Christmas dinner disaster

[parsnipandpotato]

Posting for traffic.. no shame

Christmas dinner.. we are rapidly running out of options..

We are a family of 5 and usual additions for Xmas day dinner is My sister, BIL, and DH's brother.

Christmas is usually, and has been for the past 7 years, held at my other brothers (large) house however this year he's decided to go to Scotland to his in laws.. how selfish!! (Lighthearted)

Issue is.. what do the rest of us do!

None of our houses are large enough to accommodate the whole group really.. certainly not for dinner.

What are people's experiences of eating out for Christmas dinner?
Personally I've never done it..

Does it still feel Christmassy ?
How expensive is is?
Do you have to book 6 months in advance ?
Is it ok to take a 9,7 and 2 year old?

Other option is we all cram into our 2 up 2 down and be cosy!

Looking for advice/previous experiences!

Thanks

I've eaten out for Christmas before but didn't enjoy it. I prefer being in a home, comfortable, cosy and having home cooked food. Cramming in is what Christmas is all about!

We live in a small but cosy cottage. I would HATE to go to a restaurant for Christmas lunch, quite apart from the extortionate cost. A couple of years back we had my sister and her family plus my parents for Christmas lunch. There were 11 of us round the table. DH made a table top extension to make our table big enough to seat all of us. However you could just add on an extra table eg a picnic table or patio table. Maybe put young children up one end, and once they have finished, they can get down and go and play with their new toys or watch a dvd or whatever. Although I wasn’t looking forward to such big numbers, we actually had an amazing time!

Cosy!
That's the key word!
Cram in and everybody muck in!
I'm on my own this year and fully intend to get myself cosy and cram myself into the corner of my sofa.
Food, phonecalls, wine, telly and fun!

I'm not sure if I have missed a post from OP, but is there a reason why you can't just have Christmas at home the 5 of you and everyone else make their own arrangements?

Is it because you aren't keen on cooking?

I may be biased as as a child it was always "just us" and I would hate it to be any other way. I hate big family get togethers

Do a buffet style dinner instead of a traditional dinner. Put all the food on the table including cake, cold meats, hot pigs in blankets and stuffing balls, salad selection, trifle, cheese and biscuits, sauces and pickles, and anything else you want and invite people to grab what they want when they want.

Less hassle fitting everyone around a table and no arguments about having to eat the dreaded sprouts!

I did it for the first time last year but also added home made gingerbread, a decorated pandoro cake, chocolates, Christmas crackers, mini apple pies and squirty cream, and everyone loved it.

Just don't use one of those all-in-one bench and table deckers which collapses mid-turkey leaving 4 year old with emotional scars

Some poor bigger always ends up on a deckchair at mine. It's fine - not exactly Good Housekeeping but as long as the food is good and the drink is flowing...

Feckers!!! Not "deckers" FGS!

Can you all club together and rent a country cottage type house which fits you all for a few days?

Alternatively just have your own family (husband and children) at home? We did this a few times and it was actually lovely. We had the neighbors for champagne in the morning and in the evening went for drinks at a friends. You don’t always need to all get together.

We went out to eat at a local restaurant one year for Christmas and absolutely loved it. Yummy food and no washing up. Lots of other families around too. We’d definitely do it again.

It was before I had children but I seem to remember a lot of waiting when we've had Christmas dinner out.

Do you all need to be together for dinner? Could you not just get together afterwards?

Our local Hungry Horse was booked out ages ago! (I only know because we complained about the Christmas Tree in August, and the manager said it was to encourage early bookings )! With young kids that sort of place would probably be your best bet (cheap and family friendly, even if the food is ), if you could face it - but you've probably left it too late......! Agree with PPs - cram them in and enjoy!

Squash in and stay at home.
My PIL and a grandma of DH's moved up here this year and DH has asked if we can do Christmas dinner for everyone. So that's DH, me, Sil, Bil, Mil, Fil and grandma as well as grandma's sister, DD(18m) , DS (4) and DNeice (17m) .
I am actually really pleased!

Oh and BIL's mum.

I love eating out on Christmas Day, over the years we've been to curry houses, posh hotels, country pubs and local restaurants. Never had a bad meal but I appreciate its not everyone's cup of tea. As a child I was taken out for Christmas lunch to a restaurant with a massive buffet which I loved, but not all children would enjoy it.
I get stressed with loads of people crammed into a small space so in your situation I would opt to go out, ideally somewhere a short walk away so no one has to drive. But other people obviously really enjoy having a cozy squeeze in so its just a matter of taste. Do whatever your family will prefer.

My mam n dad live in a three bed cramped council house and host 31 on most Christmases for dinner. It consists of a few different tables put up where they can and kids on smaller coffee tables. Food is served in. Kitchen and is put out in pots to help yourself on the bench. Works for us and has done for at least 20 years

My DH and I ate out with our 1 year old last Christmas and it was brilliant. We’ll be doing the same this year too.

I used to cater for 14 in an ordinary sized semi, but my dad would cook the turkey and bring it with him, which meant I had room for everything else in the oven, including a nut roast. My parents also brought folding chairs. We used the piano stool, desk chair and a Pilates ball too. Great times.

We ate out once, about 6 years ago and didn’t really enjoy our £70 pp dinner.

We stayed in a small chalet on a farm one year (we live abroad, came back to visit family for Christmas). The table was just large enough to fit 6 people around and the kitchen was tiny. We still managed a full Christmas dinner for 8 adults and 4 children, we had the older people at the table and the rest of us on sofas, spare chairs and the floor. It was fabulous and I’d do it again every year if we could afford it. It wouldn’t have been the same eating out.

I work in a pub. If you are planning to go to a pub you need to book now. The place I work at is fully booked for Xmas day already. I don't even know what I'm working over Xmas yet!

Either squash in to your place or get an air b&b between you?

Squeeze in! It’s fun! Fitting 11 people in my small Victorian sitting room was fun, feeding and seating them all in the kitchen not so much but that’s what Christmas is all about!

Squish up! I’ve got two awesome memories of meals where the table was extended by an extra fold up table, and one year where all the furniture had to be rearranged- I think there were 14 people that year - it was a big room but not to accommodate that many!

"We are a family of 5 and usual additions for Xmas day dinner is My sister, BIL, and DH's brother."

I admit I haven't yet RTFT. But that is only 8 people! Surely 8 people can fit in one dining room? Most people have far more than 8 people for Christmas, and with small to average size houses. I really don't understand how you can't fit 8 people in a house?

For the last three years we've hosted Christmas day for 19 people. We only have a kitchen/diner so squeeze two tables into the lounge and cram everyone around that. It's squashed but very fun!