How many people do you spend Christmas Day with?

[ErinAndTonic]

If you host, or if you visit someone else - how many people are there sitting down at the table for dinner? Do you have any other visitors drop in?

We will have 7 this year and the most we have had is 10 (all adults no kids). A friend commented this is a big group to cook for and I'm wondering how it varies for other people. We don't have people drop in either, everyone is there for the day. She has just the 3 of them - her, partner and child. That sounds more cosy and less stressful, but equally the Christmas quiz and board games are a big part of the day for me and that requires more people ☺️

Just me this year and really looking forward to it! Looking forward to just suiting myself and eating and drinking myself silly.

I'll probably go and see friends in the evening and family at some point. Coming from a small family I love reading about big family chaos gatherings.

Used to be 4 (5 if DD managed to get the time off), but since 2020 just the 2 of us.

For us Christmas day is just the immediate family (5) but Boxing Day is for getting together with the rest of my family (parents and siblings and all their kids & ohs). There are 15, maybe 16 of us then but if family who live abroad came there would be 19/20. We stay from lunch time until the evening

12 round my table for dinner this year, fewer than normal. 5 of us then 7 additional.
in the evening an additional 8 people will
come round. That’s quite typical at our house.
We host every year but Dh does all the cooking, I do all the other bits and pieces. It’s a lot of work but our dc love it so much and I always dreamt of having big family christmases. Covid Christmas was my favourite in terms of little stress and busy-ness but it felt a bit flat and like something was missing. I can’t imagine purposefully planning such a quiet Christmas.

For those hosting a lot of people (10+), especially where the bulk aren’t made up of children, who are all these people?

I will be one of 4 adults (brother, SIL, SIL’s mum and myself) for Christmas this year plus toddler nephew and a dog!

2, my teens.

8 of us and I love the madness and chaos 😍

15 this year, 12 last year. I wish it was just me, DH and the our 3 DC who are now all teenagers but would cause too many problems to disinvite anyone - the mediterranean trilogy, extended families are not all that - i have had it all my life and it is often just holding your tongue

I start planning from November

Just me DS (adult) and my partner. I would sell my soul for a huge family Christmas, I am very envious (but dont begrudge) all those that do..

MIL, FIL, DM, DF, SIL, BIL, AND THEIR DC, DB, SIL AND THEIR DC,

Just me DS (adult) and my partner. I would sell my soul for a huge family Christmas, I am very envious (but dont begrudge) all those that do
Many people would love an adult DC and a partner to celebrate with.

8 of us here on Chrstmas Day, 4 of us and 4 from single person households, hopefully my brother's family (another 5) will drop in for an hour or two in the afternoon. Since I was a baby, I've never experienced just the nuclear household for Christmas Day. Will enjoy St. Stephen's Day with just us 4 lazily having leftovers and watching a Christmas movie, or two, or three with a walk fitted in somewhere.

Nine this year, including 4 kids. The most we've had was 12 (7 adults plus 5 kids).

A roast dinner is the easiest dinner to scale up for larger numbers IME. It is my go to meal whenever we have a large group!

8 this year then another 4 dropping in after dinner. Last year was just us 4 nuclear family so I can't wait this year!

This makes me feel quite sad too. I am very very lucky to have 4 of us at Christmas - however have always felt we are missing out on a big chaotic Christmas. Our youngest has complex needs so it can be quite hard balancing his needs with other family members - he'd never cope with something bigger.

In our case mum and dad would have me and my 2 adult siblings, my DD and DSD, our husband's/partners (my nieces and nephews always had Christmas dinner at their dad's), my dad's cousin who lived alone, the elderly widowed woman who lived a few doors away whose DC lived over seas in her home country, and a woman mum worked with who was NC with her own family. 11 people, only 2 that were children. It was chaotic but my parents loved every minute of it.
Before anyone asks, yes we all helped, no mum wasn't expected to do everything and dad most certainly did his fair share of the Christmas prep/hosting.

@MolkosTeenageAngst it was me and dp and our mothers.
The rest were single friends who couldn't or did not want to go home to see family.

We host for 6. Wish it was more, actually I wish we didn't have to host for a change. It's just myself, STBX, our two kids, my brother and my friend.
I hate from people making small talk that the assumption is that I'm either hosting with my parents or in laws over or that we are going to my in laws or parents. My parents live abroad and we don't have in-laws so it's none of those combinations.

Zero. Or 1. Just me on my own. It's absolute bliss. So excited for this whole day of no expectations. So close I can smell it!

We have 7 this year.
Me, DH, DD, MIL, MIL’s best pal and two of our close (single) friends who really make our Christmas.

DMIL and her pal are both 90. They’ll have opened the sherry by noon.
I cook but as soon as we sit to eat, I don’t do another thing (all taken care of my DH and our two friends). DD is on drinks duty so makes hot drinks and ‘runs the bar’.
DMIL and her pal provide the entertainment, they’ll prep some sort of game/quiz for the evening (which is always a hoot).
I love these people.

The 4 of us, so me, DH & 2 kid, plus my in-laws this year. Since we had kids we always did Xmas dinner just us, at our house but since my mum died I’ve started hosting, last 2 years was my aunt and my mums partner but they’re off doing their own thing this year.

My MIL regularly hosts 15 for Xmas dinner, just being there as a guest was stressful for me, and I actually love my in-laws. This is the first year we’ve hosted them and because she isn’t hosting Xmas day MIL is now doing it all again Boxing Day.

Just me and DD. We love it .

Well three now (me snd my kids). When my husband was alive it was up to 8 on the day, and 8 on Boxing as it was my family then his. My parents have passed away too now.
When I go to my sisters (they live abroad) we have about 10.
I don't think it's that much more effort to cook for three or 6-8 people, as you are just cooking more of the same stuff.

12 this year. 8 adults and 4 kids. We are hosting.

DH and 3 kids. Our Christmas. Done other people ’s for years. Now we enjoy