A family books out an entire village hall to host their Christmas dinner – meaning the 40-strong clan can all celebrate together and nobody has to host.
The Gale clan started the tradition 12 years ago – and now 40 members gather at the in Clapham and Patching Village Hall in West Sussex, which costs just £105 to book between 12pm and 5pm including kitchen use.
But planning starts one month before and duties are divided on a family Facebook group, with each person contributing food and drink. Brothers Roger, 77, Terry, 75 and Ivan Gale, 72, set up the first family meeting in 2012, and ever since the clan gathers at the village hall every Sunday before December 25.
“We always do a Sunday before Christmas, and it always feels like the real Christmas starts. You enjoy the Christmas day and see relatives you may not have seen since the last time. People wear jumpers, Santa hats, and reindeer antlers and it’s just so lovely to see everyone happy together again.” Hannah Gale, daughter of Roger, said today after the latest gathering.
Hannah, who is a medical student, used to go to her grandparents house but after they passed away and the family expanded, they found an alternative way to celebrate Christmas together.
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Hannah Gale / SWNS)
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Hannah Gale / SWNS)
The family, which consists of three generations, splits the cost of the buffet and the hall between the adults. Hannah, 35, said last year the gang, including one-year-old Arlo, enjoyed a Christmas quiz and a visit from Santa Claus himself.
Hannah continued: “We bring the table and chairs, the cutlery, and speakers to play Christmas songs while setting everything up. At 1pm we will have lunch and bring things for the buffet. After that, we will remove the long table from dinner and split the tables up for the quiz teams, which a family member creates each year.
“My dad arranges a Father Christmas to come, and the kids act as helpers and hand out the presents. Finally, there is tea and coffee to finish the day.”
Since uploading a video of her do this year to social media, Hannah has received much positive feedback, and people have even started doing this with their families. The medical student, of Worthing, added: “It’s pretty nice on Instagram, and I have messages that people are doing the same thing. I had six to eight messages saying they were doing their first one.”
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