Is this too many people for Christmas?

It sounds like fun! I’d have loved Christmases like this as a child. I’m a bit envious OP.

As long as the women and girls aren’t lumbered with all the graft/clearing up, this is perfect - relaxed and fun .

Just to add, I’ve been doing this for ten years now since my Dad died and it’s a way of all the family being together. The numbers increase every year due to marriage and births. The first year was so stressful but now I just get on with it and prefer no one else in the kitchen getting in the way.
As long as you have all the seating etc, it’s just one big Sunday lunch. Get yourself some aga deep pan shelves, they slot into the grooves of my Neff oven and are amazing for roast potatoes, they also do more shallow ones which can be used for roast carrots and parsnips.
That first year, the young adults were looking for more food a few hours after their Christmas dinner and I had nothing to give them as I thought the dinner would be enough. (They are active and eat like horses). Lesson learnt and I provide a tea as well and spend the week baking which I have to admit, I enjoy planning.
I also make personalised crackers. They look forward to it every year (I was surprised at that) and I hope it gives them some lovely memories.

We have big family Christmasses too.
Everyone spread across available rooms and snacky food is passed around.

Meat and roasties cooked by 3-4 families and brought over, plus desserts contributed/made and brought. Joints sliced at home first to make reheating easier.

Main meal plated for all the kids first, second round for the elders and men (as there aren't as many) then finally the women, no rush and relax with wine! While the women eat, the men clear up and the elders head back to the lounge while the kids watch films/play with toys.

Hot hot gravy and be prepared to microwave bits. Meat and spuds dished up, everything else in serving dishes on the table.

Party hats and crackers pulled early in the day and make drinks easy to self serve - we sometimes put them outside on the patio to keep chilled and free up space.

Good luck, it sounds lovely

Everyone will freeze. Can't believe what some folk are suggesting. Nightmare

if you have 1 family who live really nearby, could some of the family pop back there to eat and then return after the meal so you can be more comfortable? (We have done this and it’s fine, it’s actually more peaceful. Whoever is cooking does 2 of everything and then we can have normal sizes of serving dishes etc)

@BeanBeliever that's a v good idea

The more I think about it the more it sounds like weeks of stress.

You’ll need people to arrive way earlier than 2:30. Do they seriously expect to arrive that late and sit down to a dinner fully prepared by you alone? It’s way too much for you and your partner but you’ll also have kids that want their presents opened and set up.
The food shop will be extortionate. Storing and cooking the amount of food required won’t be easy either.

So you need 28 seats and 4 high chairs?? And your table seats 10? 😱😱. Is your garden big enough for a small marquee with patio heaters?

Given that you literally can't fit that many people around the table- yes this is too many.
However, if you do a buffet instead then crack on

If you can't sit them all round the table then it's too many.

I would do it buffet style so everyone helps themselves.
Have a kids area.
Make sure everyone gets involved.

Nice Bibles or nibbles? Both work for this particular occasion! Lovely typo! 😀

I love it. You are very lucky.

Other than your space issue, this sounds like a normal gathering in my family! In fact we have more adults.

for Xmas we tend to set up some more tables and chairs to accommodate everyone.

how we do the day:
around 1/2pm we all gather at whoever’s house is hosting. We all bring a dish and plates etc (if needed).
we have Xmas dinner

we then move on to playing games. We either split and rotate into different groups to play different games.

drinks are out and everyone helps themselves. As well as some snacks and chocs.

evening, we do leftover sandwiches - a group of us will go and make these and people come and grab what they want.

we all sit and perch wherever we can find. Sofas, floor, cushions, chairs.

it sounds crazy but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Oh wow that’s a lot! I regularly host 18-24 for Christmas which is fine but nowhere near as many as you’ll have!

For 24 I do two turkeys and two large gammon joints, a ton of pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, swede, carrots, sprouts, peas, red cabbage. The swede is cooked, mashed and frozen in advance, the potatoes and parsnips are parboiled and coated in fat and frozen, the stuffing is made and frozen as is red cabbage

On the day I cook the meat ( double oven for the turkeys and pigs in blankets, instant pot and slow cooker for the gammon). Take meat out and put trays of potatoes, parsnips and stuffing in. Microwave the swede and steam the other veg. I have a buffet server to keep the pigs in blankets and veg warm. Make gravy and bread sauce. Put more potatoes in while people are eating the first lot. People serve themselves from kitchen worktop before sitting down then the rest goes on the table for seconds.

The main things for me are to enlist someone to carve while I do the gravy etc and to give someone the task of making sure everyone has a drink.

