Christmas traditions can mean different things to different family members, especially when it comes to exchanging gifts.
But what happens when most of the family has outgrown the idea of giving and receiving presents, while one person still expects the full holiday experience? Should everyone else go along with it? Or is it okay to opt out?
In today’s story, one man faces this exact situation and wonders if he’s wrong for feeling the way he does.
My (32M) siblings and I have all grown up. All the kids are now over 30. The family is 3 brothers, a sister, and a mother and father. Literall,y all the men in the family (myself included) DO NOT want anything.
We live in small apartments that barely have enough room to live in. My father also genuinely doesn’t want anything. Whenever I get gifts, they usually end up being donated almost immediately.
The two women in the family like Christmas and want gifts. My mother wants something small. My sister, on the other hand, wants the whole Christmas deal. She sent a list of items, the cheapest of which was $75, and expressed to us that she would be upset if she didn’t get gifts.
The sister is better off than everyone else, so here’s what he wants to do.
I should mention that my sister is now married, and if it matters – married into a family worth over $600M. They have two houses, the husband has a trust fund, and is a partner at a hedge fund.
My brothers and I are doing OK, but we are all tight for cash and feel that if she wants presents at this stage in her life, it is her husband’s responsibility and not her 30-year-old brothers’ responsibility.
I just want to send a message in the sibling’s chat along the lines of “Sorry, I won’t be giving or receiving Christmas presents this year; I’m happy just to spend time with everyone.” I feel at this stage, the present stuff is just childish. I’ve spoken with my brothers and we’ve all agreed that she is the only person who wants items, none of us want anything.
WIBTA?
Eek! It’s easy to see both sides of this, but they are all grown.
Let’s see how the folks over at Reddit feel about this dilemma.
Here’s someone who thinks the sister is unreasonable.
As this person points out, it’s such short notice.
This person would rather cook or bring food than buy expensive gifts.
Yet another person who thinks 10 days is not enough notice.
He waited way too long this year.
The best thing he can do is participate in the festivities this year and opt out with plenty of notice next year.
If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.
