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 ☺️

This year it will be 12 at the in-laws. Last year it was 5 - just the four of us and my mum.
I like both versions tbh - couldn't do the big manic Christmas every year but it is fun.

Nobody

Growing up and all the way into my late 30s when my step-dad died, our Christmases were noisy and busy with all the various relatives coming over. I had a lot of aunties and uncles and cousins but then there was a call out a while ago. I have 3 siblings and they all have children so it was still loud and fun. Then it kind of stopped. Siblings' relationships and marriages ended, children grew up etc. so for a few years it was just the 4 of us in our house. This year though, dh has invited a few of his friends and there will be other people dropping by during the day as well. I'm looking forward to it.

Usually in pre covid around the table 11 but recent years 4 me DH and 2 DC, we will see both sets of parents before and after though...

It varies year on year, this year is pretty small - 4 of us (hosting) plus my parents and my uncle. No little children anymore , so it's a pretty chilled out affair.

Some years we don't host, some we have an Aunt that comes, others we have my brother and his girlfriend (they favour Christmas at her family).

Depending on how I'm feeling, sometimes I feel more the merrier, some I'd love to have the 4 of us alone!

11 in our house this year. 4 kids and 7 adults. We are in a fairly small house but we will all pile in and have fun. Only 2 extra adults will stay over.

6 of us for dinner. Me, husband, 4 kids. Other family come round in the morning and we exchange gifts, then they go back for dinner in their own house.

Us and our three kids.

So that is five.

Mum - six

Sister 1 and her husband. Their three children and three partners and their two kids.

So sixteen

Brother 1 and his wife. Their three children and their partners.

So twenty four

Brother 2 and his wife. Three of their children and their partners and their two young kids.

So thirty four

Sister 2 and her husband. Their four children, three partners and their four kids.

So now up to forty seven.

Sister 3 and her husband. Their 3 children and 1 partner

So 53 I think.

We all quite close and go to Mums for dinner as she has the most space but we all bring stuff and basically turn the whole house into a massive dining room with tables everywhere. The rest of the day is spent split across our own homes.

Disposable plates and glasses etc or we would never get the washing up done in one sink.

Its ace, and long May it continue .

We used to host 15 every year, the 3 of us and then all the in-laws (we lived overseas) cooking for 12 is ok, 15 was a bloody nightmare as it required larger / more roasting trays, more oven jenga etc to get the dishes on the table

Barely anyone used to help, unless it was getting more drinks, and everyone would front load on cheese and cured meats, meaning they’d pick at the main meal. You’d often find me in a nook in my kitchen with a large glass of sherry…

The biggest number as a child was 28. We had family friends, neighbours and one year a chap that my mum served at her job who told her he was alone so she invited him along too.

This year it's 6, so a lot more chill but I can't wait. After years of totally miserable Christmases I am looking forward to a good one

Three, DH and I, DS is staying from 24th to 27th

@MolkosTeenageAngst our Christmas Day consists of my household (dh and I, then the dc who are 18,17 and 11). The 7 extra will be my mum and stepdad, his parents and my sister plus 2 friends of the dc whose mums are both terminally ill and if still in hospices at Christmas won’t be shortly after. Very sad situations, one of them also lost her dad a short while ago also to cancer and the other young girl has never had a dad. Her other option was to spend Christmas with her granny but she was given the choice and wanted to come to us. I can take both girls to visit their mums on Christmas morning too which they would both like and i’ll get to see both mums too (they are both very long standing friends of mine, I wish circumstances were different and that both girls could spend their christmases at home but our door has always been open to all the dcs friends and Christmas Day is no exception).
in the evening we will have 8 more joining us, our best friends, our neighbours and their grown up children and my sisters boyfriend.
will be a lovely Christmas despite the obvious sad circumstances.

I've had busy christmases and they're stressful, sensory overload.. not like you see on the adverts. Much prefer a small one.

Childhood christmasses would always be around 16ish people, maybe a couple more. I loved it!

Family is smaller now :( so it will be just six of us (my family plus my parents) on Xmas day then 8 of us (in-laws side) on Boxing Day.

12

I visit my sister, her husband and my nephew first thing. My Mum and step Dad will be there too. Then we go home (me and my Husband) and do Christmas Day our way. So, just two for dinner.

I will be going to my mums house, there will be my mum, me, dh my brother, sister her fiance and his dad and possibly one of my nephews

Just me and DH and two dogs, as it is most years. My family are too far away and I don't fancy spending Christmas with gritty in-laws.