Christmas at a community centre?

[Applescruffle]

I have a big family with five siblings, all with partners and four of us with kids. We alternate Christmases so one year we can spend it with our in-laws and the next with our own families. Now I know it's only April, but we've started talking about Christmas already mostly because one sister is planning to visit from Australia.
Mum downsized from a big house to a small, two bedroom flat three years ago. Not only is the flat quite small anyway, she likes a lot of furniture and a lot of stuff, think absolute opposite of miminalist. If theres an inch of spare space, she has to fill it. Needless to say, her flat is very claustrophobic.
However, even though mum chose to downsize and has a cramped space, she doesn't seem to get why family gatherings are never at her house anymore and wants to play host even though her kitchen is the size of a postage stamp. So this year she has said she wants to host Christmas at the local community centre for which she is a trustee and she manages "so we can all fit"
My question is WHHHYY do we need to have Christmas in a bloody community centre when me and my sister have large three bedroom houses, have hosted successful Christmases before and I am happy to do so again?
Just why am I going to take my kids out of ther home to sit on hard chairs in a bare hall on Christmas day?
Sister says we can make it cosy and Christmassy? I disagee.
Would you have your Christmas at a community centre when you have a perfectly adequate space at home everyone can come to?
I get that she wants to do it but if that's the case, she really shouldnt have moved, and no she didn't have to.
And I'm a better cook than her anyway

Spending Christmas Eve decorating an empty hall when you already have a lovely decorated house...it's an objectively shit idea all round.

If you could fit a bouncy castle in it, hire one and let all the kids (and the adults post-sherry) at it. It won't be your usual Christmas but it will be a great space for a family get together. Have your usual Christmas on Boxing Day.

It’s like anything. If you want to make it cosy and decorate it, all as part of the pleasure of Christmas preparations, then you’ll have a great time. The children will have fun running around a massive space and not getting told off. They’ll remember that Christmas at a community centre.

If you hate the thought of it then you’ll hate everything about it. Decorating will be a chore, the seats too hard, the oven not cooking properly. Cold, damn, too far from home. Multiple reasons.

We used to have similar family catch ups and now both parents are gone, I’m sad we’ll never do it again.

Just try it for one year, where is the harm?
Get into the Christmas spirit of it with tree, decorations etc. Snow machine for kids even.
I'd do anything to have another Christmas with my mum - including cold hard chairs and any random set up quite honestly.
Your mum obviously loves hosting and with your sister coming it's extra special, perhaps she feels she may not get another chance?
Treat it as making memories with her, there will be many more times for you to host in the future 💕

We must be reading different threads because it really does not.

No company is going to come out and inflate a bouncy castle on Christmas Day.

If Christmas is a time for families why can’t each family just do their own thing - without all the guilt-tripping and bullshit?

I'm with you OP, I wouldn't want to spend Christmas Day in a community centre. They're OK for hosting, say, a birthday party or a disco when there will be loads of people, buffet food and other various distractions. But sitting on uncomfortable chairs in the middle of a basic hall with maybe 14 other people really doesn't sound great.

I've known people who have hired private venues on Christmas Day but they are usually nice places, like a private dining room in a hotel for example not a huge community hall where the local playgroup meets. It would be alright as a last resort but this isn't the case.

Totally stupid idea when there are some of you with big enough houses. Just say you won’t be having Christmas dinner there, suggest one of the others or yourself hosts, and if she says no spend it at home.

I think this sounds fine but if you don’t want to do it, just say no.

Nah I'm with you on this. It sounds awful. If it's a big hall it's not going to be warm & cosy. Deal with it just now. Say no that doesn't suit you, your husband & children & youre not going.

It's not compulsory to spend Christmas Day together. Let her know you're happy to host but will be staying home on Christmas Day & will catch up with family either Christmas morning or Boxing Day

I agree with you OP but then I'm also a bit stubborn and opinionated. I suppose a more charitable person that we are would think "it's only one year, let's try it and see, it might be jolly." If you could persuade yourself to pretend to feel like that then I would just do it rather than dig your heels in. It's the sort of thing I would dread and then find actually I quite enjoyed on the day. Can you host your cosy Christmas on Boxing Day instead and have everyone round to you? And make sure the community centre xmas starts at lunchtime so that you and the DC get your cosy Xmas morning in pjs.

I would probably abandon the idea of bringing too many toys with you and instead come up with a few party games to play at the hall. Pass the orange, poop the potato, flap the fish etc.

I also meant to add to my previous post about the inconvenience of it all. You'll have to lug the turkey and all the trimmings, christmas pud, condiments etc to the hall along with the booze, which you'll want to chill early enough in the fridge - if there's even room.

Also, as an outside caterer of many years, I've always found the crockery and cutlery in community halls somewhat dubious. They are used by hundreds of people very week and the washing up afterwards is, shall we say, not exactly fastidious.

Agree sounds awful and it's not just the mum hosting it, if all the ideas on here are needed?
There's the Christmas eve setting the scene, putting up of the tables, chairs, can the kitchen there have room for all the food? What about the clear up afterwards? And getting home?

I think a community centre works well if no one has the space to host, but agree it’s a bit odd if there is a willing host with space! Also in reality it won’t be her hosting, everyone will need to chip in, so it might as well be at yours anyway.

Sounds quite grim, YANBU at all. If she really insists on having it someplace like that could you maybe find a nicer hall e.g. in a hotel?

I quite like the idea. Lots of space for kids to play. As someone else said could get a bouncy castle and wear them out. But it's not for everyone I guess.

I clicked to check you weren't my inlaws as this is their proposal this year. But there will be 25 of us so I kind of understand!

It doesn't sound too bad,, no one's house gets messed up, kids can't slope off to play computer games and everyone spends time together

I need a sofa after a Christmas dinner.

Christmas is busy enough without adding 'decorate municipal community centre so it feels festive and buy 20 seat cushions' to the list.

Resist! 🌲

This, is it possible it'll turn into others doing all the actual work and your dm 'coordinating' from the table with a sherry?! 😆

Honestly, it sounds awful to me. I wouldn't do it unless there was absolutely no other option.

How vile towards your mother! "You're old now and should give up hosting!"

She's moved into a home more manageable for her but still wants to be able to host her family.

Everyone brings cushions and blankets, maybe Christmas Eve. Do they not decorate the centre for Christmas anyway? Maybe your mum can suggest to the rest of the board they do this year. Food can be taken and stored beforehand. Lots of party games and silliness for everyone

Sounds great and your dear mum gets to be the host she wants.

Vile for wanting to be the host at Christmas and not have it in a shitty community centre 😂😂

Exactly! Especially when all the hall supporters are telling op how fun it'll be to spend Christmas eve away from her dc, sorting the hall and decorating it, then helping do all the meal prep and meal on Christmas day!