We all know that the festive period can be an expensive time, no matter how you spend it.

First there’s the presents, then the Christmas parties, and of course, the all-important food. And that’s all before you even THOUGHT about New Year’s eve. We’re coming out in a cold sweat just thinking about it!

But one mum left viewers aghast when she confessed her controversial money-saving tip live on This Morning recently.

The mum-of-four revealed that she charges her family for their annual Christmas dinner at her house, sparking a huge debate among viewers.

Gemma Andrews admitted that one particularly disastrous Christmas sparked the unusual tradition.

She told Holly and Phil, “The very first year I opened my house to everybody on Christmas Eve, I got let down by five people and I had so much excess food.”

So she confessed her thoughts that charging for Christmas dinner would be a better option to help save money.

She continued, “The year after, I tried ‘bring a dish’. Come Christmas Eve, people said: ‘Oh I forgot to get it’ and I’m running around trying to find a bag of prawns. It’s more stressful.”

However, she did clarify that, “I don’t charge for the children.”

Following the admission, host Philip pointed out that some may think she’s treating Christmas more like a business than a special family get-together.

But Gemma defended the choice but stating that the family don’t have to come over if they’d rather not pay.

“They don’t have to come. My grandparents-in-law come every year without fail – and, if they didn’t come, they’d be sat at home on their own. They pay it in November.”

And some fans were left in utter shock over the surprising method of doing Christmas, with some even branding the move ‘disgusting’.

One fan wrote, ‘charging your own FAMILY for Christmas dinner is absolutely disgusting, using Christmas day as a chance to make money is greedy anyway never mind from your own family #ThisMorning’

While another said, ‘If I wanted to pay for Christmas dinner I’d eat in a restaurant #thismorning’

While others pointed out that Gemma may well be overcharging…

However, other viewers on Twitter seemed to agree with her tactic, saying they’d happily pay for someone’s effort if it meant they could sit back and relax.

So what do you think? Would you charge your family for Chrismtmas dinner? Or are you totally against the idea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media!