Christmas is a time for family, a time for friends and a time for food. But just like the ten kilograms of Quality Street you’ve just bought in a December panic, you may have invited a few too many over for Christmas dinner.

And, if like us, you have the family, neighbours and their dog, all coming round yours this December 25th, you may have started to wonder where you’re going to put everyone. After all, most of us can’t fit 12 people around the dinner table. Especially with all the Christmas crackers, turkey and trimmings you’ve got going on.

Luckily, we have a few tricks up our sleeves to help you make sure you can squeeze every last person in – coats, presents, extra nibbles and all.

Ready to get started?

Below are our top six ecrets to fitting everyone in at Christmas!

How to fit everyone in at Christmas

1. Make good use of your hallway

Unless you’re living in Australia, December is cold. And that means your guests will be bringing a heap of coats, bags and woolly scarves through your door. Hallways are fantastic resources to take advantage of – especially around Christmas time. Making room for extra house guests means leaving the living spaces free for people – not all their things!

And if your usual routine is to hang your coat at the bottom of the stairs or on the back of a chair, it’s time you dedicated a space for outdoor wear. That way, both you and your guests will have somewhere to store all your things, as well as have more room to relax.

These White and Bamboo Clothes Rails are ideal for keeping hold of all your outdoor essentials. There’s a hanging rail for jackets, a shelf for shoes and hooks for small bags and scarves. There’s even some extra space underneath – perfect for shoes as well as a place for the cat to hide when the festivities are in full swing!

2. Get more room at the table

Christmas calls for indulgence and there are lots of us out there who like to go all out in December. But when you pile on the extra plates – as well as the guests – there is rarely enough space around the table!

If you are catering for lots of people this year, an extra table is definitely called for.

These folding tables are great – not just for Christmas, but the whole year round! Whether it’s for a special occasion, birthday, get-together or even a picnic! They can be whipped out just as quickly as they can be stored away again. Set one up as a kids’ table, or simply add it on to the end of your dining table to create a larger dining area for your Christmas feast!

Finished in white, you can keep them clear, decorate them with Christmassy confetti or cover them with a festive table cloth to blend in with the rest of your theme.

Give them a quick wipe down and they’re ready to be folded up and stored away again.

3. Fitting everyone in

When space is an issue, you want to make sure that every inch is used wisely. Dining chairs can be bulky and cause you to fit fewer people round the table.

Benches are great for helping you to fit a greater number around the dinner table without having to knock through any walls...

Squeeze up the kids, get in close and spend Christmas dinner how it should be spent – together with the ones you love.

Folding benches are perfect if you need the space back once the meal is over.

4. Keep your sides on the side

Fitting your Christmas lunch onto the dinner table is not an easy task! Once the turkey has been placed in the middle, there’s still the sides, crackers, fancy plates and gravy boat to think about. Not to mention the discarded paper hats, puzzles and terrible jokes.

Make sure everyone has room for their food, drink and any extras by getting a helping hand using a Serving Trolley. With three tiers, there’s plenty of room to keep the sprouts, pigs-in-blankets and roast potatoes.

They’re also great for helping you carry dishes to and from the kitchen making sure that plates, cutlery and china bowls don’t get dropped or broken on the way.

5. Seating that stacks

If you need to make sure that your extra seating doesn’t take up too much room throughout the rest of the year, then getting some chairs that stack is a great solution.

These Bistro Chairs come in sets of four and are perfect for Christmas. The minimalist design means they’re great whatever the time of year. They can be dressed up with ribbons and baubles to make them festive looking or simply left plain.

Easy to wipe clean, they can be brought out whenever you need them and then stacked up into a small tower so they can be tucked away again.

6. Making room for guests

If your guests are staying the night, then there are lots of ways you can make extra room upstairs too. Over Door Hooks are perfect for hanging up smart jackets and evening wear. Under Bed Storage Boxes allow you to clear out a couple of drawers as well as hide away presents!

And Under Sink Cabinets will give you that extra space in the bathroom that we all need when the family comes to stay.

For more clever storage ideas as well as Christmas gift inspiration, head over to our Instagram and Facebook pages @HartleysDirect.