‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, ‘Home Alone’, and ‘Jingle All the Way’. Each of these movies features a family at Christmastime. In each of the homes, there’s plenty of room for (at least) one giant Christmas tree, 10-foot-long tables full of food, and grand stairways decked with garland. When guests come to visit, they are put up in a guest room complete with its own bathroom. Quaint, isn’t it? I’ll show you quaint! How about eight people (most of them adults) crammed into a 1,100 square foot home with a tiny kitchen, sharing two bathrooms the size of most people’s walk-in closets? This is how we celebrate Christmas in a small house with a family.
HOW TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS IN A SMALL HOUSE WITH A FAMILY
Living in a small house doesn’t mean you can’t have a Merry Christmas complete with a decked-out Christmas tree, gluttonous amounts of food, and lots of family and friends! In fact, we still manage to do all of these things…just on a {much} smaller scale.
Here are some helpful tips which I’ve learned through trial and error after years of celebrating Christmas in a small house with a family.
Keep the Decor Simple
If you live in a small house with a family, chances are you will only be able to have one Christmas tree. And that’s okay. Most likely, you’ll have to re-arrange (or even eliminate) some furniture to accommodate said tree.
It’s best to keep Christmas decor as simple and unobtrusive as possible because you’ll need every available surface to store all of your guests’ stuff!
*Tip: No mantle? No problem. Hang stockings on the wall or a windowsill instead.
Related Post: How to Have Yourself a Simple Christmas This Year
{Good Enough} Sleeping Arrangements
Let me tell you (from experience), there’s little-to-no room for romance when you are celebrating Christmas in a small house with a family! The goal should be simply to get everyone {relatively} comfortable and settled in for the night. Even if that means all of the adults end up sharing a room while the kids share another one.
Tip: You may need to borrow air mattresses, camping cots, and extra bedding to make this possible.
Keeping Everyone Fed
When it comes to family meals in a small house, I have two words for you: BUFFET STYLE. Honestly, there’s no point in trying to create a Pinterest-perfect table when you’re feeding 8+ people in a small house.
If I could add three more words, they would be the following: ONE POT MEALS.
*Tip: Put a board like this one over your kitchen sink to create more counter space.
Take it Outside
If at all possible, I highly recommend utilizing the great outdoors when celebrating Christmas in a small house with a family. Unfortunately, here in Colorado, this isn’t always possible. However, if you live in a warmer climate, let the kids camp outside, cook meals on the grill, and hang out by the firepit while singing Christmas carols at night.
*Tip: Keep your family members entertained when they are outside with lawn games like this set of Giant Tumbling Timbers, or this Framed Cornhole Game.
No Room for Perfection
As long as you expect things to get broken, food to be cold before the last person in line can get to it, and the kids to have meltdowns due to all of the chaos created by celebrating Christmas in a small house with a family, you will be just fine.
If, however, you go into the holiday expecting a scene out of a Hallmark movie, you can expect to be disappointed. Every. Single. Time.
*Tip: Pour yourself a glass of wine (or two) and enjoy the holiday!
Prepare to Get Cozy
Have you ever been snowed-in {aka trapped} inside a small house with a large family for TEN DAYS STRAIGHT? I love my family, I really do. But, let me tell you, at the end of that ten days I was ready to strangle someone!
If you are even a little bit claustrophobic, you may want to consider checking your guests into a hotel room for Christmas!
If our family can successfully celebrate the last 5 Christmases (yes, that is a word) in a 1,100 square foot house with 8 or more people {without any dead bodies to speak of}, I’ll be willing to bet yours can too!
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
READ MORE:
- How To Have Yourself A Simple Christmas This Year
- 12 Holiday Organization Tips You Won’t Want To Miss
- How To Live In A Small House With A Family (without losing your mind)
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Yes, Jean! I completely agree. In fact…we used to be one of those families rattling around in a large house just so we could have room for the in-laws when they came to stay 1-2 times per year. Thankfully, we realized the error of our ways. 🙂
I think there are a lot of people, couples or small families, rattling around all year in way-too-much-house just to have “space for entertaining” once or twice a year — crazy! Love this post! Even if I had to pay the hotel bills for some of the guests, it would be less than paying for, furnishing, heating, maintaining and paying the taxes on way-too-much-house, right?!