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Woman sparks debate after revealing relative charged guests to join Christmas dinner
By Joanna Sarah-Freedman
15 Dec 2022
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There’s no denying Christmas dinner can be an expensive time of year, given all the food and presents you have to stock up on.
So, we’re firm believers that there’s nothing wrong with asking guests to chip in if it makes the holidays more manageable.
That being said, one woman has sparked a debate online after revealing her sister-in-law had decided to charge everybody £40 to have Christmas dinner at her house.
Speaking on Mumsnet, the person posting said: “My [sister-in-law] said she would host Christmas this year as she has a big new house and plenty of room for us all. I asked if I should bring something and she said she would just do a shop and split the cost.
Would you pay £40 for a Christmas meal? (Credit: Alamy)
“She did suggest we bring our own alcohol. I thought it was a little odd, as did my hubby but he reminded me that the food wouldn’t cost that much anyway! Best to just agree with it instead of making a fuss.”
The woman went on to explain that her family brought five bottles of booze with them to the Christmas meal, even though they only drank one bottle.
“Anyway we had Christmas, I took up 5 bottles of wine (only drank one and my hubby didn’t drink any). Left them there when we left. We were given cereal for breakfast and tinned soup for lunch and a basic Christmas dinner. No puddings and just a little cheese for dessert,” she continued.
It’s for this reason the mum said she felt “ripped off” by the bill.
The woman paid to keep the peace with her in-laws (Credit: Alamy)
“I doubt it would have even been £40 for the both of you, let alone each!!,” said one person in the comments.
Meanwhile, another wrote: “I’d demand back the wine, then!”
“Nothing wrong with contributing at all, but £40 a head? She’s at it,” said a third.
However, there were others who took a different stance.
“I’d pay twice that for someone else to host. Paying for the mental load of organising the clean sheets and towels, all the minutiae of having other people stay in your home,” said a fellow member of the forum.
Others noted that hosting Christmas wasn’t cheap (Credit: Alamy)
As another noted: “Just to jump on and say me and my siblings all offered to split the cost this year as my mum hosted and is a bit hard up.
“It wasn’t just the Christmas meal, it was all the good bought for the occasion. It came out at £35 per person, so £40 doesn’t sound too far off for a few days!”
What do you think? It looks like the jury is still out on this one…
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