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This Mum is planning to go to extreme lengths to have the perfect Christmas, but how far is too far?

Christmas can be a stressful time of year for any family, but especially for those that struggle to make ends meet. One Aussie mum has posted to Facebook about the difficulties of funding the perfect Christmas, asking fellow users of the platform whether it would be wrong to eat the family pets for Christmas dinner.

What To Tell The Kids

Sophie and her family live on a five acre property and have a number of animals that they consider pets, but after a tough year financially, they feel they’ve been left with little option.

“We live on five acres and have loads of chickens, a goat and a pet pig,” she said. “Would it be wrong to cook them for Christmas? Not the goat, just two of the chickens and the pig? I’ve maxed out my Afterpay account and our budget doesn’t permit our usual big Christmas dinner.”

The biggest problem for Sophie is what to tell her children.

“Should we avoid telling the kids and replace them when we are more financially stable, or be honest and use this as a learning opportunity to teach them about finance and the food chain?”

What a sad reality to be facing at what should be the happiest time of the year.

A Controversial Idea

Sophie’s post attracted a lot of attention, with comments divided about whether her proposed idea was a good one.

“It’s not wrong at all, but I probably wouldn’t tell the kids,” one mum wrote.

“I think you should do what you have to do if that’s your option – then take it,” another user said.

 

How Can You Eat Your Pets?!?

It hasn’t all been messages of support, however, with many people expressing their disbelief and outrage.

“I can’t believe what I just read,” one person said. “I think I’d rather have a veggie Christmas than eat my pets,” said another.

We really feel for Sophie, but have to say that in her attempts to salvage Christmas, she may actually make it a more upsetting and traumatic experience for her kids. Better to miss Christmas dinner than to lose a beloved family pet we think…

What would you do if you were in Sophie’s position? Tell us in the comments.

 

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  • I guess this is a good lesson to the parents to in future plan ahead. They could have purchased frozen chickens and kept them in the freezer ages ago. Anyway… As that was not done and it was too late in this situation I would say why on earth do you have to have pork and chicken anyway? The most important thing is that you are all together for Christmas. It doesnt really matter what you have to eat. I know one family that had Lasagne for Christmas dinner. Another that had homemade pasta of some sort.
    Just work with what you have and waht you can afford. Put it to the kids that you could have roast pork if you do away with the pig. if they are not happy with that then dont.

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  • My children wanted pet rabbits as they were growing up and I said rabbits are food not pets. However we ended up with 4 rabbits in the yard and the children then decided how they would like their rabbit cooked – one oven baked, one a fricassee, one fried and one battered and fried and they kept the pelts as a rug for them to stand on when they got out of bed. Because it was spelt out at the beginning of the journey there was no problem.

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  • I’m going to go with NO. If they have names, you shouldn’t eat them!!!

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  • I think it depends why she got the animals originally. Did she buy them to be pets or to be food for the family down the track? I dont think dinner needs to be lavish or have meet to be celebratory.

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  • No way. That is a bad idea and could scar kids.

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  • No pleasure in eating a pet,l could not do it!

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  • Don’t do that ever.You family will regret for that in your whole life.

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  • If you are calling them pets then I dont believe you should eat them. If your kids are attached to the pets and you tell them that they ate them for christmas lunch how is that going to affect them. Is the “perfect” Christmas lunch that important?

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  • The older I get the more I realise that Christmas is not about stress and having everything perfect.

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  • I dont think i could eat a family pet!

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  • I’d forgo the usual Xmas Dinner spread and make it a casual fuss free dinner, all about fun.
    I do feel their financial pain though, people have been very hard hit this year.

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  • I appreciate I eat meat and I know it comes from farmers etc. but the thought of eating pets bothers me believe it or not! I can’t eat rabbit but have no issue with chicken. It’s just a mindset thing really.

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  • It depends on how old the children are and if they would understand. They may prefer to have a smaller Christmas than to lose their pets.

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  • Very difficult decision to make, but as parents our children & their well-being take priority.

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  • It is a hard thing but I suppose this is the reality

    Reply

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