To Ask Guests To Bring NYE Food?

[ChicMintUser]

AIBU to ask guests to bring food to my NYE party?

I’m hosting NYE this year and I’m already dreading the sheer volume of foods I’ll need to buy. I’ve always been high-energy and very lean (I prioritize fitness and honestly, my body just doesn't require much fuel to thrive. I intermittent fast from 5 pm to noon the following day).

The problem is my guests. They are lovely people, but they seem to treat New Year’s Eve like a competitive eating trial. Last year was a bloodbath, I put out what I thought was a generous spread and it was inhaled within twenty minutes. I'm talking platters of cheese, fresh fruit, delicious charcuterie, imported European crisps, sandwiches, etc. By 11 pm people were looking at the empty platters like I was starving them, despite the fact they’d already consumed more calories in one sitting than I do in three days.

I want to be a good host, but my internal gauge for "normal" portions is clearly broken compared to the average person. I find the sight of mountains of beige food quite off-putting, to be honest. I don't want to spend my evening watching people descend into a food coma while I’m trying to actually celebrate.

How do those of you with "normal" appetites handle catering for the "bottomless pit" crowd?
Do I just buy out the local Costco and accept the waste? How many sausage rolls per person is considered "enough" for people who don't know when to stop?

Am I a total Scrooge for wanting to serve elegant, light nibbles rather than a buffet that looks like a Viking feast? I just can’t wrap my head around needing that much fuel to simply sit in a living room and wait for a clock to strike twelve.

Is it unreasonable to ask guests to bring the snacks they like instead of buying a pile of food I would never, ever eat?

Buy 5 or 6 frozen pizzas and put out a little later after other food has been eaten.

I would email them and say you're providing cheese, olives etc and ask them to bring along one dish that they especially like, to share. It needn't be hard or expensive for them, a supermarket cake or quiche or something would be acceptable.
Then make sure they take away their leftovers at the end!

I would feel embarrassed to just serve 'elegant nibbles' and 'imported crisps' for NYE. We are not fatties, we all eat healthily and exercise. My DS is a 6ft 5 athlete who runs marathons for fun in his spare time. so won't eat rubbish. For NYE I have two slow cookers with two different curries, a rice cooker full of rice and then throw samosas, onion bahjis and naan breads into the oven alongside poppadoms, chutneys and salads. It goes down a treat and is hot through the night for anyone who wants it.
Sorry OP but I bet your guests want to call for a kebab on the way home!

I have the opposite problem! I have never knowingly under-catered, and my guests for a very small post-Christmas/New Year celebration on Saturday keep asking me what they can bring.

I always have food left over after hosting despite everybody eating plenty, so it's not because I don't provide enough. I'm going to have 9 people sitting round the table and there just won't be room on the table for any more food.

if any of your guests offer to bring something accept graciously, but don't ask them. You need to be more generous in your hosting. You obviously didn't provide enough last time. Maybe more 'fillers' to help fill people up. Provide the good quality stuff if you would like to, but also some extra bread, crisps, fruit, that kind of thing.