Need tips on entertaining in a small house!?

Question

We are doing the Family Christmas Eve get together in a smaller house and this is a BIG family (30-40 people could show up) The Dining/Living room is an open area about 12x24 feet. The Kitchen is a very small galley style- no room for a table. How can we arrange food, tables and chairs efficiently?

Forgot to add - cannot be outside as we are up north and it will be cold.

Answer 1

my house is small too, so i know what youre going thru! first off, we feed the kids first, then they all go off to the bedroom to watch christmas videos or play games. i just throw a big quilt over the bed and cover it with big throw cushions and body pillows. the kids like it. then we set up a long trestle table (about 14 feet long) down the center of the living/dining room--the dimensions are about the same as your place. the table is made of plywood and sawhorses, but covered in a nice tablecloth so no one notices. the table is about 2 1/2 feet wide by 14 feet long. all the food is in the kitchen on the counters and is self-serve. we keep the tree and all the presents in the basement cuz there just isnt room upstairs. the meal could be served in 2 sittings. last year some of us went for a drive to see the festival of lights while the others stayed home and ate. some took the kids out toboganning and caroling or to candlelight service at church. so we werent always all there at the same time--you gotta make some plans for activities! i borrowed about 25 stacking chairs from the church and kept these around the table. i moved my desk and dining table down to the basement. clear all the unneccessary clutter off of your kitchen counters so it can be used as the buffet. we also borrowed a large coffee urn from a neighbor. it can really turn out well if you do a little planning in advance, and you gotta really be organized and have a good plan in effect to get rid of the clutter before it takes over. we cant spend much time outside here--too cold. but we do have a large verandah and i kept everyones coats, boots, mitts etc. in there on an old sofa cuz the closets just cant handle it all!

Answer 2

I have a small house too and have to entertain a lot of family as well. Try starting your christmas eve early so by nightfall when its colder people will be partied out and ready to go home. Also maybe move out most of your furniture and bring in fold up chairs kept stacked up against the wall so they don't take much room when unused (they are very cheap at target, walmart). Maybe serve finger foods and dips on tables (narrow fold up tables should be sold with the chairs) along the walls so people will be more encouraged to stand and keep moving. It might also be neat if you had a couple of tv's set up in different places playing different christmas movies so later on when people want to settle down they'll have something fun to watch and talk about.

Answer 3

I would rent fold away chairs and do a huge buffet using your kitchen area as much as possible.My kitchen is very small, so I have 2 pieces of boards that I place over the eyes of my stove.That way I have counter,stove top, and table to spread the food on.I always put the drinks next to the sink so I can put the ice bucket in the sink.You could rent tables also.That's a large group for tight quarters, hope your party is a blast....

Answer 4

If you have a big family with a 30-40 person turnout, chances are no one will mind being "close" to their family for the evening. I wouldn't worry about a table. I would just set up the food buffet style, whereever you have room to do so, and let people eat as they want to. The real blessing is the opportunity to be together.

Answer 5

Paper bags. A table you can put pens, pencils and twist ties on so they can knock them off. Hiding places, like the space between a desk and the wall. Old soft chairs/sofas so they can be comfy when they are sleeping. Ice cubes in their drinking water so they can fish them out of the water. Also cardboard boxes and mirrors at their level - get a full length mirror, turn it sideways and attach it to the wall about 6 inches or so from the floor. There is a toy (the only one I actually bought by the way), but I forget the name of it. It's a plastic circle with a hole or space in the opening for a cat to jump into and out of, and there's a fake mouse in the circle and openings in the circle where a cat can get its paws and push the toy around - I dare you to go into PetSmart and describe the toy and watch their reaction. Or, you could just go up and down the aisles looking for something that resembles my description.

Answer 6

clear out as much clutter as possible. set up your kitchen as a buffet line. get some folding chairs, a card table and tv trays to accomidate any extra guests. try to sit as many at the table as possible and make everyone welcome to sit and eat.
its very hard and i wish you lots of luck and a happy holiday season.

Answer 7

Serve buffet style and set up tables.

Answer 8

do you have a bigger back yard? you could put up some fairy lights outside, borrow a big table or even hire one from party hire and chairs etc.

Answer 9

do yourself a favor and rent a local hall or church basement usually around $25 we all are able to spread out have fun and there's even room for the kids to spread out.