My Top Tips For Hosting A Big Family Xmas

If you are planning on hosting a big family Christmas this year, then you might already be looking at some great festive recipes. I love Christmas because all the kids get so excited about it. I don’t mind them asking questions about the origins of the celebrations either, regardless of my own views. The best bit is that we’re all together enjoying a day when nothing is more important than being together.

I’m actually quite looking forward to it being a really huge event this year. No family sees eye to eye all the time. Christmas for us is about putting our differences aside and spending a fun day with the kids getting excited. If your extended family tends to drift toward the same old topics of conversation, there are few tips I can share with you to avoid the bloodshed!

Have a list of things you are happy to talk about and discuss. If your politics isn’t on par with someone else’s, then steer clear of the topic for the day. You don’t have to have an extensive list, though. Just a few topics that can’t rock the boat will be fine. You might want to talk about things the kids have been up to. Or perhaps you’ve had some success at work you can share. It could be the perfect time to open up the Christmas hampers. Distraction techniques work well when you need to change the subject!

Sometimes children can get over excited and have a bit of a melt down. If you’re hosting a big family Christmas, it can be tricky to keep your eye on the kids all the time. But if you spot that tiredness is setting in, have a couple of Christmas movies to hand for them to sit down to. Perhaps you can ask them to decorate some Christmas biscuits or put out the place settings?

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Gift giving is a big part of Xmas, especially for the little ones. We like to try handing out one gift at a time to everyone until the pile under the tree is gone. Other people try to distribute the gifts throughout the day so that every toy gets played with. This spares people’s feelings when the kids toss things aside to get the next present.

I’m not too keen on children eating a lot of sweet things all day. I know the day will be full of food and treats, so I just try to stagger it. I usually make a vegetarian option like a seasonal nut roast. This comes up quite sweet anyway so I don’t want too many sweet options afterwards. Yule logs and the traditional Xmas pudding are a must, though! I would love to flambe it this year. The trick is to warm the brandy before trying to ignite it.

I tend to put on too much veg. It’s not a problem though because it all goes in the freezer for baby food later in the week. We are always short on table space. Instead of piling everyone’s plate, I think I will serve at the table. Then I can leave the pots on the kitchen worktops afterwards. This means there is more space at the table, and everyone gets a chance to have some of what they want.

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Our Xmas table is always full of festive crackers and napkins and decorations. I love the scent of Christmas so I like to bring some of that fresh stuff into my centrepieces. When there are lots of children around the house, it can be fun to get them involved in making these things. It keeps them occupied when all the grown-ups are busy catching up and getting the meal ready.

The guitar always comes out after dinner, and we sing an eclectic mix of songs. Some are quite festive. But we meander through a wide repertoire of non-seasonal music too. It’s always nice to have music in the house, and I think it brings us all together. We’re not that big on having the TV on all day, so it makes for something more interactive and stimulating.

If I’ve got a lot of people in the house, bedtime can be any time. As people start to fade at the end of the evening, it’s nice to have a toast to a happy season. Mulled wines, eggnogs and alcohol-free Christmas punches are quite popular. Cinnamon flavours are in everything at this time of year. I love the zing of apples in there too.

I hope this year will be a big family event. I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone. It’s wonderful entertaining all the children we have between us. Have a perfect family festive period.