The kids sit on a sofa and camping bench either side of a long camping table, the adults around our dining table and another table on whatever chairs/ stools we can find!

It’s crowded and hectic but fun!

We usually have 16. Its doable everyone brings an item from a list thats prepared. We all share workload and expenses

I love having a house full of people but this is a house party, not a dinner, and that's just maths.

So you can actually sit them all down….that’s good.

But you won’t have enough oven space to cook and also keep food warm for serving. So it would be doable for me only if …
if I could get super organised with impeccable planning so that everything was ready to go well in advance.
if I could manage guest expectations and contributions.
if people didn’t mind if it was kept very simple.
if people would be happy with a cold buffet on cold plates.
if the drinks were served from somewhere other than the kitchen
if the children ate first

I would cook the ham, turkey, stuffing and pigs in blankets the day before and get it all carved, nicely presented, wrapped up and in the fridge ready to serve.
All I would cook on the day would be a ton of mini roasties to be served hot.
I would ask others to bring the freshly prepared prawn cocktails, vegetable salads, coleslaw, deserts etc ready to serve, with no last minute messing about needed.
If possible ask somebody to prepare a Christmassy soup and that could be served in mugs as a starter.
I would do the biggest Xmas pud possible in the microwave (for the theatrical effect) but only after the kitchen and table was completely cleared and cleaned down.

It would be hard work especially on a day that the children just want to open their gifts and play with their toys -with you! But yes it’s just about doable if you are organised.

Someone I know host a large group of family every year. She hires our local community centre (it’s a new modern one) on our estate for Xmas and Boxing Day. She decorates it - it’s got a kitchen, chairs tables, heating, toilets, parking, plenty of space for people to gather, kids to play. She then goes back on Boxing Day and cleans. It costs about £40 each day. I think she’s a genius.

L

Great idea too 😁

Sounds great to me, my favourite Christmas memory is sitting on the stairs with all my cousins eating our dinner. There were 14 children and 18 adults it was crazy chaos but so much fun a n laughter was has that Christmas

people brought over extra chairs on the day.

'Th'emurguncy churs' is the only thing I ever ever found funny in Peter Kaye's act, they're always referred to that way if there's a big family gathering.

For me, if they can’t sit all down at a table - even if that means bringing in the garden table, sticking it next to the dining table and and prettying it up with a 🎄tablecloth, it’s too many.
So 12 or 13 absolute max here.

I’d never do a buffet on the day, either - that’s for Boxing Day. 🎄day means a proper roast, with pigs in blankets, etc.

@thebradybunch from your update sounds like you’re planning really well.
I’d give this a go!! Apologies if I’m repeating haven’t read all replies.
a few thoughts from my experience of similar Events

1. If reheating dishes being brought consider borrowing air fryers, steamers, remouskas, slow cookers to increase your kitchens capacity.
2. plan everything & try to plan for things that might go wrong, a burnt or forgotten dish not the end of the world honestly but can feel like it in the heat of the moment. You will have more than enough even if a few things don’t make the table.
3. if wanting a starter consider canapés/ bites than can be served b7ffet style before sitting for the main event.
4. Slowcookers are great at keeping gravy & soups hot.
5. Meats can be cooked day before, then gently warm & piping hot gravy (I think I used Mary Berry’s recommendations for planning ahead)
6. ensure you have enough fridge space, they can be hired. Drinks can be chilled in buckets with ice packs or ice & water.
7. Consider a prep party the day before with a few of your more cooking minded relatives to get ahead of stuff & get house set up
8. You can hire extra tables, chairs, fridges, coffeemakers, glasses, cutlery, crockery etc. from event hire companies (some even allow dirty return for a fee)
9. Alternatively ask each family group to bring enough crockery etc for themselves.
10. after the Kids have eaten and are in the playroom as well as the movie provide paper/cards/pre printed sheets & crayons etc & suggest if they’re bored with the film they can make a Christmas card for Grandma/pa or if crafty white paper plates & stick on shapes & they can make reindeers & santas (see Pinterest for inspiration they are great & occupy craft minded kids for ages🤗)
11. ensure you have easy meals planned for Boxing Day you’ll be exhausted!!
12. I also don’t start on the alcohol until I’ve sat down I really need to be 100% while in charge of the Kitchen
13. Consider detail a few people in charge of clean up both while you’re preparing & serving & post meal so you don’t have to. I bless my kitchen fairies who just constantly clear behind me so I can turn round & make the next mess!!

sorry bit longer than I planned!!! I’ve done several meals of this style in various ways🤗🤗 mostly great fun, stressful at times but you’ll certainly deserve the post meal glass of wine/cocktail
Good luck & enjoy