There is no escaping the fact that we are facing into one of the most expensive Christmases of modern times.

And we are facing into it without the financial safety net of all those one-off measures and tax breaks that made the last two Christmases more affordable for households living in the eye of the cost-of-living storm.

The most recent grocery price inflation figures from Worldpanel by Numerator suggested prices in the 12 months to early October were 6.5 per cent higher than a year earlier.

And while that is bad, it’s made even worse when you consider that the price hike is on top of and not instead of all the other increases Irish consumers have endured since the start of the crisis towards the end of 2021.

For many years Pricewatch has been tracking the typical cost of an Irish Christmas and it has never brought joy to the world. But this year more than most we are concerned that many families will be facing a nightmare before Christmas – and the nightmare starts now.

The pumpkins and fake blood have been wiped off our supermarket shelves over the weekend and replaced with tinsel and baubles and jolly Santas and Christmas tunes as we all get ready for the spendiest time of the year.

But just how bad will it get and how much can a typical household made up of two adults and three children expect to pay before the bells for 2026 start to chime?

Strap yourself in.

1. The food

Forget about the 12 pubs and the parties and the like – when it comes to the festive season the main event is still the Christmas dinner. It might not necessarily be the most expensive element of the season – socialising or presents may well cost more – but it is the thing that Christmas revolves around in most Irish homes.

December 25th is when all the stops are pulled out in good times and in bad times. When we were writing about the cost of Christmas in the dark days that followed the economic crash, we noted th