To struggle to understand how this was funny?

[MuthaInsuperior]

We were at my mum's earlier and my nephew knocked over a cup that had a bit of coffee in the bottom. The coffee spilt over the little table it was on, soaking my mum's little lace cloth thing that she stands ornaments on, splattered on her glasses case and soaked a little specsavers booklet.

My mum was in the kitchen at the time so I tried to get rid of the mess before she came back in but didn't quite manage it. When she saw she immediately took over cleaning up and my sister was creased over in hysterics. My mum picked up the cloth thing which was half stained brown and coffee dripped from it and my sister was howling with laughter and when my mum picked up and dropped the sodden specsavers booklet onto the floor my sister was actually crying with laughter.

She couldn't understand how I didn't find it funny, She said the best bit was the table cloth thing and the way my mum tutted at it and then the way the booklet splattered as it hit the floor.

Am I a misery then? or would you have found this funny?

Erm...well I can't say I'm known for my razor sharp wit and I'm not the sharpest knife in the draw but no, can't find any mirth in that little lot. Maybe your sister needs to get out more?

Well who knows? There's some things I find hysterical that dh/friends don't and vice versa. It just may have tickled her. I don't know if I'd have found it funny. Kind of a "you had to be there"

I laugh when people fall over, which may not be everyone's idea of the pinnacle of funny

but this wasn't in the least amusing

I really can't see the humour in a spilt bit of coffee. I tried, but, no.

I think your sister needs to get out more. It's quite sad when something so unfunny causes a grown adult to laugh, I feel quite sorry for her.

Not at all funny - unless something else was going on and you are drip feeding the story? Maybe your nephew is Peter Kaye or someone else that is sort of funny??

Ahaaaaa! Got it. Maybe something else was happening/had been said which she was desperately trying NOT to laugh at and at that exact moment, the coffee incident occured giving her reason to get it all out.

Maybe you were amusing when you were panicking and frantically tidying? I can't see anything funny from what you have written, but maybe asshakey said you had to be there?

If I was your mum I would have cheerfully wrung the cloth out over your sisters head

Perhaps it was a way of covering her embarrassment?

It sounds as though you went into a panic and tried to clean up so your mum wouldn't know about it, as though you are a child trying to cover up.

I would laugh at a grown woman doing that, if it wasn't a bit pathetic. Children make a mess, i don't see why you didn't just pick up the cloth and go into the kitchen to get something to clean up with.

Do you jump like a cat on a hot tin roof around your mum, for some reason?

It sounds like a scene from the Catherine Tate show or keeping up appearances.

Was Peter Kay on the telly at the time ?

maybe she was just embarrased since it was her child that spilt it

Funny is just funny. It's also very personal. As you were the object of the humour it's unlikely you would find it funny too, but you (or your mum) could have been doing something weird with your body or face that your sister thought was funny. I think the sight of two grown women tussling over a coffee-stained antimacassar could be funny, actually.