Christmas celebration isn’t cheap at all, from sweets to food to drinks, but would you ever feel the need to charge your family and friends if you were hosting Christmas dinner?
That’s what Mandie Holgate of the United Kingdom decides to do this year for Christmas.
istockphoto.com/Liliboas
Mandie claims that the expense for preparing the feast was too much for her to handle by herself this season, so she decided that the attendees would need to pitch in with some cash, as reported here at The Mirror.
The 46-year-old mother told reporters that she enjoys organizing parties, but she feels that her family should be willing to contribute to the occasion.
She estimated that the total cost for the party will be £700, which is around $US900. She said that she and other relatives would take turns hosting the Christmas party and shoulder the financial burden alone. After several years of following this tradition, her other family members didn’t want to do the work anymore.
istockphoto.com/Deagreez
Unlike her other relatives, Mandie still enjoys cooking and hosting the holiday festivities, but, since she is the one who is doing it every year, she feels like the other relatives should pitch in to some degree, if only with a few dollars.
The fact that Mandie underwent a surgery that put a financial strain on her, it became more difficult for her to shoulder the expense of the celebration on her own.
Mandie says that she likes to shop locally because she also runs a local business, and she feels a need to give back to the business community. Because of this, the costs of the dinner are slightly higher. She feels that supporting the community is something that everyone should get involved in as well.
istockphoto.com/Juanmonino
Some of the family members noticed the prices she was paying and suggested she try to get better deals. She responds that the cheaper turkeys are not treated as well, and you don’t know what you’re getting with a budget-priced turkey. Due to the expenses of all the shopping for the family meal, Mandie charges each attendee $50 per person.
The family members all feel perfectly satisfied with the arrangement. They have said that they would rather pay a little bit of cash rather than doing all the work of shopping and cooking. Mandie admits that one person criticized her for charging the family to attend a holiday party.
She asserts that everyone else is happy to avoid the mess and bother of hosting the dinner.
istockphoto.com/Stadtratte
What do you think about charging your family to attend a Christmas dinner? Let us know in the comments, and send links to your relatives and friends to get their reaction to this story.
