Man slammed as 'selfish' for asking Christmas party guests to bring food to save him money

Christmas celebrations are in full swing this week, but since money is tight, some people are struggling to fund their festive get-togethers.

In fact, one man found himself on the verge of falling out with his friends after he tried to save some money at his upcoming Christmas party.

The host was planning to get his mates over for some drinks and nibbles before Christmas Day, but when he established one key rule for the party, he was labelled as 'selfish'.

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Posting about his predicament to Reddit, the anonymous man explained that he and his wife are struggling with the backlash they've gotten from family, friends, and co-workers after announcing one key change to their annual Christmas party.

"Every year, we hold a little soiree-type gathering at our house - there's usually 20-25 people who come. Nothing crazy. It's a mix of coworkers, family, and friends," he began.

"Normally, we do all the cooking for 25 people, and it sets us back about $500-$600 (£411-£494) at the grocery store."

Since money was 'a bit tighter' this year, the couple decided to add some 'stipulations' for those who want to attend the party this time around.

"On the invites that we mailed out, we added that guests need to bring a dish with them to the party if they'd like to attend," he wrote.

"We listed some potential dishes that they can bring, or they can bring their own creation. If not bringing a dish, the alternative would be paying $20 (£16) per guest, to help offset food costs."

He continued: "Out of the 27 people we invited this year, there were 6 people (friends of my wife and I) who had an issue with this in particular.

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"None of them ended up RSVPing and when my wife reached out, they said that it was selfish to expect a dish from guests, not considerate, etc."

Taking his dilemma to the good people of Reddit, the confused party host was desperate to know if he and his wife were a**holes for asking their guests to bring a dish to their party.

People were more than happy to offer their feedback, and plenty of people had bad news for the OP.

"I wouldn’t have asked for the money. That turns a fun get-together into an event with an entrance fee," wrote one user.

"This wholly depends on the exact phrasing of the invitation but since a significant portion of those invited took offence I'm going to go with YTA (You're The A**hole)," commented a second.

Others disagreed, arguing that the OP wasn't an a**hole for wanting to save some money and turn his annual party into a potluck, but asking people to bring money might have been a step too far.

"NTA (Not The A**hole)," began one Redditor. "Just don't get angry if people don't want to come."

"Basically, you were just tactless and a little rude," explained a second. "Instead of making it a stipulation you should have sent out the invite to your potluck with a sign-up sheet attached and then all your needs would be covered."

A third agreed: "Potlucks are so common, did you word it like that? I will say it would be a turn off to be asked to pay $20 to attend a get together I was invited to so I'd decline, but being asked to bring a dish would be fine."

Would you have attended this couple's party?

Topics: Food and Drink, Christmas, Money

Ali Condon

Ali is a journalist for LADbible Group, writing on all things film, music, and entertainment across Tyla, LADbible and UNILAD. You can contact Ali at [email protected].

@alicondon