I prefer family style for all meals, but I wouldn't have room in my little place to do it that way for more than 4. So a buffet is more usual for me. Food taken by guests from the kitchen to various seats around the house or dining table, depending on the number involved.

One Christmas I rented a rectangular table for 8, and used my oblong dining table for the buffet. We carved in the kitchen though.

As lovely as family style or plated meals would be, we have always done assembly line. Granted, we set up the assembly line in a pretty fashion. We put everything in pretty serving dishes on a long counter in the kitchen and then let people help themselves before sitting down.

Family style is our way to go. Luckily, our dining room table has two leaves that we are able to insert to turn it into the "hearse" (as we fondly call it) so there is PLENTY of room for place settings and the dishes.

We take a combination approach. Large items like the turkey, stuffing, potatoes are on the sideboard/buffet next to the dining table...separate for self-serving but still close. The smaller items are on the table.

The only time I ever hosted Thanksgiving, it was a buffet line. I only kept the bread on the table.

At my parents' or my aunts', it's always plated for everyone. Your name will be called out and you're to report to the kitchen and tell them what you want and how much. Then you take your plate with food on it to the table and wait for everyone else.

At my mother-in-law's, it's always family style. She likes do to various courses.

At my father-in-law's, it's always buffet.

At my sister-in-law's this year, it's gonna be buffet. Then again, there are gonna be about 30 people there this year!

We've done family style as long as I can remember. Whether it was my grandparents, a relative or my parents house that's always how we've done it. We make room on the table, put in the two extra leaves, squeeze and rotate every dish clockwise around the table (that last part is very important apparently!).

Growing up, we always had a sit down dinner. Turkey would be carved at the table and then the slices would be carried around. Everything else was passed around. Now that I don't live in the country and I host my own with friends, we do a buffet style as my table only fits 6 at a stretch!

When we have people, buffet style. When we are alone, plated.

Buffet style, 'cause my family is huge. Although certain items such as the bread, cranberry sauce, relish tray, and gravy were always on the table. And invariably my grandma would grab the platter of cut turkey and pass it for seconds. Ditto mashed potatoes and other such goodies. But first servings were always buffet style.

Skipping mashed potatoes seems like a sin to me. I usually mash with a regular dinner fork and embrace the lumps and just call it rustic. I also use thin-skinned potatoes like yukon golds and don't peel, but that's a separate debate altogether. I hosted two Thanksgiving dinners in dorm rooms and another in my tiny NYC kitchen. Each time was buffet style with food covering the dining table and people sitting on any other surface they could find with their plates balanced on their laps. That's probably the effects of youth and inability to afford any more furniture. My bf's family passes dishes at the table.

I like family style at holiday dinners. I don't mind buffet. But I wouldn't do plated. It is a bad idea to mess with someone's holiday dinner plate.

I want to do everything plated - it feels more elegant, the food is being served together just as I'd imagined! - but I learned last year that even with a guest number I thought was reasonable, it's a lot simpler to do family style.

Buffet! The dining room table is turned into the serving table and we bring in the patio table and some card tables to eat family style in the living room.