The cost of Christmas dinner in 2025

Thanks to a fall in the price of turkeys, the cost of Christmas dinner in 2025 is set for an average of £32.46, a few pence less than 2024's festive feast.

However, alongside parsnips, frozen turkeys were the only part of a traditional Christmas dinner that saw a decrease in cost this year - every other Christmas food item increased.

The biggest contributor to the rise in Christmas dinner costs over the past few years has been an increase in vegetable prices. Potatoes, for example, saw a 1.1% increase, whilst carrots rose by 5.5%.

This is largely due to the surge in energy prices experienced by farmers, increasing their production costs.

And, it's bad news for sweet tooths this Christmas, as the price of chocolate has increased sharply by 18.4%. Poor harvests caused by extreme temperatures and unpredictable rainfall patterns have driven up the price.

At Action for Children, we see the toll that food and energy costs are having on families across the UK. We have over 2,500 frontline workers supporting children every day. We see children without a bed sleeping on the floor with just blankets. We answer calls from parents in tears, desperate because they can't afford to feed their children. Because poverty touches every part of a child’s life. It’s relentless. And it doesn’t stop because it’s Christmas.

But you could change that.

You could give a child their very own Christmas dinner by joining our Christmas appeal.

Last year, your help meant we could reach children like Chloe* and her mum Layla. Our service workers were able to provide them with festive food, and the football boots Chloe had been wishing for all year.

Chloe's* story is based on real examples of children we support.

It's easy to become a charity Secret Santa.

Browse our charity Christmas gifts, and choose a virtual present from our range.

By becoming a charity Secret Santa, you could help put the magic back into Christmas for a vulnerable child. The kind of magic that lasts a lifetime.