Is this too many people for Christmas?

[thebradybunch]

We are hosting Christmas for the first time this year. Just us (family of 5, small child, toddler and newborn), our parents, siblings and their kids. However both our families are big and everyone has said they're coming.

This means we've got 18 adults, 10 children and 4 babies

For context we are all really close, and our families are all friends so that's not an issue. Also everyone will bring a dish so I won't be the only one cooking. I'm worried about how we will accommodate everyone and it not feel like chaos though.

I was planning on having them all come over at 2.30pm. Any tips on how to organise the day? I'm being massively thrown in the deep end here so need some advice from seasoned professionals!

• Our house isn't huge but it isn't small either. Our kitchen table can sit 10 people at a squeeze.
• We have a decent sized playroom for the kids with a big TV in it.
• Living room sofas and chairs can probably sit 10 people.

I've done this before for 18 people and i decided to do a 'buffet style' roast dinner. It was different than a normal 'sit down' formal Christmas dinner. But, that year the emphasis was being together so the food and having a space at the table was secondary. It actually worked really well.

We then did party games/quiz's and watched whatever was on that year all together.

I usually do 12 adults and 4 children. We all eat together. Different families bring different dishes. DM always does turkey, DFiL the ham, DSis pigs in blankets and a few deserts. I do veggie main, potatoes, veg and yorkshires. We DSis brings chairs around Christmas Eve. We bring our garden table in and turn it into a dinning table. We set another smaller table for the children and then we just pass the plates around and help ourselves. The more the merrier I say.

Does someone have a table that could be at yours Xmas eve-boxing day? Presumably they won’t be using it 😂. That’s what we do. We’ve used someone else’s table/chairs to accommodate. And we’d ask another house if they had one too if it’d help!

my parents table already extends, they have extra chairs so it’s just a case of an extra table and some extra chairs. I’ve used my in laws too 😊

I think it sounds perfect. We had a large for us (about 18 in total) a couple of years ago and everyone loved it and mucked in.

I would consider doing the veg yourself and someone else doing a turkey or beef. It would be easier for them to cook and keep cool/covered and bring over on the day than you struggle.with fridge space and them bring boiling carrots or sprouts.

If someone lives close but you could leave desserts there and nip and.get them ready to serve last minute too.

Maybe you could have some people coming a little earlier around 12pm , the ones that go home early , (old people) and then have a buffet lunch around 1.30 and actually have a list of what you want people to bring and then throw everyone out by 5 pm

I think it sounds wonderful! I’m desperate to have a Christmas at home with lots of family, but it will be me and my 95 year old father again in his retirement flat. I’m starting to dread Christmases.

Got a wallpaper paste table? Garden table? Been here! Massive family. It's more fun than chaotic. We've used a pasting table and garden tables and done them up with Christmas table cloth and decorations, asked everyone to bring a spare chair, or used garden chairs and popped some Christmas bows on it. It was nice having everyone over! I even asked if they were OK with Christmas paper plates for the kids so you can just bin those after.

You'll be OK

I agree. Too many to be enjoyable.

😂 love your posts op! Well done for embracing the chaos. You’ll have a lovely time.

Don’t know if anyone else has suggested this… We had large dinner party recently and rented plates, cutlery, glasses from a cater hire company- they rent everything from tea spoons to tables and chairs if you want them. We just went for the dinner place settings. Best bit was no washing up.. we just put them back in the crates and they took the mess away!

You don’t have space for Christmas dinner for that many. You need to get the kids fed lunch before 2.30 too. Make it clear you can’t accommodate a proper Christmas lunch but do party food buffet for tea/dinner instead.

Absolutely not too many. My husbands from a large Catholic family and talks really fondly of large family Christmas’s when he was growing up - they used to do 2 sittings. One for the kids & when they’re finished the adults would sit down & have theirs. I’d say go for it, the more the merrier at Christmas I say x

Too many.

@thebradybunch love your open attitude and approach to family x

it’s one day a year so fine for a bit of chaos - that’s part of the fun in our house!

we use a wallpaper table, folding chairs and stools, lap trays so some eat on the sofa - not the classiest or easiest way to eat but good laughs and memories

we do try to share out the cooking and cleaning and there’s always someone trying to get out of it 🤣🤣

Sounds like you’ve got it susses and wish you and the whole family a fab time - you’ll have more fun than all of the miserable sods moaning that it’ll never work 🤣🤣

Fuck that
Nope

Are you in the weird hormone stage determined that another baby won't change anything?
Have you even had the baby yet?
May be a plan B, C & D might be good just in case things don't go to Plan A.

