The Rise of Hosting Christmas at Home
When you think of the gatherings at your home for Christmas, you often think about all the warm memories, the laughs, and all the food and gifts that are around. However, a new trending fad that is being seen this year is charging your guests that attend your Christmas gathering at your home. Is this something that you are considering? Why are people doing this? And is it a good or tacky idea?
According to the numerous articles that have been written on this subject, the main reason that many people are considering charging their family and friends for attending their Christmas gathering all comes down to soaring inflation. Not only are groceries more expensive right now, but the cost of energy is also an issue. With many people seeing a double in their energy costs and food bills. For this reason, many people are now requesting that each person who attends pay a certain amount for their food and energy uses.
The Benefits of Hosting Christmas at Home
There are several schools of thoughts on this new Christmas fad. There are those who are in total agreement with having friends and family members chip in a bit to cover the costs of food instead of it being up to one person. However, the other school of thought is that this can make a person appear to be the Scrooge of their family if they are wanting to charge what many people have claimed to be a ‘cover charge’ for attending a Christmas event.
So, what is a person to do when they know that the cost of Christmas this year is going to be too much? There are some alternatives that will be easier to do than simply telling your attendees you need money. For one, many people are splitting up the food responsibilities and having everyone in attendance be assigned a dish that they bring. Making this more of a pot luck helps to lower the costs for everyone involved. Other people are suggesting price limits on presents to help lower the overall pinch to their wallets during the Christmas season.
Charging Guests for Christmas Dinner: A New Trend
In terms of etiquette, it is a bit tacky to ask guests to pay for their portion of a Christmas dinner. This really depends upon where you are located and what you have been raised as the cultural norm. For example, many people may find that asking for money is simply tacky as you are the host and should know that this is part of being the host. However, etiquette experts state that discussing the price of what it would cost for them to attend is fine when you extend the invitation and ensure it is far in advance of Christmas. It is tacky when the people have already stated they would attend, and you then state they have to pay x amount for their meal.
So, what do you think? Are you feeling the cost of Christmas this year and considering participating in this fad?