Mo Fayose, 44, was shocked when she received an email from town hall chiefs accusing her of illegal fly-posting.
She put up the notices around the neighbourhood in Basford, Nottingham, inviting people to get in touch with her if they were on their own over the festive season.
The mental health nurse has hosted Christmas dinners for vulnerable and lonely people for the last three years.
She started by opening her home to five guests but the free event is now so popular she hires out two halls to accommodate more than 100 people.
The single mum-of-two and a team of volunteers cook a three-course dinner, complete with crackers and decorations.
She spends the year raising around £3,000 to buy the food and decorations and the cost of hiring the community centres in Basford for the festive lunch.
But when she put up posters for this year's event, she was stunned when a Nottingham City Council community protection officer ordered her to remove them "immediately".
Mo removed the flyers but blasted the council for taking a "heavy handed approach" to her free event.
She said: "The posters are really important; it's the way to get it to those who are not using social media.
"I was really shocked when I got the email telling me I was breaking the law. I just wanted to help people who were on their own at Christmas.
"The email said, 'We know what you are doing is good but it is classed as fly-posting' which is a problem. Therefore I would ask you to take it down otherwise you would be fined.' "It's just crazy, it broke me down.
"Through my work as a mental health nurse I know that festive loneliness is real. I just wanted to do my small part in helping people come together.
"We've got a lot of food including turkeys, beef, chicken, canapes, Christmas pudding and minces pies and wine.
"It's become so popular, I've not just had people from the local area come but also people from Derby, Mansfield and Scotland come.
"People of all ages come along too, we get young people and elderly people.
"All I wanted to do is just spread the Christmas spirit to those who desperately need it."
The council have since decided to take no action regarding the posters and deemed the incident a "genuine misunderstanding".
Nottingham City Councillor Linda Woodings said: "It is a really worthy cause and there has been a genuine misunderstanding.
"The council always promotes the importance of looking after each other and this includes encouraging people to cook a Christmas dinner for neighbours who may be on their own."
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