Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas gift to staff revealed, and it is a thrifty buy

Christmas is here and it's time for gifts and greetings.

Ever wondered what do royal household staff receive as Christmas gifts from Queen Elizabeth II? Here are the details.

Every year, the queen gifts her staff a Christmas present. Continuing the annual tradition, the monarch will be gifting her 1500 staff members a Christmas pudding along with a handwritten card.

According to Hello! (as reported by Express UK), this year the pudding will be from Tesco, a multinational retailer chain. Previously, the puddings came from premium brands such as Harrods or Fortnum and Mason. However, this year, the 93-year-old royal has made a thrifty choice, and chosen to give everyone Tesco's "top-end pudding."

This Christmas, the staff members will receive what is called as Tesco's Finest Matured Christmas Pudding that comes at a price of 6 pounds. It will be paired with a card from the queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

That's not all! For those who have been in service in the royal household for a long period of time will be receiving additional shopping vouchers worth 35 pounds.

The tradition of gifting Christmas pudding reportedly was started by King George V before the First World War.

Meanwhile, Nine.com suggests that this amount comes out of the queen's own pocket. The report reveals that apart from pudding and vouchers, the long-standing staff also receives framed photos and alarm clocks. What makes it all special for the staffers is when she hands out the gifts personally at the annual staff party held at Buckingham Palace ahead of Christmas in the month of December.

And what about the nonagenarian royal's Christmas present to members of the royal family?

According to the report, there is a traditional "joke present" in the family. There is a shared joke tradition running in the family for years wherein all the royals gift each other what is described as "cheap gag gifts" that they open on Christmas Eve in the queen's Sandringham estate.

One of these years, Prince Harry had apparently gifted the queen a shower cap with words written on it "Ain't Life A B****" and Kate Middleton had gifted Harry a "Grow Your Own Girlfriend" kit.