Who could blame mother of four Gemma Andrews for charging family members £30 for Christmas dinner at her house? The answer seems to be: everybody. Andrews says that, as well as the expense, she’s had people not showing up, leaving her with excess food. Another year, she tried “bring a dish” but (lo!), dishes were forgotten.
Andrews made the point that she doesn’t charge for children. Which is obviously a mistake as children should be charged double, what with the tedium of having to find batteries for their toys and watching The Snowman on a loop.
Personally, I wouldn’t get to eat Christmas dinner if other people weren’t cooking it. So, even if I’m “hosting”, they should still be charging me. Other than that, Andrews’s pragmatic approach could be worse: turnstiles, frisks for contraband at the door, card machines, petty rows over “extras” as guests leave (“I saw you hogging the Heston from Waitrose Edibaubles!”).
The real amusement of this story is that it prods the secret bruise, the lurking resentment behind many a facade of familial festive cheer. There’s the potential for an inner Grinch in us all – some people are just more honest about it.
