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.

From the info you've given in your follow up post, I think it sounds wonderful. You've got loads of willing pairs of hands to help, and I bet you'll have a fantastic time. I'm from a tiny family and although I find hosting quite stressful, I do feel a bit envious of your plans!

32 people 😮buffet is surely only way to do this. If you want a sit down meal I would reschedule the wider family to Boxing Day buffet. Even if you could seat everyone you would all be in different rooms
edit sorry just read update and you seem keen to do it this way and adapt so go for it. Not sure it would be for me (well there is no way I could host that many) and also I prefer to eat with the children but Xmas is about family and doing it the way you like / your traditions so if you are all happy with it then go for it

Sounds fun! I've cooked a full dinner for 12 but for this many people just a buffet. Set up a spreadsheet and get the 18 adults to choose what they want to take, make sure you include everything that will be consumed. Split between puddings, meat dishes, veg dishes, carbs, salads, drinks. We do this for work events for bigger groups than you are having and it works well. You'll need people to take their slow cookers if you want hot food, a hostess trolley might also be helpful if serving hot food. Make sure you are doing no more than anyone else. I'd hire glasses, plates and cutlery rather than getting disposable. Delegate washing up, and use the short cycle on the dishwasher.

For example (warning, I tend to over cater)
Quiche or spanish omelette
Cheese board
Deli meat platter/charcuterie board
Cold Poached salmon
Christmas Ham
Sausages/pigs in blankets

Green salad
Caprese salad
Crudités
Olives/artichoke hearts/other deli type veg
Dips
Other salads - guest to specify
Veg dishes - guests to specify
Garlic bread (will need heating)
Rice salad
Pasta salad
Potato salad
Nice bread
Crackers

Christmas pudding and brandy butter
Christmas cake
Mince Pies
Profiteroles
Trifle
Pavlova
Chocolates
Fruit salad
Other pudding - guest to specify

Sparking wine
Red wine
White wine
Spirit - guest to specify
Soft drnks and Mixers -guest to specify
Baileys
Port
Sherry
Fresh fruit juice
Other drink - guest to specify

No way in HELL would I be doing that. Change the plans now, before it's too late.

This sounds amazing. We have a family boxing day party for about 50 people annually, and it's all bring and share food, flexible arrival times, it's great!

See I'd love this so I think tbh it's down to you as a person. We don't have a particularly huge house but we had all of my family over last year for xmas (20 in total) and it was brilliant fun. Everyone was relaxed full of food and very tipsy, we all had a real laugh and the kids loved it. We brought some garden chairs in from outside and put the kids in the kitchen around the camping tables while the adults ate in the dining room. This sort of thing doesn't phase me at all though and we are all really close so I just saw it as a really fun day. If a family doesn't get on I can see how people wouldn't really understand it/get stressed by it. Honestly, just relax and go for it.

We used to have a kid's table and an adult table...and usually found people with babies weren't always sitting down anyway.

We had 20 one year (only 3 of them kids) and we did a buffet and a BBQ, that was much easier. So there was plates of roast potatoes, a turkey sliced, , roasted veg and all the sides and some burgers in buns!

It's doable, the worry might be they all really enjoy it and you end up doing it every year! But not eating in shifts....

And you'll have to borrow some catering tips, my chef brother always cooked the meat the night before and then warmed it up with gravy. Roast potatoes cooked and frozen so you cook from frozen. Blanch the veg.

Personally I'd do a buffet for that many though.

How I imagine it looking on the day...

Village hall idea is genius, if you can get the person who opens up on side. Find one with a good kitchen and you're away!

How much does it cost to hire the local village/school hall? Might be less than you imagine, I've known people do this for big Christmas day dinners. They have kitchens.

Sounds horrendous.

Do a drinks and nibbles party gathering on Boxing Day. What you are proposing quite frankly is overwhelming and impractical.

We always have loads for Xmas. Its chaos, it loud, it GREAT. The kids all play, everyone mucks in and make fab memories.

It's a squash round the table and not relaxing but I couldn't imagine a small Christmas.

I think two sessions may be quite difficult, we regularly host big dinners in our not very big house (standard 3 bed semi, but with separate dining room). But the most we have had is 15 and we put two tables together diagonally across the room to fit those in, we do it often enough we have enough tables and chairs but if not borrow them off people and get them to bring them round the day before.

