Hosting Christmas

[Hulashaker]

I'm hoping the more experienced of you out there might be able pass on your wisdom. I am hosting Christmas for the first time this year, I'll have 8 people in total with two children. I have just realised my focus has bee entirely on the children - I've bought lots of craft things, games and activities to do with them - but no clue what essentials I'm going to need.

We try to be as economic as possible so if we aren't going to use things I don't have them in my house, I find that my friends tend to have stocked fridges at all times.

So my question is what things do people eat, drink or generally snack on during Christmas- I want to be nice and stocked up do we can all have a good time (we've had a hard few years so I'm trying to recapture that festive joy)

Any advice/suggestions welcomed

Following this with interest (and slight fear). We’re doing the same - six adults and two children.

Oooo I loooove hosting. I assume you are asking about Christmas day only, as opposed to the whole festive period?

For pickies, I would have bowls of quality crisps, nuts and chocolates dotted around the rooms where guests will be and frequently replenish these.

For lunch, as a starter, we are having oysters and champagne this year, but in the past we've had various things - cold, smoked salmon and salad, or prawns with crusty bread.

For main, if I was cooking for that many, I would have a turkey crown or whole duck and a gammon joint. Roast potatoes in goose fat, homemade Yorkshire puddings, carrots in butter, coriander and honey, sprouts fried with pancetta and garlic, and mashed swede or celeriac with lashings of cream and lurpack.

Ensure you have plenty of drinks - champagne to start, gin and tonic, perhaps vodka and other mixers, then a few bottles of red and white wine with the meal.

For pudding, we tend to have a Christmas cake, a festive sponge cake and a gingerbread house (decorated by the kids beforehand).

Our whole family gathers at ours for tea (usually about 25 of us). I tend to order M&S salads, coleslaw etc, a cheeseboard, put left over meat on the table, and various other pickies. This year, I'm planning on making a big bowl of kedgeree with crusty bread.

Have plenty of crackers (pulling crackers) for jokes etc, and perhaps gold coins in various trails for the kids x

We don't do starters as feel like it's too much to eat, so instead we do ready made canapé type things from he supermarket. Have a look at the 342 stuff in M&S, Sainsbury's etc. The have that with some champagne/Prosecco a little while before lunch. Have some nibbles round for people to help themselves to.

We used to do turkey & pork with the trimmings but now just get a large chicken & pork joint. Maybe check what meat everyone likes & work around that. Don't over do the trimmings. You don't need 50 different veggies & 10 separate stuffings. We have meat, pigs in blankets, roast/mash (only cos 1 DS doesn't like roast), carrots, sprouts, parsnips & green beans (again for fussy DS), Yorkshire's & apple & cranberry sauces.

Prepare as much the day before (peel veg & put in cold water), make the Yorkshire's (or buy), if you don't have room to store in the house, the car boot us usually cold enough. Set the table the night before if possible. Don't forget the crackers.
Get the meat in the oven a early as possible cos it'll be fine resting (cover it in tea-towels while it rests), then you can use the oven for other stuff.

Christmas pudding & maybe a lighter dessert for those who don't like it. Ice cream or magnums for the kids (or an alternative they like), buy ready made custard that just needs reheating.

Don't stress over times. Tell them roughly what time you'll be eating but don't stress if the timings go tits up. Do yourself a plan do you know when to put things in the over etc. Delia does a decent one which you might be able to get online.

Plenty drinks (alcohol & none) & mixers. Bag of ice in the freezer. Leave drinks out with instructions for people to help themselves, including tea & coffee. Have some mince pies, Christmas cake., sweets etc for later if people are still hungry.

Are you feeding them at night too? If so maybe some decent bread in the freezer to have with leftover meat, cheese & crackers, few party food nibbles & crisps. But if you buy stuff, make sure it's stuff you'll eat over the hols if no one else is hungry, don't buy stuff you're not keen on. If you have a freezer. Stuff for the freezer that you can take out & stock in the oven.

Give people jobs to do if they ask. Extra rubber gloves for them to help do the dishes. If people offer to bring things, let them but try to give them an idea of what to bring (bottle or wine, mince pies etc) so you know what you need to buy as extras. Make sure you've got large foil to cover the turkey (& a big enough tin for it & that it'll fit in the oven)

Maybe presents for anyone who brings you a present (although you entertaining them should be enough from you) m. So some extra bottles of something, nice chocs /bics. If you're doing stuff for the kids, turn them into a Christmas present for them rather than just something to keep them entertained. Make up a little hamper to give them with the craft stuff & maybe a selection box.

Make sure you get time to chill & enjoy the day!

I think adults at christmas are looking for some good background music which can be turned up after a few drinks later :) so maybe make a playlist with a mix of family favourties and christmas songs!!

