How to fit everyone around the table this Christmas

Just like us, you probably get a little invite happy when it comes to welcoming people over for Christmas lunch. Before you know it, you've got 16 guests knocking at your door but your table seats just four...

Want Christmas table ideas? READ: Christmas table decoration ideas that will set the scene for your festive feast

Fear not, we have the answer to your hosting woes with these six solutions to beat a tiny table.

Learn your multiple times tables

If your dining room is big enough, or you have an interconnecting room, seat children and adults at separate tables to solve the space issue. This allows kids to hang out with their friends and escape laborious adult talk but still feel like you're dining together.

Mix and match

Grab every fold-up chair, kitchen stool or recliner you can! Cram everyone around your table and forget the fanciful look - Christmas dinner is all about the food and the people, not the décor.

You're benched

Bench style seating is all the rage in London's coolest restaurants so adopt the social arrangement and wedge more guests in at your home this Christmas. All of a sudden, a basic 4-seater has 8 sat around it, generously.

Have a merry mingle

If you haven't got the space to serve a dozen people a three-course meal, then turn the evening into a socialising soiree. Offer platters of bite size food (so much easier to prepare than a big bird) and finish it off with a few flutes of Champagne.

Join forces

Source a table that is the same height as your dining table and cover with a giant table cloth to rid the sight of disjointed furniture and voila, your 6-seater table just doubled and became fit for a banquet.

Keep it grounded

Incorporate a luxurious foreign culture into your distinctly British Christmas by getting guests to sit around a low coffee table.
Often the fashion in Asia and North Africa, this set up allows large groups to chat freely and share food informally.