Christmas Dinner for 20+: Rentals, Seating and Timing

Christmas Day is the one dinner where the whole family shows up at once. In a Chicago bungalow or two-flat, that can mean 20 people and a dining room made for 8. The table is the easy part. The hard part is the calendar, because Christmas Eve is Thursday, Dec 24, 2026 and Christmas Day is Friday, Dec 25. Most rental companies shorten hours or close around then.

Start with the calendar

Rental companies run on trucks and crews, and those crews want the holiday off like everyone else. Hours on Dec 24 are often short. Many companies are closed on Dec 25. Some charge more for holiday delivery. None of that is the same everywhere, so ask each company for its exact hours.

We check dates with the rental companies for you and give you one quote. Your job is to decide the two days you want. Here is how most hosts set it up:

Two things follow from this. First, you hold the rentals for a few days, so tell us if you want the table set up in advance. Second, if you host on Dec 24, you have the same short-hours problem on the delivery side, so earlier delivery is safer.

What most hosts find out too late

• Pickup is the problem, not delivery. Hosts plan the delivery and forget that the crew still has to come back. If pickup lands on Dec 26 or 27, ask for a window, and have everything stacked and counted near the door.
• Holiday hours change the price. Some companies add a holiday or after-hours charge. Ask for it as its own line on the quote.
• Snow changes the schedule. Chicago snow from December on can slow a truck, and an unplowed alley or gangway can stop one. Shovel the delivery path the day before.

Tables for 20 in a house

Count the room before you count the guests. A dining table needs about 2 feet of width per person along the table, and about 3 feet behind each chair for people to move. In a typical Chicago dining room, that is tight for even 12.

Three setups work in most homes:

Rules of thumb: an 8-foot table seats 8 and a 6-foot table seats 6. A 60-inch round seats 8 to 10. See round table sizes and seating and banquet table sizes before you measure.

Measure your doors, your stairs and your turn into the dining room. A 30-inch-wide table leg set will not make a tight corner. Tell us if there are stairs, a gangway or a freight elevator, because that changes how items are delivered. See alley and gangway deliveries.

Serving a ham or a roast

Plan the food to match the table, not the other way around. As a rule of thumb, buy about 3/4 pound of bone-in ham per adult, or about 1/2 pound of boneless roast or ham. Add sides, and the plate fills up.

Some tips that save the day:

• Serve from the kitchen counter or a side table. A 6-foot table along a wall works as a buffet, with plates at one end and sides in the middle. A buffet line guide shows how to keep it moving.
• Let the roast rest. A large roast needs time out of the oven before carving, which gives you a window to fill glasses and sit people down.
• Plan oven space. One oven for a ham and sides is a puzzle. Ask a guest to bring a dish that goes in a slow cooker or is served cold.
• Rent chafing dishes for the sides. Mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls stay warm while the carving finishes. See how many chafing dishes you need.

Kids seating

Put the kids where you can see them from the main table. A 6-foot table seats about 6 kids, or 8 small ones sharing. Kid-height tables and chairs are an option for younger children, and they keep little ones off adult chairs. Use plastic or sturdy plates for the youngest. Our guide to kids tables and chairs covers the sizes.

Seat one or two older cousins at the kids table as helpers. It makes the kids table a place to be, and it helps parents eat in peace.

Dinnerware, linens and chairs

For 20 guests, count a dinner plate, a salad or dessert plate, a fork, a knife, a spoon, a water glass and a wine glass per person, plus extras for serving. Our plate counts per guest guide shows how many extras to add. Linens go to the floor on a 6-foot table if you want a dressed look, or lap length if you want chairs to slide in easily. The tablecloth size chart has exact sizes.

Chairs are the item most homes run short on. Count one per guest, then add 2 for late arrivals. Folding or padded chairs are easy to store, and you can browse them at /rentals/chairs.

Plan your Christmas rentals

For a bigger plan, see Thanksgiving dinner for a crowd, holiday party at home rentals and December holiday party rentals. Then get a quote with your guest count and dates, or book a free 15-minute planning call. One call covers the whole rental list.