Mum Charges Family £40 Per Head For Christmas Dinner

Wonderful though it may be, Christmas is also the most expensive time of year, with people forking out an absolute mint on presents and food.

And one of the main expenses during the festive season is the Christmas dinner; the turkey, the roasts, and the pigs in blankets don't come cheap.

So one woman has decided enough is enough and is charging her family £40 each for their meal this year.

Mandie Holgate, from Essex, has been hosting her family every Christmas day for the past five years, and though she loves it, says she can't afford the expense.

Mandie, 46, told LADbible: "We worked it out and it costs around £700. It used to be that my mum and dad, my husband and I, and my sister and her husband would take it in turns.

"But as the years went on, my sister said she didn't want to do it anymore because she didn't enjoy it.

"I love it, getting the house all pretty, getting the music on, and having a drink. So that's how it started really."

Mandie Holgate

But when her mum underwent major knee surgery, she could no longer help out, leaving Mandie and her husband Andy to take on the responsibility of hosting the whole family every year.

The mum-of-two said: "I'm doing all the shopping and the cooking for the big day. And as a small business owner, I try and shop locally, which is great but it does mean that it can be slightly dearer.

"So that's part of it really, I'd rather do that and know that I am supporting local businesses, which is something I think we all have to get our heads around.

"One of the family members did say 'you can get a turkey cheaper than that', and you can but you don't know where it came from or how it was treated."

Mandie Holgate

So this year, Mandie has decided to charge each of her 12 guests £40 for their feed.

But despite having to contribute to the cost of the meal, Mandie says her family are more than happy to help out.

The life coach said: "They basically said 'great, I'll pay anything, I just don't want to cook it'. I really don't see it as a chore; the music goes on and everyone's laughing, I love it. It's brilliant.

"And though I've had one troll tell me he thinks I'm wrong, most people have contacted me to say they agree.

"I do it every year and my family are happy to put in because they don't want the work and the mess, so where's the big deal? Why should it leave me skint in January? It's crazy."

She added: "We're all part of the same team, the same family and I love it."

Too right, Mandie.

Topics: Food, Christmas, UK News, Interesting

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom