Gran who charges for Christmas lunch

How mean. If she can’t afford to host she shouldn’t be issuing invitations.

I wouldn't judge anyone without knowing the full story which has not been posted here. We don't know whether she is struggling financially and has lots of family and maybe can't afford a £200 grocery bill. In certain circumstances it might be necessary to charge, who knows?

There is contributing/ splitting the cost and charging both can come to the same thing just different way of putting it.
Not enough information and why would the bbc report this anyway.

A grandmother who charged her family for Christmas dinner last year has raised her prices for 2023.

Caroline Duddridge, 63, previously made her adult relatives pay up to £15, while her youngest grandchildren got a £2.50 bill each.

But this December it has gone up to cover the increased cost of living and rising food prices.

Caroline, from Fairwater in Cardiff, described a general food shop in the current climate as "just horrifying".

She first got the idea to make guests fork out for her turkey dinner when her husband died in 2015.

She even tells her loved ones to transfer the money straight into her bank account, because it is easier to "keep track of any stragglers".

In 2022, her two sons were charged £15, her three daughters £10, her four grandchildren over five £5 and her two three-year-old grandchildren £2.50.

Her sons were levied more because they are full-time workers, while her daughters who work part-time also have families.

Yuletide 2023 will be slightly different though, she revealed.

"I have put the girls' prices up (this year) by £2 because I did get a bit of stick from people saying I was being sexist - not that I listen to public opinion, particularly," said Caroline.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-67770982

Mercenary.

How can you charge grandkids for their dinner for goodness sake, what a tight wad
Save up all year or buy an extra item each week or put a few pounds away each week /month or don’t do a Christmas dinner at all but to charge your own family especially children is totally unacceptable really really horrible in my mind

Thanks Ailsa. I think contributing £10 for food for 3 full days is a bargain. In fact £10 just for Christmas dinner is not too much.
Mercenary? I don’t think so. No one is being forced.

Maybe the family are happy to pay? They may enjoy their dinner with family and it's probably a lot cheaper than the family eating out. As someone else said, it's the equivalent of each of them taking something to the feast. It doesn't sound as if she's making money off it, just splitting the cost. Which may have been agreed by the family so they can all be together without one person paying for it all. Plus they don't have to do anything at all towards their big meal.

Why is this news and why is this woman giving interviews to the media? 15 minutes of fame?

As someone says, why is this newsworthy! Slow news day?

Wonder why her family don't host her.?

If the wine is included she would be running at a loss if I was invited.

Having read the full article I think it’s a great idea for everyone to chip in. She’s feeding them on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. It sounds like a good spread and they all seem to be enjoying themselves in the accompanying photo.

Whether it's right or wrong, I only know that I just could not do it. I would feel terrible about charging my family.
Maybe she has good reasons, who knows.

I assume the family is happy to pay and go there or they would host it themselves or not do it at all.

It's up to her everyone's circumstances are different. Personally I wouldn't, when I entertain I like to lay everything on, although always happy if people want to bring whatever, and they often do.

Maybe they have all agreed that this is the simplest and fairest way. Maybe she has the time, but not the money, and they have the money but not the time to shop and prepare. If it works for them, who are we to judge?

No one's forcing them to go and pay and it's a lot cheaper than eating in a restaurant. Maybe no one else can be bothered to cook.

If it works, it works (not sure why the story is particularly newsworthy though?)

Different families have different traditions
- in some the host pays
- in others it is a joint effort with people bringing dishes/foods
- in others one person does the all the shopping and then the cost is split (which seems to be the case here)

I don't really see the issue

Agree that I’m not sure why it’s newsworthy but so mean to take money off children
When my daughter invites me I always offer to go halves or vice versa but to actually ‘charge’ everyone including the children is just nasty

silverlining48

Thanks Ailsa. I think contributing £10 for food for 3 full days is a bargain. In fact £10 just for Christmas dinner is not too much.
Mercenary? I don’t think so. No one is being forced.

That is not the point.
Chipping in is one thing, bringing food to shares another, maybe even “divvying up” the total expense but charging ?
It would serve her right if they all stayed away and she sat on her lonesome with her turkey ready-meal.
Miserable old bat.

I knew it sounded familiar.
Look back at this OP from 2021

Quote Mapleleaf Sat 04-Dec-21 19:14:27
Now, is it just me, and this is the way things are done nowadays so I’m behind the times? Had invitation for Christmas lunch at a family members home, along with other family members, but the person doing the lunch requests all who would like to attend pay them x amount for the privilege, to cover the costs of the food and drink (this includes their parents having to pay, too)

Bit harsh RosieMaw we don't know the circumstances and it seems like a good deal to me. Not everyone can afford to feed their whole family and this seems quite fair.