'I charge £100 per person for Xmas dinner - the kids binge on food so it's fair'

05 December 2023 , 11:03

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Clarissa used to begrudge paying - but now she's more than happy to

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, but it's also one of the most expensive times - and to combat that, one mum charges her family £100 per person to enjoy the festive period with her.

To some, that may seem shocking, and to 34-year-old Clarissa Bloom, it was at first - but she shared that now she's "more than happy" to make the contribution to help her mum out at a time when the pressure is on.

According to Finder, each person in Britain will spend around £600 on Christmas gifts. And that's before the dinner is taken into consideration, which can cost hundreds in itself. Across the whole UK, people plan to spend a total of £27.6 billion on Christmas gifts this year.

Clarissa, from Brighton, told The Mirror her mother charges her and her sister for festivities that commence on December 25, and while she and her sister "put up a bit of a fuss" when they were younger, now they can see her reasoning.

Clarissa, a relationship expert at the Stag Company, said that her mum's intentions are not impure, however, and she's happy to pay for what she "binges" on over the Christmas period.

'My ex partner charged me £2.62 for eating banana and toast at his mum's house'

The shopping bill 'tends to come to £300' (Getty Images)

£100 covers the time that Clarissa and her sister spend with her mum - including this hearty Christmas dinner (Clarissa Bloom)

She said: "Bless her, she doesn't have a huge amount of money, so before the big food shop, she always asks for me and my sister to pay a third each. When we were younger, such as in our early 20s, we probably put up a bit of a fuss, but now we're earning more we're more than happy to do so.

"I understand she struggles to cover all the costs - we don't generally eat much throughout the year but we absolutely binge at Christmas, chocolate galore." And of course, the dinner itself, which is piled high with meat, vegetables, and roast potatoes doesn't come cheaply either. Clarissa said that the shop "tends to come to £300" for over the Christmas period, which works out to "about £100 each", which she said she's happy to pay.

She continued: "We always have way too much and take a load home afterwards. To be honest, we only go home for four to five days, so it's definitely an overspend, but it's the one time of year you don't mind blowing all the cash on crazy amounts of food and drink."

Danielle Kate Wroe