Christmas is the time for being with loved ones and eating your weight in turkey and chocolate.
But it's not a cheap time of year; cooking a big dinner for your family can be a pretty big task.
And one woman has revealed that her sister-in-law actually sent her an invoice, charging her £200 for 'hospitality' during the festive season.
Advert
Obviously outraged by the request, the woman took to Mumsnet to ask what other people thought of it.
In her post to the site, she explained that she wasn't a freeloader and had brought food and drink with her and her family and paid for some shopping during their three-day stay.
Oh, and she also cooked the roast herself too.
She said: "I’ve already had a thread about SILs b****ing that the roast I served (for 11 people) wasn’t piping hot.
Advert
"Now we’re home I’m a bit less cross about that but absolutely fuming about the invoice I’ve received!
"The set up is a bit complicated. DH [Dear Husband] has 3 sisters. The venue was SIL2’s house but I cooked because she’s recovering from an injury."
She went on: "We all stayed 23-26 December. We brought two joints of meat, a Christmas pudding, a Christmas cake, plenty of wine, beer, some gin and rum, some nice cheeses, kids snacks and drinks.
Advert
"There was one café lunch and one takeaway and we all paid for our own families. I paid for one top-up shop of about £40. Everyone else paid for/brought similar things."
But despite all this, she was still left with a bill for £200.
"I understand that hosting nine people is a lot but I hadn’t expected to be invoiced," she added.
"My husband wants to pay it to shut her up. I want to ask her to itemise it and to prepare an invoice in return for the hours I spent cooking Christmas dinner."
Advert
Understandably, people were pretty surprised by the invoice.
And many other mums on the site said she definitely shouldn't be paying it.
One user said: "Assume it's a festive joke and bin it."
Advert
Another commented: "You write her an invoice with all the items you paid for listed. And a line something like 'you being a cheeky f***** : priceless'."
"I wouldn't pay it. You've contributed plenty and been very generous," put a third. "Who the f*** invoices guests for staying with them?
"Ignore it and stay at home for Christmas in future. Far simpler."
While another added: "Omg that is so cheeky. Please ask for an itemised bill and send yours in return!
"You effectively 'worked' Christmas Day, which, in my workplace is an additional 69 percent of your usual hourly wage, so factor that in. Likewise for Boxing Day! Gah, the gall of some people."
Topics: Christmas, Food and Drink
Dominic Smithers