What would Christmas time be, if not with a hint of family drama.
Tension-filled in-law relationships are a timeless tale, and as Christmas day approaches so to does an impending anxiety, for many, of seeing their partner’s parents.
One mum has posted to Mumsnet with her concerns that her in-laws have bought her children better, more expensive gifts for Christmas this year.
The mum, who identifies as “coffeeneeded” on the forum site, explained she had put a lot of thought into what to get her children this year and has “bought them things that I know they want and will love.”
“I sent a list of other things they need to the in laws (they asked for a list),” she shared. “They have announced that they have got some of the items on my list but they have also got other things which they know the kids want.”
Which is seems fine.
But the issue, the mum says, is that she is “90% certain they have got them the things I have got them – and probably spent more money on them as well…
“We are going to the in laws for Christmas.”
Holly Wainwright speaks about her psychic mother and sister-in-law saying that her son has ‘the gift’, on this episode of ‘This Glorious Mess’.
Hence the mum has shared the story in hope of finding advice of how to handle the situation
“AIBU [Am I being unreasonable] to be utterly pissed off?” she asks fellow parents.
The post attracted nearly 100 responses, with many users divided.
“Unless you told your in laws what you were buying, I think yabu [you are being unreasonable],” responded one user.
One mum, however, thought it was completely reasonable that “coffeeneeded” be annoyed, saying: “Jeepers that is bang out of order.”
Another provided a simple solution, saying “Your partner asks what they’ve got and tells them that they can’t trump Santa. Very bad form if they do.”
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!
Top Comments
My MIL asked what to buy our daughter for Christmas. We told her one thing that daughter really wanted and suggested she could buy that. Come Christmas Eve, not only had she bought desired gift but she had filled a whole stocking full of gifts - at least 20! On the way home, daughter exclaimed that she really hoped Santa wouldn't come because she was sick of opening presents. I was gutted as this was the first year daughter had 'got' the whole presents thing. I'd been carefully buying presents throughout the year and was really looking forward to watching our daughter opening them Christmas morning. MIL knew how we felt about overindulging our child and how we felt about useless crap ending up in landfill - we're not the fun-police, we're just trying to raise a grateful, balanced child. Thankfully, but for totally different reasons, that was the last Christmas we had with the inlaws. We've been happily estranged for 20 years.
Dosent really matter,after the first ten presents kids are over it and then you get the parents desperately trying to whip enthusiasm into the kids as they continue unwrapping the Himalayan mountain of presents that will be cast aside to landfill in a few weeks