Christmas dinner

Have Christmas dinner late - 5 or 6 - far less of a rush - and knock back plenty of Buck's Fizz throughout the day, so these things don't bother you!

I never do a starter for our (late) Chr. dinner - we have a late brunch and there will be nibbles a couple of hours before dinner. Turkey is carved at the table - no plating up here - and serving dishes go on the table, though admittedly it can be a bit of a squash. One year with more guests than usual we brought a garden table in, put a Christmassy cloth on, and sat the younger ones there.

But I don't do the umpteen different veggies/side dishes/Yorkshire puds that some people seem to think necessary. Roast pots and parsnips, carrots and sprouts, lots of pigs in blankets and cranberry sauce only. So not too many dishes on the table.

Is there room in your dining-room for a side table to take some of the dishes?

Whether there is or not, I suggest sending one dish round at a time, for instance the meat platter going clockwise round the table, while the potatoes move anti-clockwise, then send stuffing and vegetables round, and gravy last. If possible use two gravy boats. Seat children too young to help themselves beside an adult who serves them, as well as her/himself.

If this is two confusing, delegate four adults to act as waiters, holding the serving dishes while the seated adults help themselves and the children. The waiters serve a quarter of the company each.

Thank you and I hope you have a great Christmas too.

Thank you. I'm going to just let it flow and if they don't like it they can cook next time, though that will never happen. X

Thank you all for your suggestions, plenty for me to think about there. I'm sure it's just me getting all flustered Thanks again

I already have a large table, it fills most of the dining area. Think it's just me getting flustered.

Have large serving dishes and double up what is in them...so for example instead of having one serving dish with sprouts and another one with potatoes, I have two dishes each with sprouts and potatoes in. Two gravy biats etc. Means serving goes a bit quicker and there's an outside chance of eating warm food.

We just accept that there will be a few moments of planned chaos whilst people are helping themselves and others from dishes at the table. The plates are always hot so that when the food is served we say Grace and pull crackers then tuck in whilst The Wonderful Man and I go round the table serving drinks.

Having had the same dilemma for many years, I finally relented to doing things 'buffet' style. I dress up my kitchen island with a holiday runner and a centerpiece. I lay all the food and tableware 'round and let everyone serve themselves.

I can set a nice holiday table without having to make room for all the serving dishes. It allows everyone to relax and enjoy the meal without all the chaos of "pass me this, pass me that" at the table which drives me batty.

I have a little trolley, not the heated hostess sort of affair, but I suppose a tea trolley.
It’s anazingly useful as the hot veg dishes can go on the top, I stand by and serve everyone, place empties on the bottom tier, then it all wheels smoothly into the kitchen.
I tend to have my helping after everyone else has been served. Their job is to sort the desserts out whilst I relax for a few minutes, then we have a dishwashing session later on.
It’s still hard work, but much less stressful these days!

I just let someone else deal with it all.

Last time I cooked Christmas dinner for a large group I used my steamer for the veg and we had roast spuds and a tray of roast veg too. I heated dishes to hold the veg and keep it warm on the table and used two dishes per veg so there was one each end of the table. I also had two gravy boats and two dishes of pigs in blankets and stuffing balls. The only thing left was the Turkey to carve and pass around and that went okay.

I used to do the same as GabriellaG suggested when there used to be 14 of us to a sitting. That way meals are served hot. Children served first at a separate table and they were usually in another room to give us lot some peace while enjoying our meal. I miss all that which is why I cook extra for myself as fry-up on Boxing Day, or if anyone happens to call in.

I am another fan of the hostess trolley, comes into its own for big family gatherings.

My hostess trolley is much derided. Strange then that 2xdds have recently bought one.

Mine was in use regularly when the children were young but now is only used for big get together and hide and seek. 2 dgd disappeared one day and had got inside closing the door behind them.

Luckily it is Always unplugged when not in use after the time dgs flicked the switch for the heated top and we were all baffled as to where the burning wood smell was coming from!

We do as GabriellaG has suggested, this year we have an island which we can use for this purpose so it will be easier. We get the parents to sit the children at the table, give them a drink then we all put the food on the children’s plates first, the parents take them in and get them started. While they are doing this we put the meat and accompaniments on the plates then the adults come in and tell us what vegetables they want, DH and I serve them and they go and sit at the table with the children, pour themselves a drink and help themselves to gravy which we always put on the table. while we serve ourselves and then go and join them. We do a similar thing for desserts. We always have a pile of paper napkins next to the plates as DH insists on very warm plates so a napkins makes the plate more comfortable to hold. It is always a relief when everybody is sitting round the table and enjoying the food.

I don t cook for a lot of family now. I used to put meats on big platters and let them help there selves (themselves) in the kitchen. Veg etc was put in dishes on the table.

I'm a big fan of the hostess trolley mine is getting on a bit now been in use over 16 years it is the butt of family jokes and it's become a tradition in our family that whoever is hosting Christmas lunch (my youngest DD ) this year comes on Christmas eve to collect it makes things so much easier and everything is hot hate lukewarm veg

We’ve got the biggest extending table to fit the space we have. But I bought a pair of high nesting side tables last year and we get those out for two boys each. Plus the emergency chairs, of course. It’s all very cosy, but that’s part of the fun.

If you need extra space just for the occasional family meal, go to a timber yard and get them to cut you a piece of chipboard or MDF for a size large enough, and put this on top of your dining table (protect the table top first if necessary). It may take two of you to position it, so seek help from visitors, but it does enable us all to get round the table together, and is stored in the garage out of the way for most of the year. Covered with a tablecloth, who is to know?

There are plenty of crackers, thats for sure.

At Batty Towers we eat last nights take away, washed down with a few cans. Feet on the coffee table, well it's more of a poof really.

BRedhead59 - that’s just what I always think. It’s just another Sunday Roast with crackers.

If you don't have a side table, use the ironing board.

My contributions is, if you have room, somehow warm the plates- food soon goes cold. Have a lovely time and hope you are able to retain the Christmas spirit- I don’t think anyone minds if not everything goes smoothly. Warmest Christmas wishes to you.

I heard someone say recently "It's just Sunday roast with crackers" exactly I thought. It's one day and who cares if a kid spills a drink, family, is what it's all about. It doesn't have to be perfect just a happy occasion with laughter and mishaps and left overs.