MANCHESTER — Not everyone has family they can celebrate Christmas with, nor can everyone afford a lavish turkey feast.

In stepped the First United Methodist Church on Valley St. yesterday, which offered a place to go for about 90 people with no other place to go.

Tony Donati, 74, of Hudson lives alone. “It’s better to be with a lot of people than to slave in the pantry and eat alone. It breaks some of the sadness.” Donati was at the meal with several friends and family.

A table over sat a family whose two young kids played with new toy cars while eating turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and all the fixings. Older folks sat together or talked with volunteers, some of whom arrived as early as 5:30 a.m. to make the meal happen.

The church has been hosting the Christmas celebration for 20 years. It’s free and relies on donations from church members and local businesses. The roughly 50 volunteers came from as far as Laconia and included people from local synagogues and the India Association of New Hampshire.

“I’m one of those people who will celebrate anything,” said Ninder Singh, who immigrated from India about 10 years ago and is a member of the association “You don’t have to be a Christian. I feel more like I’m celebrating for them.”

Along with the meal there was Christmas music played by composer Paul Bordeleau of Bedford and his two children, Ed and Jan. They were joined for a while by Robert Connors, who came for dinner but decided to make use of his harmonica.

“I’ve been playing since I was 10 years old,” said Connors, now 77.

After dinner there was a sing-along with all the Christmas classics. Everybody who came was given a candy cane and a Christmas card.

“For some of these people it’s the only Christmas card they’ll get,” said organizer Michele Kelley, the pastor at Warren United Methodist Church and a former member of the church. “They’ve outlived their family and their friends are gone.”

Resident Pauline Boucher dressed in silky red with a gold Bingo pendant attached to the collar of her shirt. With her parents deceased and her brothers and sisters elsewhere, she sat and talked about her family and laughed.

In front of her was plate piled high with the fare. “I haven’t tried it yet, but I will,” Boucher said. “I’ve been too busy talking.”

Julie Todd, the church’s pastor, said they host the meal in order to help out seniors, the homeless, low-income, and those without families. It’s a chance to give back to “folks that may not have the same blessings as us,” she said.

“There’s a lot of lonely people and a lot of sadness during the holiday season,” Todd said. “Despite the hype.”

The only problem is where to go afterwards, said Donati, who came with several friends and family members.