borrow a folding table and a few extra chairs from someone

Get a folding table, ask everyone to bring a chair, kids on a picnic blanket on the floor. Chaos at Christmas is fun!

We used to do large family holidays, 12 adults and 9 children. Cooking a meal for them all worked in holiday houses set up well for catering - multiple large ovens, large hobs and most importantly very large pots and oven trays. You have double the number of people. You can’t do a standard Christmas dinner, but possibly you could do a pot luck type meal where everyone brings something.

It's too many for a proper Christmas dinner unless maybe you put an extra table in the playroom? You need to be able to use knives and forks and can really do it on your lap.

But it's not too many for a buffet of things they can eat with their hands. So I'd say either get in an extra table and chairs so everyone can sit or switch to party foods. I hope you have a big freezer- batch cooking will really be your friend here.

I'd be crying in a corner 😀 Good luck OP

Well yes if you've invited 28 + 4 babies, and you can only seat 10 in the kitchen and 10 in the living room then obviously, you've overstretched yourself.

It’s my idea of hell, but if you want that many people coming for Christmas lunch, you do need to ensure everyone can sit down…

My idea of hell but I accept kids love it. I have done it on a grand scale but in an Airbnb and Center Parcs and that was enjoyable but won't be organising it ever again now my DC are adults.

We are changing Christmas this year too. It will be a Waitrose pot luck shop on xmas eve after a morning at the spa then 6 of us eating whatever we have purchased on xmas eve on xmas day.

My days of planning and hosting are well and truly over.

Enjoy. You can do it because you have to!

I had a newborn (ish) last Xmas and no way on earth would I want as many people are you’re having over. I think you should aim for 10 people (inc all adults children and babies in highchairs) so that everyone can sit down

Also we borrow tables and chairs from the community centre. They're not quite pasting tables but they're long and thin. Really helps with space. Especially as the chairs stack

If you clear out the playroom can you fit multiple tables? That's what we do.

Three big tables. Three lots of everything sides wise - jugs of gravy, bowls of roasties etc. people serve themselves form platters of meat on their way to their seat (multiple platters on two units in the hall.)

You must be able to seat everyone otherwise it's a no-go.

Also if people are bringing bits that need eaten hot then you need them either to arrive with it hot at a set time so you can all just sit down, or you need to work out how you're going to keep it hot/reheat it.

We have 26-30 every year and everyone need a seat. Even for a buffet style thing (which we do on Boxing Day) everyone needs somewhere to sit and eat.

I think you need to be able to eat together. Is there an area big enough in your house that you can use pasting tables for example to have a large enough seating capacity?
I host about half this number and we can all just about squeeze at our table and even then that’s chaos enough.

I know you all get on and hope to have a fab day, but the reality of hosting so many is quite different to the Christmas card images.

If you have agreed and no going back, well then you'll just have to organise it, but honestly it sounds like a nightmare to me and I wouldn't do it for a million quid! So many people in one place will be chaos and add in alcohol lol. But whatever floats your boat. Don't be put off by me.

Anyway, if I HAD to cater for so many it would be buffet style no question, and if that is tapas, chips and pizza with cold meats and so on so be it. Cooking a Christmas Dinner is not an option I reckon, but the magic hosts among us might think differently.

When I do a buffet, I always keep a stash of the most popular items in the oven or fridge. In other words I restock now and then, rather than have Greedy Guts hoover up everything in one go!

I wish you well and whatever you do, hope it works out for you.

I’d make it work.

Find a way of sorting seating. Everyone bringing food. Make use of veg steamers, airfryers if anyone has them. If everyone gets on, it should be much easier as long as everyone chips in and helps. Basically be really clear you are not doing this on your own.

Make use of disposable trays and get some decent disposable plates. While not brilliant that will save on washing up and having enough crockery to cover everyone.

Make sure the young kids have space to chill out a little bit and also sleep if necessary.

It will be chaos but could be good fun. I do 25 on Boxing Day. Cook the meat the day before and have all veg ready prepared.

You'll probably need to eat in shifts.

Sorry but this sounds like absolute hell. Anyone having to do this IS hosting too many people.

OP, you say your table sits 10 'at a squeeze'... but you have almost double that number in adults alone! That's without all the children - and without working out how you're going to cook an actual dinner for that many people!

As PPs have said, the only way this would work would be to have a buffet. If you definitely want a sit down meal, can you not break this down to have some family on Christmas Day and others on Boxing Day?

It is too many.

You can’t do a trad Xmas dinner for that number in a normal sized house when your table only seats a third of the number of guests.

And you are inexperienced , have only normal domestic kitchen and 3 young children including a newborn.