I do this every year. It's fun but definitely chaos at times. Biggest issues are keeping food warm and that everything on this scales takes longer - don't underestimate. I borrow banquet tables and chairs that i set up and dress the day before. I buy a hostess trolley from marketplace (usually ~£20) that I give away after Xmas. I assign everyone food and drink to bring via a huge whatssapp list. And ask they to bring it ready to eat e. G turkey already carved, on a serving dish. I try to do 2-3 dishes of each food type so that you're not waiting so long for someone to pass the food along. When guests arrive I have allocated a coat/bag area, a pudding 'drop' (somewhere well away from kitchen) so that starters go straight on the table. I get a couple of helpers to serve and everyone else to sit. After food, we collapse the tables and some of the chairs. And play games. I ask someone in advance to organise a game such as a big poster of photos of 'name the celebrity or find the theme' or a quiz with say 8 questions, each pinned on the wall in a separate area to help with crowd management.

I know this sounds like a military exercise but honestly, if it's really well prepared, it goes like a dream and I only have to worry about making 100 cups of tea later on

The kids will love it! We host Christmas for all family every year (30 years now🥴) Most we’ve had is 22. Here’s how we did it. Two large cheap tressel tables (wallpaper tables) together in the upstairs hall (large, empty room with Kitchen, livingroom dining room off of it) Tables covered in a home-made massive Christmas table cloth. Make sure you have enough chairs, glasses, crockery, cutlery, napkins, serving dishes & serving spoons. (Check it all in advance)
We do the Turkey, stuffing, bread sauce, gravy, pigs in blankets. All prepped night before. Sister brings potatoes and all veg ready peeled (BIL does this Christmas morning) also crackers for the table, home made mince pies, Christmas baking. She also brings pots for the veg. MIL brings home made Christmas pudding (brandy butter, cream & custard). MIL brings steamer for the pudding. DM does cranberry sauce. DF brings home made soup. Other sister does fabulous canapés and pavlova.
We used to use fancy wedding China - not dishwasher proof. We now use basic white China which is dishwasher proof. Dishwasher runs constantly. (You’ll need lots of tabs). We use Delia Smith’s Christmas book for all the timings and stick religiously to it. (This is key) Buy a few cheap timers. Stick a post it note on each saying what each timer is for
You do need to do a LOT of prep. Do get people to bring stuff ready made. Make sure you have plenty fridge space, ice, wooden spoons, balloon whisks, colanders, oven gloves and aprons. Work out where everything is going in advance. Even with two ovens a separate grill and six hob rings it will be chaos. Make sure the Turkey and the roasting tin for it fits in the oven!
Build in some time to sit down. Build in time for champagne and canapés when everyone arrives. Delegate as much as possible. You will be knackered. Something will burn ( last year it was pigs in blankets) but if you love Christmas and love your family and have a relaxed attitude, it will be fine. Have great one.

So ive done this for the past 5 years with around the same number of people OP, fewer children though. Its definately doable as sounds like your house is big enough and you have two ovens. we borrow chairs and foldable tables and everyone pitches in and brings a dish. Sounds like our families are similar in that they dont just turn up and expected to be waited on. My tips would be
set everything up the night before so all the table, chairs, table settings are done. Prep and cook as much as you can the day before, I always ask people to come later and not too early as i like to have the morning with the kids, time to tidy the wrapping up and chill a bit. so i serve it around 2/3ish make sure you have plenty of warming plates, we do it buffet style so everyone helps themselves and just keep it on warming plates, i always buy the yorkshires ready made as one less thing to worry about. We love it and theres always loads of food and left overs for the next day.

It’s fine it’s what Christmas is all about!
I would get someone else to do the meat so you can crack on with all the other bits x

Sounds great to me, I do the same with about the same numbers. Plan and name your kitchen helpers and make it known that they will be the only ones in the kitchen with you. It will be chaos but everyone will eventually get fed and you’ll have a great day…enjoy xx

I have hosted this many several times and it’s usually great fun. It makes Christmas feel very special and festive! My biggest tips:

Use a catering company to hire a couple of extra ovens. These come on wheels and are just plugged into a regular socket. They can be placed in another room if the kitchen is full. It makes the timings so much easier.

We hire collapsible tables and chairs like you’d have at a wedding/function. They also supply tablecloths.

Hire plates, cutlery, glassware - for an extra £25 the company we use takes them back unwashed! Just stack them back in the crate and no cleaning for you!

Yikes but it does sound like fun too.

People have said lots but ask a brother or DH to be responsible for organising and chivvying the men present to take their part.

Have you considered hiring a marquee with tables, chairs, heaters and hostess trollies? I know quite a few people who do this year after year. Food is served buffet style - once dinner is over and cleared away, it's party time!

Hands up who has space for a marquee!

I cook Xmas dinner for 15-18 on Christmas eve. We put two tables in the large living room, and have one in the dining room - keep the excess tables and chairs in the garage eaves. Chaos reigns on Xmas eve in our house!