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In early December ey wife was talking to her Mother regarding Christmas. My MIL was looking for gift items to buy for her 5 children and 3 of her 5 grandchildren. She has decided to buy T-shirts for her two oldest sons from Jos A Banks as that is their preferred brand.
My wife shared this story with me. I have never bought anything from Jos A Banks but my assumption is that their T-shirts are not inexpensive. I told my wife that since her two oldest brothers don't have two nickels between them to run yogether, they should but their T-shirts on sale at JCPenney like I do.
Apparently this comment was shared with my MIL as the Christmas Gift Exchange saw her 5 adult children receive 4 or 5 gifts and I received one. Her oldest sons got their expensive T-shirts and my sole gift contained JCPenney T-shirts!
What is worse is that my MIL is just as much of a deadbeat as her other 4 kids, and all the money she used to buy the gifts came from mine and my wife's checking account!
What? Why is she getting your money??? That's the worst part of your thread...
Let me see if I have this right OP...
Trying to be nice, you gave your improvident MIL money to buy gifts to give to family members. She decided that since it wasn't her money she was spending that she would splurge on something more costly rather than buying a more frugal brand. You commented on this to your wife who passed it along to her mother. MIL retaliated by giving you the frugal version and skipping out on your kids entirely?
Other than skipping over your kids, who had nothing to do with it, it is definitely one of those occasions where all you can do is shake your head and laugh about it, and take a lesson from it. Don't diss your MIL's choices in front of your wife!
Let me see if I have this right OP...
Trying to be nice, you gave your improvident MIL money to buy gifts to give to family members. She decided that since it wasn't her money she was spending that she would splurge on something more costly rather than buying a more frugal brand. You commented on this to your wife who passed it along to her mother. MIL retaliated by giving you the frugal version and skipping out on your kids entirely?
Other than skipping over your kids, who had nothing to do with it, it is definitely one of those occasions where all you can do is shake your head and laugh about it, and take a lesson from it. Don't diss your MIL's choices in front of your wife!
Nice summary and to flesh it out a bit, unless the OP and his wife got married when they were teenagers or had kids when they were in their fifties or sixties or later, he AND his wife of 40 years have adult kids, not kiddie kids. Adult kids. AKA adults.
OP - yikes, drain that joint account so MIL can't access more money than a minute's worth of play time at the local casino.
It was wrong of your wife to spout off to her mother about your comment, but your MIL shouldn't have snubbed her grandsons. That's weird and kind of cruel.
Lots of replies but not too many saw the ironic humor.
Many people find National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to be a hilarious holiday movie - me included. My intent of this post was to be an opportunity for others to share real life experiences from this Holiday Season that parallel the fictional plot lines that are, or easily could have been, part of the movie.
No bitterness on my part, all a person can do is laugh at family situations such as these.
Happy New Year to all!
Yes, our sons are adults and should not have any expectation of any gift from the Grandmother. A Christmas card containing a Starbucks card is at the max end of any reasonable the gift range. I probably should have left that part, and a couple other comments, out of my story as they paint a picture of bitterness that isn't true. My goal was irony and chagrin, not bitterness or anger.
I probably should have left that part, and a couple other comments, out of my story as they paint a picture of bitterness that isn't true. My goal was irony and chagrin, not bitterness or anger.
Well, thank goodness.
Besides, if you've made it 40 years with them, you're good.
Lots of replies but not too many saw the ironic humor.
Many people find National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to be a hilarious holiday movie - me included. My intent of this post was to be an opportunity for others to share real life experiences from this Holiday Season that parallel the fictional plot lines that are, or easily could have been, part of the movie.
No bitterness on my part, all a person can do is laugh at family situations such as these.
Happy New Year to all!
Yes, our sons are adults and should not have any expectation of any gift from the Grandmother. A Christmas card containing a Starbucks card is at the max end of any reasonable the gift range. I probably should have left that part, and a couple other comments, out of my story as they paint a picture of bitterness that isn't true. My goal was irony and chagrin, not bitterness or anger.
Well, no matter how dysfunctional your family and your emotions are, there's hope!
If you WANT to change, I'd start with not giving your MIL cash to buy Christmas gifts for other people.
These shirts are what all the fuss is over? Lord have mercy
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