I would put up extra tables in the kitchen & playroom and try and feed everyone at the same time (ish), by strategically mixing the adults and children together, and make it a job of the adults to supervise their assigned children (including yours) as you and partner will be busy.

Give everyone a job to do.. glasses/drinks, serving, supervising, dishing up etc.

I generally cook early/day before and use the oven to reheat then keep everything warm, while doing the last bits and bobs, everything is then placed in the middle of the tables and people serve themselves, it keeps things warm until ready and the 'dishing up time' is removed because people do it themselves, or dish up for others, less hassle and people can have as much or as little as they like then, plus seconds! If you've got three tables you just need to triple everything when putting it in serving dishes, again, we have loads of dishes but if not borrow them before the day before, we find glass/ceramic is best as it keeps warm, borrow if you need to, as long as you prepare what you need in advance you can easily do this.. the problem you are going to have is keeping everything warm, so we find from oven to table and warmed up plates works best.

Or do a dedicated serving table with hotplates and do it like a carvery, look up chafing dishes online which you can keep warm with hot water underneath.

For every dish you need some way of serving it so borrow tongs, spoons & slotted spoons if you need to, make sure you have more than you need, for at least 3 people per table dishing up at the same time.

If you go for a paste table in the kitchen, make sure you reinforce it in the middle!

Good luck, it sounds fab!

This is cocktail part or lunch in a pub numbers. Wouldn't it be better to have a post Christmas lunch afternoon get together?
This sounds like my idea of hell with a newborn in tow
May the force be with you!!!!

I used to spend Christmas with am extended family this size.
My friend always hosted Boxing day dinner.

They brought in garden tables and chairs and were able to seat 24 adults, with a couple of high chairs.
3 or 4 adults would be the 'servers' and ate dinner in the smaller kitchen table, for desert a different 4 adults would be the servers and the first 4 sat at the main table.
To be honest it was chaos and I think only worked because they had regular gatherings of that size, the cooks sat down for the whole thing, there was a different clearing up crew. And it was Boxing day so every one had already a more 'civilized" family Christmas dinner.
The last two years though they hired the local village hall and did it there. A lot less hassle.
It sounds like a nightmare for you to be honest

We have had 16 adults and four kids. We bought a trestle table and had spare dining chairs and we were able to fit that and our dining table in a L shape in our kitchen/dining/living space. Kids sat at a little table in the same space. We moved the couch normally in that room to the other lounge.

Everyone bought a dish and we laid it out on the kitchen benches for people to serve themselves.

Some of my favourite Christmas memories are my grandparents hosting everyone. In a standard house . So looking back I'm impressed they got everyone in .
19 people in total.
I think it's a fab idea to do two sittings . And if you have plenty of help then it should be manageable.
As they got older they swapped to a buffet style dinner. All lovely foods but easier for people to help themselves and a lot of the prep could be done before hand.

I suspect this will only work if you sign up some (about 2 or 3) of the other adults to take a full part in preparation and execution. That means staying sober and essentially being staff for the entire time. It also means coming round for planning meetings in the couple of weeks leading up to the day. Maybe one of the couples has slightly older children who can be trusted while their M&D help you run the show.

Continuing with the "staff" theme, I would also suggest that you and your helpers eat (something like an omelette; have your Xmas lunch a few days before or after) before the rest of the guests arrive. You will not have time to eat while looking after 30 other people.

If you and your DH are on your own trying to deal with 16 other adults who all want to drink and have a jolly time, while their kids let off steam around your house, you will remember it as the Worst Christmas Ever. You will end up roping in some of the other adults to help anyway, and they will either be slightly pissed or reluctant to help because X isn't also helping.

I am just imagining a roasting tin of roasties for 28 people…..

If you are friendly with your neighbours and they are going away ask if you can borrow some dinning room seats to scatter around for people to sit. My neighbour did that when she had a large party.

We did it once, but we had it catered. They did all the work and fed 30 people without any issues. I would never do it if I had to sort the food.

Maybe its easier for that many people to eat out on Christmas day instead? They can all chip in money or pay for themselves?

Christmas themed buffet -

Rearrange furniture - take the tv out and leave the stand as a seat for example , all bookcases etc etc

If you have 18 people - you need 8 seats in the dining area and 10 or more in the living room

Borrow seats, use camping chairs , make sure those in need get first dips at t here best seats - make sure parents know that you will expect kids to move/ sit on the floor

Tell people to bring trays if that would help them

Count your plates and cutlery