Help! Best tips for hosting a LARGE Christmas with many overnight guests

[LuellaPilkington]

My turn to host Christmas this year- in total there will be 18/19 of us. All family who live quite far away so everyone will also stay for ca 3 nights. Some will stay for 5 and elderly parents a little longer. In total we are one set of elderly parents, 4 middle aged couples with teenage and pre teen kids plus one toddler.

I’d be grateful for ideas on what to buy in, tips to prepare and any potential things that are easy to forget when hosting so many. I’m planning on a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.

Where to begin?!

You are amazing thank you so much for all suggestions. Coat and shoe storage I hadn’t thought about so thanks for alerting me to that.

I’ve made a plan for the sleeping arrangements and a list with what I need. Currently short of a few single blow ups which I’m hoping to borrow from friends or get a few cheap from amazon. Missing a couple of pillows but cushions with pillow cases on should be ok? Everyone will have assigned sleeping arrangements so there is no free for all 😁If teenagers and kids want to swap around they can but adults have their spaces assigned. We are lucky to have space and no one will be in tents! (Unless they missbehave!)

I think my biggest concern right now is I don’t have a chest freezer as this severely hampers my prep options. I have two fridges and masses of outside ‘coal sheds’ space for drinks etc.

Guests have already asked what they can be responsible for and pay for etc ( although I feel awkward about them paying as they are all paying to come here) so I don’t think they expect to be waited on hand and foot. I’d say they are all pretty competent and sensible people although I might feel different on the 27th.

Breakfast buffet will be great- perhaps teenagers can be responsible for clearing this away as I suspect they will be last to eat breakfast…

Also- Where do I buy Gin bags? 😅Note taken re the bin bags- thank you, hadn’t thought about!

I’ve only ever catered for 9 inc. family, staying over, but all of them for at least 3 or 4 nights. And some were big eaters!

Meal planning and comprehensive lists are essential - unless you’ll be going out, think of every meal, inc. breakfasts. And obviously, keeping it all reasonably simple as far as possible.
I don’t have endless fridge/freezer space, so was lucky in that the weather was quite cold so a lot of the bread, milk, eggs, veg, salad stuff, etc. could be left (undercover) outside.

Gingerbread competition sounds great- does it get messy though? I’m wary of creating unnecessary mess at this point! I’ve got a cleaning arranged for before and after but not during the actual holiday period.

Sounds fun OP. Agree self service easy breakfasts - we store pastries in the garage as they take up loads of space, and breakfast is the same each day. Pastries, toast, coffee, OJ, pot of tea, marmalade/jam and butter out. Done.

Lunches are also usually fairly similar each day. Cheeseboard, a cooked ham (I do two and then they tend to last the duration, a slow cooker full of soup (home made but frozen ahead), part baked rolls.

Dinners I also usually make ahead. Lasagne one night (chips and garlic bread always requested!!), a curry another night (usually a chicken one and a dal) with naan and poppadoms etc. We also usually do a party food buffet on the last night of guests staying, and last out any leftover ham / cheese / desserts etc to get it all gone.

Paper plates are great for breakfast and lunch, and paper cups are great for kids. I tend to do food and DH does clear up (we rope helpers in!). ALWAYS clean up before bed so you're not on the back foot in the morning.

Also agree with chucking everyone out for a walk every day. I tend to get up and walk the dog first round, and turf everyone else out after breakfast clear up is done. That way I get a hot shower in peace

I think my biggest concern right now is I don’t have a chest freezer as this severely hampers my prep options. I have two fridges and masses of outside ‘coal sheds’ space for drinks etc.

You could look on ebay etc for second hand one

Take the offer of money too, it’s expensive to host that number!

Id start by saying only X couple get to stay the rest can Airbnb it!

Or get a curry takeaway one night with them paying for it as it’s one less dinner & leftovers for lunch

Take away one evening with guests paying is a good idea. Might also do one pub meal where everyone is paying for their own.

You could absolutely ask for a monetary contribution to help cover food costs - maybe about 20pounds per person. Either do an electronic collection (like for an office whip round) or ask them to bring some cash for a kitty that can them be used for any runs to the supermarket that happen. If they’re all flying in then they can’t bring food and having pay for a pub meal is fine for those who are staying 5 days but you can’t bring an impromptu group of 19 to a pub on boxing day and expect them to seat you without booking it in advance and probably paying a deposit.

Someone once told me that when working full time, with guests due to stay for Christmas, her dh paid for a thorough whole house clean shortly before - carpets, oven, windows, everything.
She said it was the best Christmas present she’d ever had!
(of course someone will now say why didn’t her dh volunteer to do half of it with her, yada yada yada…)

My only suggestion is boxes and boxes of Laithwaite's wine.

I do second gammon - a big piece (or two) cooked on the 23rd or 24th. It can do one hot meal first, or just have it cold with jacket potatoes, coleslaw, etc. I’ve put it on the table for breakfast, too - always goes down well. Plus it keeps very well - none of it will ever be wasted.

ask for help
dont do it all yourself

Planning.
Make lists!

