The real cost of Christmas - Hosting guests can set you back £200 over the festive period

HAVING the family over is a Christmas tradition, but now when guests stay for a few days the costs can quickly add up.

Nobody begrudges spending money on their loved ones at this special time of year, but you also have to be ready to pay larger bills than you expected.

More than half of us expect guests to visit this Christmas, often hosting up to five people over three days, at an average cost of £200, according to research from uSwitch.com.

On average hosts pay £152 to feed and water guests, while an extra £55 is needed for energy bills as the heating stays on longer, people watch more TV, keep lights on in spare rooms and charge up their mobiles and gadgets.

Hosts expect guests to travel with at least three devices each, so five guests would mean an average of 15 extra gadgets to keep charged up.

The hefty seasonal gas and electricity bill also covers the extra energy used to cook the traditional Christmas dinner, as well as boiling the kettle.

The average host expects to put the kettle on a whopping 18 times a day, brewing an average of 30 cups of tea every single day over the festive period, and with forecasters predicting a chilly Christmas, household heating bills are also likely to stack up.

Shona Eyre, energy expert at uSwitch.com, suggested shopping around for a cheaper utility bill in the New Year to help reduce the cost.

"You could save hundreds of pounds and recoup most of your festive expenses by switching to a more affordable deal," she said. »