During the Covid pandemic, especially the first lockdown when we all had very little face-to-face social interaction, I got very good about sending my friends birthday presents. Usually, I’m not very good at remembering birthdays, so most of my friends get a happy birthday text at some point in the day but no card or present. But in lockdown it was one of my primary focuses.
I also decided I would send physical Christmas cards to all my friends and family. I usually send a couple to some of my older relatives and a few of my best friends, but I thought – for lack of anything better to do, and to spread some Christmas cheer – I’d go all out. I loved doing it, but it cost me a lot of money. It wasn’t just the cost of buying all of the Christmas cards, I’d also failed to take into account how much the cost of stamps had risen.
And that was back in 2020. The cost of stamps has continued to increase. In 2024, to send one Christmas card first-class it will cost you around £2.36. If you decide to opt for the slightly cheaper option of second-class, it will still set you back £1.56.
In the past two years, the cost of first-class stamps has skyrocketed by 73.7%. Currently, a pack of eight costs £13.20. Research by online casino Kasinohai predicts that, at the current trajectory, this could rise to an eye-watering £69.04 in 2030, equivalent to £8.63 per stamp.
Second-class stamps have also seen a cost increase, albeit far from the levels of first-class prices. In 2024, a pack of eight first-class stamps costs £6.80, a 25% increase since 2022. By 2030, this continued rise could mean the same pack would cost £35.76, or £4.47 per stamp.
The cost of Christmas cards, as well, is on the up. Overall, the average price of a supermarket Christmas card in 2024 will cost you 71p. If inflation rises by 4% each year, this could cost you around 90p per card by 2030, Kasinohai suggests. That means, that in 2030, it could end up costing you £9.53 to send one single Christmas card first class.
And of course, sending cards is just one very small part of what people feel they have to spend money on at Christmas.
I hate the way the holiday has become so commercialised. So many people feel so much pressure to spend money at Christmas, that they will go to all kinds of lengths. And this includes getting into huge amounts of debt.
Research by Royal London in 2023 found that 27% of consumers borrowed to pay for the previous Christmas. Almost a third (32%) said they didn’t expect to have paid for Christmas borrowing until June 2023.
And some people work extra hours around the festive period. Research from Indeed Flex found that 59% of Brits even plan to take on an extra job during the festive season to help cover the cost of Christmas.
As well as presents, there is also the cost of food and drink over the Christmas period.
The latest Interactive Investor (II) Christmas Dinner Inflation Tracker suggests the cost of a Christmas dinner for a family of four is set to rise faster than the rate of inflation this year, with price drops in festive sweet treats being offset by increases in the cost of turkey and cheese.
The average price of a turkey meal with all the trimmings, plus a few extras, to feed a family of four, has risen by 2.8% from £89.05 in 2023 to £91.54 this festive season.
The cost of a vegetarian/vegan nut roast option has also increased by 1.72%, rising from £51.75 in 2023 to £52.13.
Since II began tracking the cost of Christmas dinner in 2021 when inflation started to rise significantly, the cost of a turkey dinner has increased by 32%, and the vegetarian or vegan nut roast option has gone up by 33%.
I don’t wish to sound like a modern-day Scrooge or Grinch, or any other Christmas-hating character. I love spending time with family and friends around Christmas, and seeing the look and their faces as they open their presents. I love Christmas lights and decorations. I love cosy pubs at Christmas. I love the feeling of waking up on Christmas morning and knowing all I have to do that day is eat, drink and watch trashy TV.
But I do think the feeling of pressure to spend money left right and centre has got a bit out of control.
What is the true meaning of Christmas? My Christian mother, and many others, would say it is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. That is, after all, where it originated from. But even if you’re not someone who believes in the Christian faith, it should still be about more than stressing over your spending on food and gifts.
It should be about remembering who is important to you in your life, spending time with them if you can, and showing them that you love and appreciate them. And you don’t have to get into debt to do that.
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