Christmas Pudding

A grandmother is charging her family for Christmas Dinner to help cover costs.

Caroline Duddridge, 63, from Fairwater in Cardiff, Said she makes The Adults fork out £15 and her youngest grandchildren £2. 50.

" There's a few Out There who think I'm a bit of a scrooge but My Friends think it's quite a good idea, " She Said .

suggests cooking a traditional festive feast for a family-of-four is £5 pricier than Last Year .

She Said the idea came about when her husband died in 2015 and she had to halve her income.

" I Said To My children, 'right, it costs a lot of money, I'm going to do a Little Kitty jar so you can put £2 away starting in September', " She Said .

" It sounds good, doesn't it? But of course it all got a bit shambolic, trying to keep track of them and there were a few stragglers. "

That is when Caroline gave the orders to have her family transfer The Money straight into her bank account.

This Year Caroline charged her two sons £15, her three daughters £10, her four grandchildren over five £5 and her two three-Year -old grandchildren £2. 50.

When she joked: " If you don't pay by 1 December, you're not coming. "

" Obviously there were a few moans and grumbles saying I've got a few children, but at The End of The Day that's not my problem really, is it? "

But is it Worth It ? For the teaching assistant, it is a no-brainer given the full festive spread she puts on from 24 to 26 December.

She Said she explained how rocketing food and energy costs was another reason for The Charge .

Revealed a dinner for four including frozen turkey, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes and Christmas Pudding rose to £31 this Year - up from £24. 67 in 2021.

She Said in The Past she " always ended up with hundreds of sausage rolls and bags of potatoes but not much else" as her relatives would bring food over.

" At least this way I've got a bit of autonomy over what I can buy, " she added.

" It saves on food waste which is another important thing. "

As she mulled over the idea about charging for dinner, she settled firm in her belief, saying: " Why should The Host hold the full financial burden? "

She also hopes her grandchildren will see her new tradition as The Norm when they are older.

" I'm hoping that people won't think it's a terrible thing and think 'hmm that is a good idea'.

" It's very fair. I'm not out to make a profit, I'm doing it just to have a bit of help with the cost of it. "

Source of news: bbc.com