Is it time to put an end to the lavish Christmas dinner?

I realise that plenty of people will think I’m just embodying the ‘bah humbug’ spirit, says Chris Stevenson

Nearly seven out of every 10 people are worried about being able to afford Christmas dinner this year (Getty/iStock)

The cost of a traditional Christmas dinner for four is up by almost 10 per cent on last year to £31, according to an update from data analysts Kantar, as rising food prices continue to bite.

It comes in the wake of a recent survey by The Salvation Army, which found that nearly seven out of every 10 people (67 per cent) are worried about being able to afford Christmas dinner this year. That number rises to to 81 per cent of those who are older than 65.

My colleague James Moore rightly made the point that there are plenty of people across the country for whom worrying about Christmas dinner would constitute an improvement on their current circumstances. Although the Salvation Army survey does give a sense of this too – 16 per cent of respondents expect to use items from a food bank for their festive meal, while 18 per cent expect to spend time over Christmas in a building that is free to visit so they can keep warm.