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[ALRATIBA]

I don't entertain ... tiny apartment.  Always go visit family.

Relatives all do "formal sit-down in the dining room" type entertaining for holidays.  They all have big old houses ... not the type of setups where you could do any sort of buffet.

[In-x-s]

When I was a kid, our Thanksgiving dinner use to be HUGE!  My dad and his friends were all deer hunters and my mother fed them all.  She bought a 4' x 8' piece of plywood and that would go over our regular table and she'd put a cloth on it and that was our holiday dining table LOL!  Back in those days, all the food went right on the table.

[Marsha2003]

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@Regal Bee wrote:

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@Marsha2003 wrote:

A little off-topic, but do you have dinner attendees that are always significantly late?  I plan to serve within 30 minutes of the stated arrival time and it annoys me so much that people will show up an hour or more late without warning.  

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@Marsha2003  About being late, all the time.

People that know me know that I do not tolerate lateness. I go to a lot of trouble for my dinners, even ordinary ones and I consider lateness downright rude. I am not talking about emergencies, etc....but general lateness is a BIG no-no with me. It is totally inconsiderate to the hostess.

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I think it is inconsiderate, too, but my extended family isn’t known for their good manners unfortunately.  I’ll tolerate it until my parents pass on, then I can distance myself.

[SahmIam]

Depends on the holiday. Some are family style with everything on the table and passing it all around. Others are buffet style. Don't ask me why, lol.

[missy1]

I put it on the table (in bowls/platters). They help themselves. I would never plate a person meal. They like their own amounts and food choices.

[mustang66lady]

My Mother always put food in beautiful serving bowls and platters on the table-she had no room to do buffet.  When I took over family dinners, I often had 35-40 in attendance and we served buffet style.  I always found trying to eat and being interrupted to pass food, kind of a bother but no other way at my Mom's.  Buffet style, people can get seconds at their leisure.  Bread, butter, cranberry sauce, etc. is on the tables in several areas and there is still room for decorations.  A coffee bar with all kinds of add ins including alcohols and a dessert table is set up in another area.  We are fortunate to have a couple of bartenders in our family so they always set up a bar area and tend that, and we always have a signature drink for the holiday.  There is a Coke cooler that contains soda, bottles of water, and other drinks for those who prefer and of course, there is a huge container of ice tea.   All thru the main floor of our house, are containers of homemade candies and goodies, as well as trays of cookies and pastries.   We play games and socialize in many areas, including around the table.  

[Regal Bee]

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@mustang66lady wrote:

My Mother always put food in beautiful serving bowls and platters on the table-she had no room to do buffet.  When I took over family dinners, I often had 35-40 in attendance and we served buffet style.  I always found trying to eat and being interrupted to pass food, kind of a bother but no other way at my Mom's.  Buffet style, people can get seconds at their leisure.  Bread, butter, cranberry sauce, etc. is on the tables in several areas and there is still room for decorations.  A coffee bar with all kinds of add ins including alcohols and a dessert table is set up in another area.  We are fortunate to have a couple of bartenders in our family so they always set up a bar area and tend that, and we always have a signature drink for the holiday.  There is a Coke cooler that contains soda, bottles of water, and other drinks for those who prefer and of course, there is a huge container of ice tea.   All thru the main floor of our house, are containers of homemade candies and goodies, as well as trays of cookies and pastries.   We play games and socialize in many areas, including around the table.  

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@mustang66lady  Love your reply....everything sounds so cozy. I feel that a buffet allows guests to 'get extra servings' without being obvious. 

I also open many rooms when I entertain and encourage guests to wander around....it just makes it more friendly for us and we have known our friends for years!

[mustang66lady]

Thank you @Regal Bee.  I have always tried to keep it easy for people to mix and mingle-we have a large family plus friends and extended family.  People tend to move to different rooms looking for food and conversation or games-whatever their fancy at the moment.  I don't think there is a wrong or right way-do what is best for yourself, your family and the design of your home.  I do love looking at your lovely photos of your home-did or do you work in design?  

[ROMARY]

I prefer buffet, as a guest and as a host.  Passing serving plates and bowls around a large table sometimes is cumbersome time-wise and dexterity-wise, especially for some elderly folks and youngsters.  To some, it seems to 'never end'.  

[Regal Bee]

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@mustang66lady wrote:

Thank you @Regal Bee.  I have always tried to keep it easy for people to mix and mingle-we have a large family plus friends and extended family.  People tend to move to different rooms looking for food and conversation or games-whatever their fancy at the moment.  I don't think there is a wrong or right way-do what is best for yourself, your family and the design of your home.  I do love looking at your lovely photos of your home-did or do you work in design?  

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@mustang66lady  I was a consulting interior designer for a number of years.