Work - are all these events too much?

[QWE96]

I've recently accepted an on-going temporary position. The company is great and the people I work with are too.

But... how many work events are too much, especially when attendance is considered mandatory? In the last 6 weeks, they have had 3 company meals out and this is on top of the Christmas party. The timings are always outside of work hours too. It's lovely that they want the team to gel and are willing to invest in that, but AIBU to decline these meals? I'd really rather be at home with DC, considering I see my colleagues more in the week than I do my DC

How are they mandatory when they are socialising outside of work hours? Never heard of that.

As a new employee I’d suck it up, go and try to create a good impression. After you’ve been to a few though, if the frequency continues, I think it would be perfectly acceptable to decline many of them