Christmas entertaining, how do we cope with ever increasing family numbers?

Make it a bring and share meal. You supply the turkey as it has to be in the oven early. Write a list of everything needed and ask each family to choose something to bring, be it the ready prepared carrots and sprouts, Christmas crackers, napkins etc. They can't begrudge a helping hand.

If OP has been struggling since 2019 as her first thread suggested, all I can advise is for goodness sake , tell them you are NOT DOING IT ALL again this year.

🙂

I must look for the copies I have to see if your jumpers are featured, but I think these are from the 1950s.
I'm sure one features knitted swimsuits.

Alas, no, Calli. I think my sister only got the magazine because her friend told her about the photo that included a child wearing one of my jumpers.

I hope you were mentioned in the credits, Baggs ⛄

ginny I didn't know it was still being produced!

Hey, I have Women’s weekly delivered each week.
Good articles, short stories, recipes, puzzles and knitting or craft patterns.
Definitely not old fashioned and no ‘who bedded who’ .

*sister's

I have an issue of WW from 1997 which my sister sent me when one of the snowmen jumpers I knitted for my eldest two back in the 1980s turned up in an article. By that time the jumper in question had been worn by both of my then kids (Minibaggs missed out!), all four of my sisters, and now two belonging to the family in the article.

The article was about home schooling or, as my sister always called it, Education Otherwise, a phrase used in the law written about parents' responsibility to educate their children even if they didn't go to school.

No, best not.

My MIL used to take the Woman's Weekly, I may still have a couple of copies which have knitting patterns in them!
Best not post that on the decluttering thread

Oh, I can imagine, Callistemon! Can I state categorically that I haven’t read the Woman’s Weekly since my mother used to get it in the 1960s.

Key to it all was my Hostess trolley. I was a very late convert, maybe the last one , only buying it a few years ago, but my goodness it’s so helpful! And when it’s not in use it’s useful storage for all the extra china we need for our family days

Maggiemaybee
Just had a joke about the hostess trolley on the decluttering thread.
Yes, they are useful for storage too!!

If anyone’s finding hosting Christmas too much, they should just bite the bullet and say so. I’m not there yet - I love Christmas and still love doing it, but if I ever fancy a rest I know at least one of our younger generation will happily take it on. My lot are all very good anyway, and want to help, so someone will bring the puddings, another will bring drinks, another will sort out starters.

I haven’t room for 14 round the table, but bought two fold down tables for the children - I measured everything very precisely and though it’s a squash when all of them are up at once in our dining kitchen, it just about works. Last Christmas though, we just fed the kids first then let them escape to run riot round the house and garden while we adults ate in peace. It worked really well.

Key to it all was my Hostess trolley. I was a very late convert, maybe the last one , only buying it a few years ago, but my goodness it’s so helpful! And when it’s not in use it’s useful storage for all the extra china we need for our family days.

If you can’t be the driver, it changes everything. Where’s the fun?

🤔

Still there!

You said it M0nica - it’s like having to surrender your driver’s license and relying on a pal, friend or family to take you around for all the things you want to do.

If you can’t be the driver, it changes everything. Where’s the fun?
USA Gundy

fancythat

Callistemon21

fancythat

There have been many good suggestions on this thread.
Yet the op has not replied.

The OP has been having problems with Chridtmas plans for some time and still not put her foot down.

Time to say No Can Do I think.

www.gransnet.com/forums/grandparenting/a1267555-Christmas-plans

Oh. Ah. Hmm.

Some people read, mark, and inwardly digest!

The OP is one of a group of people who seem to want solutions to problems that do not require them to do anything to resolve it.

They occur quite frequently on GN and seem to expect us to be able to provide that no intervention solution. This OP knows what the solution is. If the OP and DH are finding runnng the family Christmas do all too much, however much DH enjoys it, they must stop doing and hand over to someone else, who may do things differently. There is no alternative - and they know it, but because, understandably they will be sad to see it change they are looking for a solution that changes things while leaving things as they are and that just isn't possible.

Well, at least there are lots of ideas on this thread to help anyone else who might be wondering how to change what they’ve always done because they are getting weary of doing it, so it’s not a complete waste of other posters time.

Callistemon21

fancythat

There have been many good suggestions on this thread.
Yet the op has not replied.

The OP has been having problems with Chridtmas plans for some time and still not put her foot down.

Time to say No Can Do I think.

www.gransnet.com/forums/grandparenting/a1267555-Christmas-plans

Oh. Ah. Hmm.

Callistemon21

Norah

Callistemon21

Norah

We make squash bread pudding as a Christmas side, does your husband love that as well? Easy, serves well, and always asked after.

No, I've never heard of that!

Bread pudding is sweet with dried fruit, baked in a tin then cut into squares.

Mum's sort baked in a tin. No dried fruit. Just winter squash cubes, heavy bread leftover scraps, eggs, cream, cheddar, bacon, garlic, onions, herbs. Scoop it out, dollop of gravy if desired.

Make when people are round, we don't eat eggs, cream, cheese, or bacon.

It sounds good, but it's a savoury dish. I might try it some time 🙂

Bread pudding is a type of cake, not to nbe confused with bread and butter pudding which has an egg custard base with just one layer of buttered bread then baked.

I know it's savoury. Not a sweet dish - main meal side.

It's not cake, just tin baked bread pudding, no fruit.

Perhaps I was not clear -- "We only do meat, gravy, mains, veg, potatoes, bread pudding" -- we do savoury substantial dishes for the meal, easy items.

Others bring the rest "Everyone brings drinks, puddings, biscuits, cakes, savoury treats, breads, salads."

Merely an easy way we accomplish meals, I thought perhaps ease was what OP was attempting?

fancythat

There have been many good suggestions on this thread.
Yet the op has not replied.

The OP has been having problems with Chridtmas plans for some time and still not put her foot down.

Time to say No Can Do I think.

www.gransnet.com/forums/grandparenting/a1267555-Christmas-plans

There have been many good suggestions on this thread.
Yet the op has not replied.

Esmay - you and I are on exactly the same page! People feel better if they are involved to make it a happy occasion for everyone.

Some of us are doers and some of are takers .
I'm in the doer category

Some of us can't be doers any more and I think that Semiruralgirl needs to make that clear to her DH and family and asked them to contribute dishes.

That's what I do - take a savoury side and a pudding because i know how much it is for one person.

Norah

Callistemon21

Norah

We make squash bread pudding as a Christmas side, does your husband love that as well? Easy, serves well, and always asked after.

No, I've never heard of that!

Bread pudding is sweet with dried fruit, baked in a tin then cut into squares.

Mum's sort baked in a tin. No dried fruit. Just winter squash cubes, heavy bread leftover scraps, eggs, cream, cheddar, bacon, garlic, onions, herbs. Scoop it out, dollop of gravy if desired.

Make when people are round, we don't eat eggs, cream, cheese, or bacon.

It sounds good, but it's a savoury dish. I might try it some time 🙂

Bread pudding is a type of cake, not to nbe confused with bread and butter pudding which has an egg custard base with just one layer of buttered bread then baked.