Christmas Dinner in a Vacation Rental for 15 or More

Ask the host the right questions before you book

The kitchen, the serving pieces and the seating decide your menu, so ask about all three before you pay a deposit.

A big house does not always mean a big kitchen. Our Thanksgiving guide covers the oven and fridge questions in detail. For Christmas, ask about the same basics plus the things that make a holiday table work:

Get the answers in the booking messages so the group has a record. If something is missing, plan to bring it: a stack of platters, a carving set, a folding table and chairs, or a roll of table paper.

Plan the menu around the kitchen

Pick dishes that share an oven temperature, use the stovetop and the grill, and move what you can to Christmas Eve.

Christmas menus vary more than Thanksgiving ones. Some families roast a turkey, some a ham or prime rib, some make tamales, lasagna or seafood. Whatever your main, the rules for a rental kitchen are the same:

• One main that owns the oven. Choose the dish that needs the oven longest and schedule everything else around it.
• Sides that reheat well. Casseroles, gratins and stuffing can bake on Christmas Eve and reheat while the roast rests.
• Stovetop and slow cookers. Mashed potatoes, gravy, glazed carrots and a pot of soup or chili don't need the oven. Bring a slow cooker or two to keep dishes warm.
• The grill, if the home has one. A ham can be finished, vegetables roasted or a second main cooked outside.
• Cold dishes. Salads, a cheese board and a dessert that needs no baking take pressure off the oven.

For the everyday meals around the holiday, such as breakfasts, lunches and the other dinners of the week, use our group meal plan for a vacation rental. This guide sticks to the big dinner.

A cook schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Spread the work over two days and give each job to one household, so no single cook spends the holiday in the kitchen.

Write the schedule on a sheet taped to the fridge, with a name next to every task. Here is a sample built around a 3pm dinner; shift the times for your own meal.

A few habits keep the day calm:

• Label every serving dish on Christmas Eve. A sticky note on each platter that says what goes in it saves a scramble at 2:45.
• Cook one dish at a time in the oven if it is small. Rest the roast under foil while sides heat.
• Keep one person on timers. One phone, one list of what is in the oven and when it comes out.

Order ahead for what the kitchen can't do

Order the items that take the most oven time or skill from a store or restaurant, and do it weeks before the holiday.

Ordering part of the meal is the best way to make a rental kitchen work for 15 or more. Good candidates:

• A spiral ham or smoked turkey that only needs reheating.
• Rolls and bread from a bakery.
• Pies and desserts, if nobody wants to bake.
• Tamales or a catered tray of a family favorite.
• Sides by the tray from a grocery store deli.

Three things to check when you order:

1. The order deadline. Many grocery stores and bakeries stop taking holiday orders days or weeks before Christmas.
2. The pickup day and time. Christmas Eve pickup slots fill early. A December 23 pickup can be calmer.
3. The holiday hours. Many stores close early on Christmas Eve and close on Christmas Day. Check the current hours on their site, not a general listing.

Find the stores closest to the rental before you arrive, and put the order confirmation in the group chat so whoever picks it up has it.

Seat 15 or more at one table

Plan the seating on Christmas Eve, with every chair counted, so dinner starts on time.

Most rental dining tables seat six to ten. For 15 or more:

• Join tables end to end. A kitchen table or folding table added to the dining table makes one long table. A tablecloth across both hides the seam.
• Count chairs early. Bar stools, desk chairs and patio chairs fill gaps. Ask the host whether patio furniture can come inside.
• Kids' table or not. Some families want everyone at one table; others give the cousins their own table close by.
• Serve buffet-style from the kitchen counter. It keeps platters off a crowded table.

If candles are part of your table, ask the host first; some homes don't allow open flames. Battery candles give the same look. The U.S. Fire Administration notes that holiday decorations can raise the chance of a fire and that a dry Christmas tree can burn very hot and very fast, so keep any real candles well away from the tree and greenery.

Keep food safe on a long holiday afternoon

Keep hot food hot, cold food cold, and get leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours.

Holiday meals sit out longer than everyday ones, as people come back for seconds and dessert. The FDA's buffet advice fits a big rental dinner:

• The 2-hour rule. Discard perishable food left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, unless you are keeping it hot or cold.
• Hot food at 140°F or warmer. Use chafing dishes, slow cookers and warming trays, and check that a warmer can actually hold that temperature; the FDA notes some only hold food at 110°F to 120°F.
• Cold food at 40°F or colder. If cold dishes will sit out longer than 2 hours, set plates of cold food on ice.
• Swap, don't top up. Don't add new food to an already filled serving dish; replace nearly empty dishes with fresh ones.
• Leftovers in shallow containers. Divide large amounts into shallow containers so they cool quickly in the fridge.

Bring a food thermometer and a roll of storage bags or a stack of containers, since rental kitchens rarely have enough for a holiday's leftovers.

Clean up as a team

Assign cleanup crews before dinner, so the people who cooked can sit down when it is over.

Run the dishwasher as soon as it is full, and run it again overnight. Check the home's trash pickup day before the holiday; with a big dinner and a pile of gift wrap, bins fill quickly, and holiday pickup schedules can shift. Bring extra trash bags.

Before checkout, leave the kitchen the way the host asks in the house guide: dishes clean and put away, fridge emptied, trash out.

Find a home for Christmas dinner

Choose a home with the kitchen, table and bedrooms your group needs, and book early for the holidays.

Browse our homes for groups for kitchen photos, bed layouts and guest counts, or see our family reunions page. For dates, minimum stays and gifts over the holidays, read our guide to a Christmas and New Year vacation rental for family. When you book directly with us, our Stay Promise applies: "If the home isn't as described, or something important stops working, such as the air conditioning or heat, hot water, Wi-Fi or the pool, tell us. If we can't fix it within 24 hours, we refund the nights affected or move your group to a similar home."

The bottom line

Ask the host about ovens, platters and seating before you book. Split the cooking across Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with a written schedule, order what the kitchen can't handle weeks ahead and check store holiday hours, keep food safe through a long afternoon, and assign cleanup crews before dinner. Then the cooks get to enjoy Christmas too.