The Cost of Christmas

If someone voices a negative opinion of the Christmas holiday, it can be a bit of a moral minefield, with insults flying around including terms like “Scrooge”. But there is a very good reason why many people worry about Christmas in advance of the holiday. The fact of the matter is that Christmas can cost an awful lot of money, and leave us in a position where we have debts to pay off after the wrapping paper has been recycled, the food digested and the parties processed through brain, liver and social diary.

It can make you wonder whether it is all worth the bother. The truth of the matter is that, for some people, Christmas just is not special enough to merit the kind of financial outlay that is expected of all, demanded of most and essential for some. Try as you might to resist the Christmas holiday, when the day comes you will hear the songs, see the TV specials and, in all likelihood, welcome the visitors through your door – and they will expect to be fed and offered drinks, too.

One way of defraying the cost of Christmas is to have a pact among family and/or friends. By saying to one another “Let’s do this, but do it in a sensible way”, you can apply spending limits to the situation and ensure that the cost doesn’t go too crazy. Sometimes, people will break the terms of this agreement, wanting to be remembered as the person who bought the best gifts. That’s life, and is unavoidable – but it is they who will be paying for it for longer.