Hosting Christmas can be a lot of work, yet most families choose to celebrate at home. In the UK, 42% of Brits say they will host Christmas dinner themselves. People say that celebrating Christmas at home brings a cozy, relaxed atmosphere and feels more personal and meaningful.
But it can also be so tiresome that the designated family host would like to refuse. That's exactly what this sibling did when family members asked them to host for the eighth year in a row. When they refused, the family ganged up on them, calling them "selfish" and accusing them of ruining the holidays for the kids.
A family was left without a Christmas host when one sibling refused to do it for the eighth year in a row
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Feeling like the family doesn't at all help or pitch in, the sibling didn't feel any guilt
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The average cost of hosting Christmas in the UK is £1,626
In the UK, Christmas is a pretty big deal. Nine in 10 Britons plan to celebrate this year, and, despite all the stress, most associate it with feelings of happiness, nostalgia, and joy. However, hosting Christmas and celebrating Christmas are two very different things.
According to MoneySuperMarket, the average cost of hosting Christmas in 2025 will be around £1,626 ($2196). Hosts plan to spend the most on groceries (£138), turkey (£51.44), meals and drinks (£84.36), and alcohol (£78.08). Most hosts also spend a big portion of their holiday budget on energy bills, as all the preparation and hosting family members might cost an average of £105.97.
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Costs of Christmas staples like turkey, mince pies, and chocolates have also risen due to inflation. Festive sweets are the biggest offenders, as some of them cost around 70% more in 2025 than the year before. In 2024, a Tesco Finest free-range medium bronze turkey crown cost £14.95, and this year it's £68.77.
Of course, people spend even more when they don't have time to prepare. Last-minute gift and grocery shopping means that Brits have to open their wallets significantly wider, as many estimate that they lose £256 when they don't prepare their shopping list and buy all the stuff in advance.
So, asking for family members to chip in doesn't seem so out of bounds. If one family member has to host year after year, it takes a toll on their finances, even if they are the most well-off in the family.
Christmas hosting stress goes beyond the financial side of it
But hosting Christmas isn't all about the money. There are plenty of other things to worry about when you're preparing dinner for a family of a dozen, if not more. In fact, in 2021, a YouGov survey showed that 24% of Brits find hosting Christmas stressful.
Hosting isn't all about food, either. People also name putting up decorations and wrapping gifts as major sources of stress, as well as having to see certain family members. In fact, 24% of Brits say that this is their biggest concern and stressor during the holidays. That's especially true for young people, as they see family interactions as a source of stress.
In an age where most of our friends will be sharing photos of their Christmas table on social media, it's natural for hosts to worry about how their Christmas feast will be perceived. 19% of Brits also say they worry immensely about the cleanliness of their house and whether their guests will judge them.
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When you take all of that into account, it looks like being a host on Christmas isn't just about the money and having the time to prepare a turkey. It might seem impossible to enjoy the last weeks of the year when stress seems so overwhelming.
However, Natalie Mason, a lecturer in psychology at Arden University, tells The Sun that when it seems like everything is too much, it's important to ground yourself in the present moment. "Identify things you can see, hear, smell, feel and taste. For example, seeing kids open presents, hearing laughter, smelling the Christmas dinner cooking, feeling a hug from a loved one and tasting the spices in the mulled wine."
"This can help bring someone back to the present moment and identify positives in the current situation," Mason explains. The aim isn't to force yourself to feel festive, but to protect your peace, respond with compassion and make room for small moments of calm."
"Your family are ungrateful and rude," commenters sided with the sibling, urging them to stand their ground
