A mother-in-law is charging her family to eat Christmas lunch at her place, and it’s not going over well with everyone.
The woman, whose username is Staceyjas, explained in a post from 2018 that her partner’s mother was asking her family to pay $21 per person for a catered meal. She explained that her mother-in-law normally cooks the food from scratch for Christmas lunch but that year she wanted to get the food premade. This would save the mother-in-law time and energy but would also end up costing a lot more money.
“She said she doesn’t want to do it all from scratch and wants to get it all pre-done so it’s more money, which I understand,” she wrote. “But he’s gutted and feels like he wants to come to my family now. I can see it from both sides and it’s hard work and can be expensive but not like she is financially destitute.”
She later added: “There’s 4 adults (including him) and 1 toddler attending. And if I was hosting I would not dream of asking for money, just bring a bottle.”
The woman wanted to know how other users felt about the situation, and she got plenty of mixed reactions.
Of course, there are some who see Mom’s side and there are others who do not. In our estimation, this is not exactly the most hospitable thing to do. Meanwhile, we can also see where others are coming from. These sorts of meals can be costly to put together and maybe it is time for family members to help them shoulder the burden.
Would you ever be willing to charge your family members to have Christmas lunch?
Where do you stand when it comes to this type of decision? This is a story that is sure to inspire a sizable amount of debate so be sure to share it with your friends and loved ones.
Several people said they’d rather ask their guests to bring a side-dish than to fork over cash:
We host Christmas: Buy the turkey and pudding, everyone else brings a dish… That shares the cost and the work. Cannot think of anything less hospitable than setting the menu and demanding your ‘guests’ pay for it.
Others said they understand how expensive catering a Christmas meal can be, and don’t see a problem with the mother-in-law’s request:
I think it’s fair to be honest; why should she have to cover the cost every year when it’s likely to be £100 plus and why should she have to cover the cost of not wanting to do so much cooking.
Still, some were in disbelief:
I wouldn’t dream of asking for money. How could anyone invite people for dinner and then ask them to pay for it?
If you can’t afford it, don’t invite people. Or only cook what you can afford. I’d never charge anyone, far less family, for dinner.
