Is Charging Family for Christmas Dinner Really a Thing?

If you are like my family, a small family dinner can quickly turn into a family reunion! At Thanksgiving, we prepared for 10-11 people, but by the time dinner was over we had almost 20 people come through our house. However, a mom in England is CHARGING her family to come to dinner ...

So, there is a gal in England who posted on a parents' website that her mother-in-law is charging relatives to come to dinner. She wants about $21 per person, now before you go making an opinion there are two important facts we need to talk about...

• This lady doesn't want to be "paid" for cooking, she simply wants to split the cost...

And then...

• She is not planning on cooking... she is ordering takeout!

Here is my thought: Cooking a decent dinner is expensive, and if hosting the dinner means you cook and provide everything, I do not see the issue with asking family to help out with the cost. Another way around that is having a more "potluck"-type dinner and everyone bring a little something.

HOWEVER, if she is choosing to order takeout and sharing the cost was not discussed prior to making those arrangements, well tough cookies! That cost is on you.