We do “platter” which can easily accommodate fussy oldies and interested foodies alike.
Basically a nice assortment of mainly cold items laid out on the table for people to help themselves. Some years, we do some M&S party nibbles to add some hot stuff to it. And while I am putting a lot in my suggestions, it’s about putting a nice mix of meat bites, salad bits, sauce/dippy bits, some bread/crackers, and cheese, for people to help themselves as they would like - we never have all of these in a single year.
Things like a basic plainer salad - sliced cooked ham, other more traditional cooked meats, bowl of lettuce, bowls of cherry tomatoes/carrot sticks/pepper sticks/olives/sliced avocados etc
Some more exotic cooked meats like salami, Parma ham, braseola.
Some seafood element - smoked salmon, cooked prawns, crab toes.
sauce/dippy bits- hummus, salsa, guacamole, seafood sauce for prawns, ketchup/mayo/bbq if needed for fussy eaters…
crackers, crusty french stick slices, breadsticks etc
And we usually open the Christmas cheeseboard of 3-5 cheeses as well. At least 1 soft (Brie, Camembert etc), 1-2 hard (cheddar, compte, Gouda, sheep’s cheeses etc) and a blue, sometimes with a cream cheese if mild is needed or stronger vintage ones …depending on the group.