Would You Charge Guests to Attend Thanksgiving Dinner?

Thanksgiving is a week away and many of us will be tasked with hosting the big dinner for friends and family. But would you CHARGE someone to attend your dinner?

The reason I ask, is because of an email I got from a Quick Country 96.5 listener, who we'll call 'Kristin'. (That's not her real  name, of course.) She said that she's hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, and because of the cost of getting everything, plus the hassle involved in MAKING everything, not to mention cleaning the house and getting everything ready, she's thinking of CHARGING her Thanksgiving guests.

Whoa. I know how she feels-- we hosted my side of the family's holiday get-together last year at our place here in Rochester, and there IS a lot involved-- from both a cost perspective as well as all the time involved. But we didn't charge anybody.

And according to THIS article from the American Farm Bureau Federation, which each year figures out the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, putting on a dinner for 10 people will run you $50.11.

Which doesn't seem like a lot at all, does it? I mean, if you have 10 people at  your dinner (which might be a tad small, depending on your family), that's still only about $5 a person. Plus, Thanksgiving dinners can sometimes be awkward anyway-- and that's without handing everyone a bill.

I feel your pain, Kristin, and good luck with trying to recoup the cost of hosting your big holiday dinner. But I won't be charging our Thanksgiving guests anytime soon.

What do you think? Would YOU charge people attending your Thanksgiving dinner?