Grandma never said "my house is too small for 25 people", yet somehow we'd all fit around the table meant for 6. All you needed was enough space for your glass. I vividly remember sharing seats with my cousins at age 5, 10, 15, whenever! If you had to, your plate went in your lap - but everyone had to be "at" the table in some fashion. Adults at the real table end and kids at the card table end. Nobody ever ate alone. Nobody just took a plate and stood.

One thing I remember well is the "communal" bread or rolls. "I want some bread but only half of it, who wants the other half?" 🥹 Treasured memories.