Montana’s New Holiday Tradition: Why It’s The Best Idea Ever.

I'm going to be honest, I don't hate this idea, and apparently, neither do my fellow Montanans.

One of my joys is cooking. I love to cook on the grill or even in the kitchen. My speciality? Meat and Holiday meals. While I believe barbecue season is all year long, the Holiday cooking season is a little shorter.

I enjoy cooking for both Thanksgiving and Christmas and have a few must-haves for the menu.

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It's tradition to cook a turkey on Christmas, and sometimes we'll get wild and add a ham. Of course, I also do the stuffing, or dressing. The other stuff, I'm not so worried about. For Christmas, it's always Prime Rib. Some shy away from such a feat, but with one of those fancy meat thermometers, you can't go wrong.

I have a few family members, and I won't mention names (my wife's side of the family) who enjoy my cooking, and when it comes to bringing something to the table, it's usually their appetite. Not only do they eat the food, but they also pack it up and take leftovers.

It drives me crazy, but my wife is ok with it and tells me that I need to chill out.

So, you can imagine how happy I was when I came across this little gem. It seems that many folks are now requiring guests to pay their fair share. That's right! If you get invited over for a holiday meal, you'd better make sure you have cash or Venmo ready, because it could cost you.

According to Hard Rock Bet, 1 in 3 Americans are now requiring their guests to pay for their meal. You read that right! Listen, it's a lot of work to have folks over, and let's be honest, food isn't cheap. The price of everything has gone up, so why not ask people to chip in?

Oh, and are you ready for this?

The state that leads the country in asking dinner guests for money? Montana. Yep, Big Sky Country, the Last Best Place, the Treasure State. In fact, on average, Montanans ask their guests for right around 26 bucks per person.

I don't think that's a bad deal at all. I get to go to dinner, eat a delicious meal, AND not have to cook or clean up, and it's only going to cost me 26 bucks? Sign me up for that.

So, for those of you hosting Holiday dinners this year, it's not too late to let your guests know that this year, it's going to cost them.

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