How to organise a Christmas do everyone can actually make
The Christmas do is the hardest plan of the year for one reason: every date is contested, and the good venues take bookings months before anyone in your group is thinking about it.
The run-up, in order
Lead times are the difference between a plan and a group chat. This is roughly how it goes when it goes well.
- September or early October: put three dates to the group. Yes, that early — restaurants with December capacity are booked by half term.
- Mid-October: book, with a deposit if needed. Collect it the same week, not in December.
- November: confirm the menu choices. Most set menus want them two to three weeks ahead.
- A week before: reconfirm numbers and send the address, the time and what people owe.
Everybody has three other Christmas dos
Which is why you offer dates rather than announce one, and why you go early. The first invite in the diary usually wins.
Deposits
Ask for them at the point people say yes, while the enthusiasm is fresh. Chasing £15 from nine people in December is a full-time job.
Dietary requirements and set menus
Collect them with the yes, in the same message. Going back round a second time is where a week disappears.
A starting point you can copy
Paste this straight in and change the details: “Christmas dinner, one of three Fridays in December, about £45 each with a deposit.”
One idea, a couple of dates and a rough cost per head is enough for people to answer with a tap rather than a paragraph.
Common questions
- When should you book a Christmas meal for a group?
- For December, book in October. Popular places take group bookings from late summer and the Fridays go first.
- How do you pick a date when everyone is busy?
- Offer three, ask for every date that works rather than a favourite, and set a deadline of a few days.