First time hosting Xmas dinner - where to begin?!

[Notascoobie]

Help needed please - me and my husband are hosting Xmas dinner for the first time this year as we finally live somewhere large enough to accommodate family staying a couple of nights. We have wanted to host for ages so are super excited but where to begin?! How does everyone work out how much to buy in portion wise? And any obvious tips for how to manage the cooking with hosting duties? We have two young children and aunties will be on hand to entertain but still...

thanks in advance

I only cook for me on a daily basis, Christmas meal is usually just two of us and I still use all foil dishes as much as possible.

I keep the foil trays that chilled prepared meat/fish meals come in from the supermarkets too if they don't get too messy, saves having to buy them and they are a really good size too.

As I don't have a dishwasher I am all for reducing the washing up as much as possible.

It’s also worth noting that, as long you clean any/all food debris off them, foil trays can be recycled. Rather than just thrown away.

One of the things that was the most helpful for me was lists-otherwise easy to overlook something.

I have a list of all the food and then I do all prep christmas eve and everyone helps-christmasy films on-it's really fun.
Parboiled potatoes, carrots, parsnips etc can get kept in ziplock bags or containers with water and ice.
I actually put a cool bag in the garden-named "the garden fridge" for all of this-just be sure to zip it so no one sneaks in.

Once I write the menu I do an oven plan with a list with columns-when to put in and when to take out. Also rest the turkey a long time so it both makes it juicy and makes oven space.

I also found my biggest mistake was not getting the turkey in early enough-it just can't go in too early and having to wait is excruciating.
If you stuff it you need to add the weight of the stuffing so it cooks longer
which I know from bitter experience

I love hosting-relax into it and have fun.
Everyone there wants to have a great day!

Ask for help!
I.e. get one of the family members visiting to bring the first evening's meal with them (as long as they are travelling via a method that enables that of course - not expecting 89 year old great aunt to bring a lasagne to feed 12 on the plane!). And someone who you know is a decent enough cook.

That way you don't have to keep room in the fridge for that meal -saves time and money. Something easy that can be quickly reheated.
Someone else could be volunteered to cook/pay for takeaway another day.

People can bring the sides but check they know what that means -i.e. no allocating potatoes to great aunt Dorothy with the appetite of a sparrow who thinks that means 2 roasties each, when you've got a teenage boys who could scarf down 12.

Any time someone says "can I help" take them up on it - with a lot of people in the house there will always be dishwasher needing un/loading, stuff put away etc even if you're happy doing the cooking yourself. Even if it's a future task "I'm fine now but if you could lay the table in half an hour." Etc. And if nobody offers start allocating tasks (and make sure the men help as much as the women!)

Oh, thinking about lists - keep your lists and annotate them in the lull after Christmas, then pop them in a box with your decorations so the next time you host you aren’t starting from scratch!

I agree-I even keep my ocado order from previous years as a check list 📝

I have a lovely gold notebook which nobody else is allowed to write in!

I did a document on the computer that held all my lists and plans - I’m not sure I can find it, sadly.

Basically have fun-it's not about the most perfect looking meal, it's about you all being happy spending time. People remember how you make them feel, not about whether it's Gordon Ramsay standard. If you enjoy cooking, great, if not there's lots of cheats and premade these days. If my kids ever host me when they grow up, I'm most concerned that they and their partners are happy. The last thing I'd do is be judging anyone.
My main tip's already given-write a good plan with timings. Check if anyone has dietary needs, and don't be afraid to just buffet options if it suits you. If you have a few people staying over, allow time and space for people to be on their own, and make sure you get a break and enjoy yourself too. Time out walking can be your friend!

Oh, another thing we did when we hosted all of DH’s family last year, was not provide bedding. We were going to (honest!) but they offered to bring duvet covers and pillow cases from home. I was a bit uncomfortable, it felt like lazy hosting, but it was so, so nice to not deal with a massive stack of dirty bedding when everyone had gone home. It meant the house was back to normal really quickly. I realise it isn’t dinner specific, but we’ll definitely do it again if we host Christmas.

NEVER steam red cabbage above the potatoes you are going to mash. We had pink mash one year! 😂

It is just a Sunday dinner with pigs in blankets. Don't stress yourself about it. Also, don't drink wine while you are cooking or all the timings go to hell!