Two-thirds of adults are worried they cannot afford Christmas dinner

With the cost of living on the rise and energy bills going through the roof, not only will be people feeling the pitch this Christmas they will also be feeling the cold.

As Christmas is approaching, people are worried about how they will be able to afford Christmas.

Stress and anxiety are the main factors that can affect people’s mental health.

People who worry end up having depression. Entrepreneurs and business owners struggling to get business usually carry the world on their shoulders.

Christmas is the time of year for added expenditure, buying presents for all family and friends, hosting Christmas parties and looking your best for the office do’s.

However, two-thirds of adults are very concerned that they will not be able to afford Christmas dinner or buy presents for their children, according to a survey.

The survey, commissioned by the Salvation Army, calculated the cost of Christmas dinner at £7.50 per head but – as the price of food is continuing to rise – the cost has increased since the survey was carried out on 22 October.

The concern is greater among those aged 65 and over – 81% – and those in the east of England – 80%.

Doing the maths

According to www.wikipedia.org UK is the 5th richest country in the world whilst there is a cost of living crisis at the expense of its people, how does that make sense?

Some 16% are planning to use a food bank to get items for their meal, while 38% are likely to skip meals if they have an unexpected expense such as a broken boiler.

The Salvation Army’s Lieutenant Colonel Dean Pallant said: “Christmas should be the season of joy, not sorrow. If so many people are worried they can’t even afford one of the most important meals of the year, it’s a red flag that poverty is creeping further into our communities.”

The poll also found that 14% of people cannot afford to buy their children a present this Christmas, and 18% expect to spend time in a building that is free to visit – just so they can keep warm.

Lt Col Pallant said measures announced in the autumn statement show the government is trying to help, but “its ability to stop the creep of poverty has been dangerously reduced due to rising inflation and the overall bleak economic outlook”.

He continued: “We expect this Christmas to be one of our busiest ever and are providing as many emergency food parcels as possible for those in urgent need and Christmas dinner for isolated older people and our Present Appeal is giving gifts to children who would otherwise have nothing to open on Christmas Day. We also offer a warm space in many of our buildings to people who can’t afford to heat their homes and will support rough sleepers so they aren’t forced to spend a cold Christmas on the streets.”

In October, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that almost half of UK adults were finding it difficult to afford energy bills, rent, or mortgage payments.

This comes against a background of tax hikes and inflation that is rapidly outpacing wages.

A government spokeswoman said: “We recognize people are struggling with rising prices which is why we’re protecting millions of the most vulnerable households through our £37bn package of support, including at least £1,200 of direct payments and saving households an average of £900 on their energy bills this winter, in addition to £150 of extra support for disabled people and £300 per household for pensioners. Vulnerable families in England are being supported by the government’s Household Support Fund – which was boosted by £500m – to help pay for essentials.”

Read more:
Rising energy and food bills tip inflation to the highest level since 1981
UK economy to be the worst hit of all G7 nations, OECD report says

Note From The Editor

As I do every Christmas I will have my chat open throughout the Christmas holiday including Christmas Day and Boxing Day. I will have my chat open on all my sites.

If you do not want to chat with us there are a few sites I can recommend, see the list below.

• https://irishealing.com/depression-and-addiction/ (USA)
• https://www.arrowpassage.com/suicide-drug-abuse-during-pandemic/ (USA)
• Suicide Healthline
• SAMARITANS.org
• MIND.org.uk
• YoungMinds.org.uk
• https://www.supportline.org.uk/problems/suicide/
• https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide
• https://save.org/about-suicide/warning-signs-risk-factors-protective-factors/
• https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/suicide
• https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html
• https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/suicide.html
• https://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicide-prevention/suicide-prevention.htm
• https://sprc.org/scope/means-suicide
• https://www.papyrus-uk.org/
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/suicide/in-depth/suicide/art-20044707
• SARA – Severn Rescue | Mountain Rescue | Inshore Lifeboats | Search and Rescue (sara-rescue.org.uk)
• Depression (supportline.org.uk) (UK)
• Depression UK • Support for those affected by or at risk from depression. (UK)
• 24/7 Depression Hotline | NationalDepressionHotline.org (USA)

Evidence in the Bible

Remember Christmas is just a religious event celebrated by Christians, it is very commercialized, and get this Jesus was not even born on the 25th of December, as researched by scholars.

Realistically, shepherds would not have been tending their flocks in December when the weather was cold; they would have continued shepherding no later than October. “We can approximate the month of Jesus’ birth to be around the time of Tishri (mid to late September). To arrive at this date, start at the conception of John the Baptist, Sivan (June), count forward six months to arrive at Gabriel’s announcement of the conception of Jesus, Kislev (December), then count forward nine more months, the time it takes for human gestation, to reach Tishri (September), when Jesus was born.” Source: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/when-was-jesus-born.html

Do not get stressed over Christmas, for me it’s just another day.

Yes, I believe in a higher power, although I am more inclined to draw myself closer to science rather than religion. I believe there might have been a Jesus with special powers and a God that has more power. The book (the Bible) would not have survived for centuries if it did not have some meaning. There is definitely something about the bible but the dates are questionable.

As for Christmas do not think you have to impress people.

You do not have to have the Christmas shebang you can celebrate modestly without the Christmas crackers which are a waste of money, in my opinion, never mind the wrapping paper which gets disregarded, imagine how many trees we would save sending digital products instead. Reuse Christmas decorations rather than buy new ones. Accessorize your old dress rather than buy a new outfit.

I get that Christmas is a time for family reunions but consider the people that may be spending home alone this year. Check on your neighbors and if you can afford it offer them a mince pie or a small box of chocolates, let people know you care. If you cannot travel for whatever reason arrange to Facetime or Skype your relatives and friends. Let people know that they are not alone and that you are thinking of them.

As for gifting if you cannot afford anything expensive this year put in the Christmas card registration of a domain name, you can buy domain names for as little as £1 which could be worth hundreds or thousands. This could then be the start of a new opportunity, a new beginning, or a continuation of a hobby which the recipient could make money from. https://www.ionos.co.uk/domains/domain-names

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