12 at ours for Christmas and I will be 8 months pregnant - totally doable, right?!

[GinIsIn]

We are moving house this week, to our first proper grown up house. All excited when we exchanged back in May, we invited both our families for Christmas (booked early as lots need to buy flights to come from overseas). We then found out I'm pregnant and due early Feb. There will be 12 guests, me, DH & 2 dogs.

Oh, and 22 for lunch on Boxing Day. My plan is to take the week before Christmas off, cook as much as I can and freeze it.

Can someone please tell me I'm not crazy and that it will be fine?!

You will be knackered but hosting is still possible as long as you don't expect to be able to do as much as you normally do. I was 30 something weeks Christmas just gone (34 I think ) and hosted (8 people). I did all the prep for Christmas day on Christmas eve, then my sister did the actual cooking for me. I cooked a meal for everyone on Christmas eve and boxing day but kept them simple.

You'll be absolutely fine with it, fenella ... Sounds like you're an old pro at hosting. I would say tho that when I organised my sons after christening party, I found it was almost the same price to buy tables as to hire them (Ebay for folding tables), I also bought some champagne buckets, water jugs etc through a catering place (nesbits or similar , online) at similar to hire price.

Mind you, I should mention that I went into hospital for 2 days with early labour on Christmas night (33 weeks). I kept pushing on until I'd served dessert then decided it really wasn't false labour pains after all . I did manage to prep the Boxing Day meal (which was our family Christmas Day), but hubby had to follow directions to finish it off on the day (with a bit of help from the SILs) while I managed to avoid having to spend the day with the mil

It will all be fine so long as you get m&s pre-prepared stuff as much as possible AND message all your guests to say that everyone will be pulling their weight and pitching in if it is at yours, and anyone who doesn't agree please speak now so you can book a gastropub instead (needs to be booked by September for good quality)

If you can bear it though, please think a little about how you can, without too much nightmare given your situation, allow the vegetarians to not have to eat vegan. I've had many a delicious vegetarian Christmas meal but always copious cheese cream and egg ingredients which give food a luxurious and celebratory taste. Something like a Stilton sauce for the Wellington would make a difference.

Do you have an outdoor table and chairs? We end up with around 20 when we do Xmas dinner. We bring in our outdoor table and we have a pile of stacking plastic garden chairs. Clean them down as few days before - not by you being pregnant. Table cloth and cushions and no one has ever complained😊

Also it is so cold outside we use it as an outdoor fridge for drinks. Just pile up all the drinks outside next the back doorstep. Put a bin next them and people tend to put empties in it as they get a new one esp beer drinkers. Just make it clear people are to help themselves or put a couple of the guys on drinks duties. Saves having to think about topping glasses up.

We leave a big jug of water and glasses on a side table so people can get it whenever they want.

Thanks so much everyone - sorry for the delay in coming back - I went a bit into Christmas based denial for a day or two!

I think that I am going to trust in Mr Marks and Mr Spencer, and see if I can borrow a table from th village hall at the end of the road.

Most of the people staying are less the helpful sort, more the 'stand around and tut because you bought San pelegrino and not perrier' type! waves at DM