Taking the family on traditional days out close to Christmas now costs around £500 – or more than a city break in Europe.
A family of four can expect to pay hundreds of pounds in total to visit a local Santa’s grotto, a Christmas lights display, a pantomime and a family theatre show, with drinks, snacks and merchandise easily costing at least £15 per outing on top.
Experts say parents feel under increasing pressure from social media to treat their children to ‘memory making’ activities at Christmas – but these are becoming increasingly expensive.
‘There is pressure on parents all year round but there is something extra about the pressure parents now feel to deliver a “magical” Christmas for their children,’ said psychotherapist Georgina Sturmer, who has worked as a counsellor for a parenting charity.
The Mail found it would cost around £455 for two adults to take two children to visit a Christmas light display, a Santa’s grotto, a pantomime and a family theatre show in London.
The cost to do the same activities in other cities around Britain – Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Newcastle and Cardiff – was an average of £355.
We included booking fees in our analysis, as these can add up to 15 per cent onto ticket prices.
By contrast, the same family could buy a mid-December Christmas markets weekend break to Prague from Lastminute.com – including flights and two nights in a 3-star hotel – for just £392.
Tourists from China pose for a selfie as they visit the Christmas market at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin
Prague is another popular winter destination, with research suggesting a family get-away may actually be cheaper than a day-out to popular UK winter attractions
A trip to the continent may also offer an escape from the great British weather for many families
Extras can easily add another £60 to £160 on top of days out – with food and drink typically costing £15 to £40 per outing for four people – bringing the total up to £515, or £615 in London.
Two thirds of nearly 3,000 parents surveyed say the rising cost of living has negatively impacted their family life, with 43 per cent admitting they have had to cut spending on days out and activities, according to research by the charity Unicef.
Ms Sturmer said social media was piling stress on to parents at Christmas at a time of rising costs, through a combination of targeted advertising of events and pictures posted by other parents and influencers. At events, products like rides, pricey sweets and merchandise are often promoted in front of children, making it hard for parents to say no.
‘Together, this can make parents feel guilty and resentful if they can’t afford to do these things,’ Ms Sturmer added.
Richard Toomer, of the Tourism Alliance, said prices were rising because the tourism industry was struggling to juggle debts incurred during the pandemic alongside rising energy bills and staffing costs, as well as reduced demand due to the cost of living crisis.
‘The cost pressures on tourism businesses are huge, and getting worse, and these inevitably end up being passed onto tourists,’ he added.
Ms Sturmer suggested parents think back to their own childhoods for inspiration and ask their children what would make Christmas magical for them.
‘Often we feel we need to spend hundreds of pounds on an outing when actually what our children really want is to spend time with us and have a hot chocolate,’ she said.