Of food. Plus as pp's said - toilet roll.
Cook loads of things ahead of time. Like 2 x nigella gammon in Coke. 2 x big silver foil trays of lasagne. A good chilli.

Then all your on the day bits. French stick. Meats. And a good visit to Costco the day before. A big M&S delivery. A visit to bookers. Loads of soft drinks and beers and wines aswell.

Gingerbread competition Doesn’t get massively messy. Get them to keep themselves in the assigned tray working space. Give everyone a wet cloth to wipe up after
icing already in sandwich bags rather than icing pens which don’t work and therefore end up being messier

re cleaning during the festive season - get a robot hoover. Look at the black Monday deals. I think it’s worth it TBH

How about a pie night one night. Order in a job lot from somewhere like Plenty Pies (best pies EVER), and you just need a big bowl of roasted root veg to go with.

I wouldn't be going all out on breakfast every day. At least one day you can surely just do cereal (inc maybe yogurt/granola maybe). People aren't going to go hungry.
Or do a huge bowl of bircher museli for easy prep the day before. Delegate the prep!

Get, and freeze, milk beforehand. Maybe bread too. I'd bung a cheap/secondhand freezer in the garage.

Check out on X/Twitter #duvetknowitsxmas that'll give you good ideas how to squeeze everyone in!

Slow cookers can be used to keep food warm for hours things like baked potatoes, vegetables or even gravy.

Do you want really nice home roasted potatoes or just a quick fix?

For a quick fix get a deep fat fryer or an old fashioned chip pan. Peel and boil the potatoes a day or two before, on the day deep fry them to get a crispy coating and heat through.

For home made really nice potatoes then buy some floury potatoes, peel and chop into even pieces. If you do them the day before soak in water overnight with a drop of milk to stop them discolouring. Dry well before roasting.

Get the biggest baking pan you have and put in animal fat of choice, it gets hotter than veg oil. I like duck but lard / dripping / a mixture works well.

Heat for 10 mins in a hot oven until the fat is steaming. Add the potatoes, be careful the fat will spit, make sure all potatoes are coated and leave for 15 mins.

Go back and turn the potatoes over and leave for another 15 mins.

For some reason parsnip added tot he potatoes seem to make them sweeter.

Cleaners before and after - agree with pp

Pre order Xmas food delivery slots early.

If you have access to a second fridge or outdoor cold space - that will work wonders.

A cute xmassy glass / mug ring (personalised) will save 10 tons of washing up.

I would probably wrap an empty box in festive paper for each person that they can put in their room, for their own stuff - glasses, watch, handbag, wallet.

Prep an area close to the kitchen to decant recycling and rubbish. It piles up.

Make a daily dinner roster. 3 to cook, 3 to clean, the rest bugger off to the pub.

Sounds so festive and jolly. 🎄

Put a pack of Dettol wipes in each bathroom. Ask one person who is using that bathroom to give it a quick wipe around with a couple of Dettol wipes each morning. I know it's bad for the environment but it's good for your sanity.
If the majority are out of the house, get those who are at home to help tidy up/run the hoover around. This includes older men who might be used to not lifting a finger.
If you regularly exercise and that help keeps you sane in normal times, it is vital you keep it up. A quick run will give you some perspective and, even if there seemed to be umpteen crises of missing items etc as you were leaving, they will either have sorted themselves out or be able to wait whilst you're gone.
Do you have an en suite? If so, retire there and lock the door if you have too! In the early days of MIL visiting, I used to have a can of G&T and a bar of dairy milk stashed in there.

I do similar every year. When I started there were 9 of us, this year we are up to 15!

I bought a second freezer, and it was a game changer. Means I can do a bit of meal prep earlier in December and just have room for the Christmas Day and Boxing Day basics.

Spreadsheet plans meals for each day, with who is arriving when, then this helps me plan the shopping deliveries....

I book online shopping deliveries for 22nd, 23rd 24th, 27th, 28th. Sounds mad, but the sheer volume of food that we get through each day means it's impossible to store all the fresh food so I let it arrive each day.

Milk, loo roll, kitchen roll, tea bags, bread, biscuits - order a lot, then order some more.

Take away on Christmas Eve is now a tradition as it means I can focus on the Christmas meal prep.

I have no qualms about guests chipping in a bit financially. Each family branch offers a bit and it doesn't in any way cover it but they feel they have contributed and I appreciate the gesture.

Yes great reminder about the bathroom!

I have a quiet word with a few adults and ask them each to bleach and wipe one of the bathrooms down every time they go in as I can't necessarily monitor them all once things are in full flow!

In the early days of MIL visiting, I used to have a can of G&T and a bar of dairy milk stashed in there.

Best tip ever. I’m doing this in future!

We have found hot food delivery very slow around Christmas week and food arrives hour late and cold!

my other tip is to announce in advance that the kitchen is closed between 11 and 12!
pesky teenagers getting up at midday and wanting to be getting breakfast whilst the prepping for lunch is in full swing!