Mums take on 14 different jobs over Christmas so that the rest of the family can sit back and enjoy the festive celebration.
It’s not just roles as cook, cleaner and general organiser that mothers fulfil, but also the scores of other tasks she turns her hand to.
Research for online retailer JD Williams found that to buy the services a typical mum performs for free over Christmas would cost over £3,654.
The lengthy list of household tasks she undertakes would cost up to £24 an hour at commercial rates and take a team of trained professionals to accomplish.
They include child-care, counselling to solve the inevitable arguments and while dad may help buying the turkey its mum who has to do the rest of the food shopping spending hours in supermarkets, and planning the meals.
Then there is gift-buying not just for family but for relatives and children’s friends, and wrapping the presents. She will organise decorating the home as well as the tree and act as the main taxi-driver so dad can “enjoy” himself.
Suzi Burns of JD Williams says: “The old saying states “a mother’s work is never done”, however we should perhaps add “and is very rarely paid for.”
“This shows just how much work mums put in over the Christmas festivities. It will be a shock for the rest of the family to see it would add up to thousands of pounds if we had to pay professionals to provide those services.
“It’s not just the financial cost of “work” mums do for free, but just how many different roles they take on, each requiring a separate skill set and very often the patience of a saint.
“Of course we know you cannot truly put a price on the “work” mums do for love, but hopefully our study will make their efforts appreciated all the more.”
For a family of two children under 18 the report calculates how much a mother would be paid for the jobs which form part of her life over a 14-day Christmas holiday period, from December 19th to the big clear up on January 2nd:
Chauffeur – Time spent ferrying the children around to friends and relatives’ homes, school and holiday activities and Christmas parties. Professional taxi drivers charge £14 an hour, for 32 hours = total of £448.
Head Chef – Four hours planning the meals before Christmas and five hours preparing Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, pudding and drinks. Two hours providing food on Boxing Day, an hour every other day of the holiday plus two hours each for New Year’s Eve and when family comes over for New Year’s Day. 25 hours at £24 an hour equals £600.
Waitress over Christmas and New Year would cost £13 an hour for 7 hours a total of £91.
Bar manager, making sure there is enough wine, beer, soft drinks and spirit to last and acting as bar tender at £17 an hour for 4 hours, adds another £68 to the bill.
Personal shopper – Choosing the right gift for the right person can make or break Christmas. Expert professional personal shoppers charge £12 an hour for their services. For 12 hours Christmas shopping in the run up to Christmas - a total of £144.
Kitchen Assistant – Preparing the meals including checking stock cupboards and ordering ingredients, including fresh vegetables. Pick up the food for Christmas Day and help plan the use of left-overs for Boxing Day and party food for New Year’s Eve if entertaining and a family meal for New Year’s Day. 11 hours at £8 an hour, total £88.
Gift wrapper – present wrapping is very important and stores often employ specialists for the work at £8 an hour. 12 hours (over two or three days) = overall total of £96.
Cleaning – cleaner’s average at £10 an hour, including cleaning the house, fresh bedding, recycling, cleaning up after meals. Three hours before Christmas and two hours on New Year’s Eve plus an hour every other day, 17 hours, total £170.
Interior Designer – Decorating the home and the tree as well as decorating the table for the big day, which has now become another essential task. Time spent 4 hours at £22 an hour. Total £88.
Event Manager – organising games for the children and keeping the family happy, efficient planning is a must and the ten hours of work at £14 an hour over Christmas and the New Year, total £140.
General Housekeeping and Laundry Service – sorting clean and dirty clothes, washing, drying, ironing and putting away, 13 hours over Christmas and New Year at £12 an hour, total £156.
Professional Child Care – a full-time professional nanny earns around £34,500 per year responding to the needs of children aged from a few days to late teens, mum does the same but without the pay. Over the 14 day Christmas and New Year period she will take responsibility for the kids for an average of at least 5 hours every day. At £17 an hour a total of £1190.
Agony Aunt/Counsellor – Acting as mediator as the rows break out, giving styling advice, building children’s confidence, diplomatic relations with other parents, and relationship guidance for teenagers. £23 an hour and an exhausting 16 hours. Total £368.
Nurse – for the inevitable bumps and scrapes, providing sympathy and the sticking plaster. One hour for nursing assistant £7.54.