A couple of adult games, if couples you can get those team games like Mr & Mrs etc ... or if a mix of people can go for something like scatagories

Food wise, apart from the dinner... id always have plenty of chocolates to hand (can get large tubs for £5) get a couple, mince pies, lots of yummy and different crisps to snack on, cheese and crackers, nice picky bits like salmon parcels, fancy sausage roles, prawns, mini yorkshires with beef, chicken squewers etc (can get lots of selections in super markets and maybe even some frozen ones if your not sure how much you will need)

Dinner is of course your turkey and we always do one other meat (usually gammon), roasties, parsnips, carrots, brussel (shred and cook in heavily seasened cream if your not usually a fan), cabbage, pigs in blankets, stuffing and GRAVY (plenty of it)

2 Yummy desert options with a medium sizes christmas pudding as a back up for the traditionalists.

Drinks, well this is kind of specific to your crowd, we go a bit mad but we all like lots of variety of drink but plenty of nice soft drink options, wine, beer, spirits and mixers and ICE :)

Crackers and happiness haha

Its always too much for one day but im kind of assuming youll be hosting for the day, and like lots of others you will just spend days after finishing up what didnt get eaten while in your new PJs :)

xxx

When you have your list, ask all your guests to bring a couple of items eg one person brings cream, brandy butter and red wine, one brings nibbles and prosecco. (It gets expensive and people like to contribute). Equally, ask someone to organise a couple of games.

Write down the timings for your christmas dinner, as its not generally possible to keep it all in the oven at once. The last bits can cook while the turkey rests.

Delegate table laying, washing up and clearing up to someone else - they can also keep on top of day to day stuff like making breakfast, washing up the breakfast items and binning wrapping paper, and providing drinks when guests arrive (otherwise you will not be chill if you are doing everything). I also ask my guests to make a round of teas and coffees each during the day (though mostly they don’t and may not be invited back one day...)

I don’t like waste either and tend to be a meal planner. I keep a well stocked freezer and freeze slices of bacon and sausages individually and single portions of dinners so there’s always a good choice.
I love Christmas left overs though and feel it’s my right, after cooking a feast, to put my feet up for the next few days and let everyone eat cold meats and stuffing sandwiches. I like to send guests home with some turkey and ham too for the next day. The veg gets eaten again on Boxing Day and if there’s still some left it ends up as soup. I keep parbaked bread in the freezer to have with meat, stuffing and some good cheese. I have a couple of nice chutneys or jams too. The dark turkey meat is lovely with hoisin and Chinese pancakes. Other than that there’s boxes of biscuits, crackers, tins of sweets, a gingerbread house, Christmas cake and an enormous trifle so no one goes hungry.

You can parboil, cool, then freeze your spuds and veg in advance.
We normally do beef and turkey for mains.
No starter, not necessary.
We're hosting both days so will do enough for both the days cook once, slice, cool and reheat next days meals. We do yorkies, pigs in blankets, stuffing with sausagemeat added. Sherry trifle or xmas pud.
We boil gammon on xmas eve, slice and cool to serve after dinner with cheeses. Cheese boards don't suit us, so we buy boursin, la roule, chilli cheese for variety. Served with normal cheese and pickles.coleslaw.
Twiglets, crackers, crisps, cake. I dont normally bother with salad (doesn't get eaten) but may this year as mum is coming.
Will get a box of chocs per day.
Some nice red wine, cola. We've loads of spirits already.
I don't go overboard as i just get fatter and mums band pains her badly.

7 of us for dinner this year. We have always prepared veg, made desserts, laid table, on Xmas Eve. It makes a huge difference on Xmas day. I’ve got an ancient hostess trolley which is invaluable as veg can be cooked early and popped in there at least an hour before we eat.also warms plates and serving dishes. I always write down a loose timings list to refer too. Someone always washes up a few pots and pans before the meal too which helps with the huge clear up afterwards. A glass of wine, Xmas music in the kitchen makes things so more relaxing. I love it!

Thanks all, some great suggestions I hadn't thought about cooking and freezing food so that I don't have to cook on the days leading up to Christmas.

I'm not a big snacker, so it's great to have your suggestions on those as well. 

Oh and if your in.laws are like mine, they will not listen when you say no xmas puds required.......We've got 8 going back years 😂😂

I'd skip desserts to be honest. By the time you've got to Xmas dinner you've normally overeaten and I don't think anyone wants to be eating left over desserts for the next 5 days (left over meat and vegetables can be made into pies and frozen for later in the year). Nice box of chocolates, a mince pie if you eat them and coffee/liquors.

If you buy this months good food magazine it’s got loads of recipes in it and also a timer thing for when to cook what on Christmas Day!

We’ve got lots for Christmas. I make ahead:

Gravy
Red cabbage
Stuffing

And freeze it.