How much!!

[OhFortheLoveOv]

I tallied our total Christmas spend last year! It feels obscene!! £ 2,450 or thereabouts.
Talking to friends and family they don’t seem shocked or concerned by this amount, saying their Christmas spend is similar or even more.
For me it has been eye opener. I know we spend a lot over Christmas but in the cold light of summer such excess seems outlandish, particularly when we have just got back from a lovely trip away that cost less than what one day last cost!

We were thinking of going away this year over festivities but now looking at how excessive it all seems I am on verge of giving Christmas a hard pass!
Am I crazy to be thinking this way ?

Break down that £2,500 into what you need, what is nice to have and what is just not necessary. You will be able to make savings.

I have no idea how much we spent on Christmas. I don’t want to know either… I reckon I’d end up doing a “Christmas with the Kranks” 😂

I am German and always feel Christmas spending in the UK is crazy. How much of this is on presents, how much on food, how much on ‘experiences’? Once you know that set a budget for each and then stick to it. You can have a perfectly nice Christmas without excess.

We have never spent that much,we can afford it but that seems a ridiculous amount to me. Is that just in presents?

We don’t spend anywhere near that ! I just get the normal weekly shop and yes the Turkey is more expensive but the meat lasts for a good few meals (I freeze curry)

the kids presents are bought throughout the year (I got some bits in Tesco and pound shops yesterday) Their main presents are expensive to be fair but I spread out the cost of fillers and even things like neighbour or teacher gifts are spread out. Alcohol etc I buy from sept onwards - occasional bottle

santa visit is usually pricy, Christmas jumpers I buy big enough to last a couple of years

Unless you have the most enormous family and you buy loads of gifts, how on earth can it cost that much?

With food, booze, travel expenses, presents, decorations , school stuff and days out/ experiences I'd say that was about right.

It's not one day though, it's the whole of December and into the new year.

I have a savings pot throughout the year for Christmas. £75 pm religiously and that’s nearly a grand which is a massive help come December.

One year in primary school we had to fork out for

xmas jumpers
school fete and visit to santa
pantomine
video of nativity
nativity costume

Times 3. All in December. And the school, in all it's wisdom, decided to have the school photographs taken in December as well, so there was that too.

We spend much more than that. We can afford it and enjoy it so I don’t worry about it.

I suppose it depends why you’re worried. Is it that you’re struggling financially, if so then it’s sounds sensible to try to cut down. The way you talk about the ‘excess’ makes it sound like you think you are in some way undeserving of nice things and ‘shouldn’t’ be spending it.

But surely you are choosing to do these things; they are not mandatory. If you take your approach then I can see how it all adds up, but it’s hardly a surprise then.

I don't spend anywhere near that but what I do do is put money away each week. That means if I see a gift in august I can buy it and by December I have a tidy sum to cover food & gifts. It's such a relief not to have to find all of the money in Decembers pay packet 👍

I think for a lot of people it’s not just “one day” anymore. They make at least a whole month out of it! I can see how the cost of that would soon mount up.

I look for cheap (ish) or free things to do, like wandering around a Xmas market but only buying a big German sausage and glass of mulled wine. Or going to the Salvation Army carols in our town park.

ds has his birthday on the 23rd December 🤦‍♀️ so we have to budget for that too. I’m careful not to get carried away.

Most of my family are Muslims and they all live very far from me some don't celebrate Christmas but I do gifts for the children ..I only got my son to think about (single parent) ,so I save around £50 a month. When I lived near my family (very large number of family) I have never spent that amount on Christmas or any festive season apart from holidays which I haven't been on for about 3 years tbh.

Is that all on one day? What does it break down as?

Christmas is a season in this house.

There's a whole gulf between not doing Christmas at all and spending loads! We always have lovely Christmases without spending anything close to that amount.

Presents: make a list of who you're buying for and set a limit for each. If you buy wider family presents 'just because' then maybe consider doing secret santa or similar for the adults- I bet lots of people would prefer this anyway. Keep an eye out for sales throughout the year.

Food: so many people buy a grotesque amount of food in honesty. Plan your big meals like Christmas day and boxing day and don't go too overboard with snacks etc. We tend to buy snacks when on offer throughout the year (just check the BB date!) as it's invariably cheaper. Remember that shops are open most days so if you don't have enough it's not the end of the world.

Activities: we do a santa visit every year, I do the markets with friends and we have an annual pass for one of the local attractions who do festive stuff- but other than that we try and find free stuff to do and budget when we go out. Still so many chances to enjoy it without spending tonnes- just takes being organised.

We probably spend about that but I don’t see it all as being ‘on one day’. Christmas is a season. We do some nice Christmassy activities on the run up, then host meals on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day/Boxing Day etc. Presents are only a small percentage of our total.
I love the whole Christmas period and am happy to spend that amount. If you’re not, then don’t.

I hate Christmas. I'm poor and the pressure to keep up with the Joneses totally ruins it.

Jesus that’s high- what you are you adding up?

food
presents- who for?
activities- panto? Santa?

To be fair I don’t buy presents for adults!

It does mount up ...especially I you are hosting Christmas Day and/or have kids/big family ext. I don't think we were far off that last year by the time I added in good theatre tickets as gifts ext
If you can, I would spend the money on a short break somewhere instead , the canaries? Lovely hot weather and even if a bit more you will have a totally relaxed time. Agree this is the present or just token gifts instead.

Christmas isn’t just one day though , unless your spend is literally food / drink / presents for the actual day . Christmas here lasts at least a month with outings etc .

We spend more than that. We can afford it, so I just enjoy it & don’t stress over the amount. If you can’t afford it, then do a budget & stick to it.

I think what's important is to have a budget that's affordable for you and stick to it. I don't think it's essentially wrong to spend any particular amount.

At its height when we and the dc were much younger:

2 x trees - delivered and decorated
Concert/panto
DH's works party, he was the Head of the firm
Christmas party for friends with caterers
Xmas Eve 6-8
Xmas Day 8-10
Boxing Day 10-12
Christmas cards 120ish
Presents - never ott
Never costed but a lot

In recent years
Trees
Concert
Cottage for a week (MIL too old to travel)
Smaller scale Christmas party
Xmas Eve 5/7
Xmas Day 5/7
Boxing Day 5/7
Christmas cards 70ish
Presents - never ott
4 bed cottage - about £2.3k

2023
Trees
Concert
MIL now too frail to travel to cottage DS married and will go to DIL's parents; DH will go to MIL; Xmas Eve alone, Xmas Day with DD, BF and his parents
Christmas cards 70ish
Presents never ott

I am really looking forward to a low cost, low maintenance season.