To suggest we don't exchange presents with BIL next Christmas?

[Topaz25]

This year BIL made a point of saying disparagingly to DH "I don't know what to get you for Christmas because you have no hobbies or interests." Off the top of my head, DH's hobbies and interests include computers, gardening, running, eating out and going to the cinema, nature and animals. Plenty of present potential there! I sent BIL a link to tickets for a local wildlife centre, which DH would have loved but BIL said he'd thought of something else. So on Christmas Day we gave him a book and a video game he wanted. He gave us a cat mug each, so far so good and...flea collars and drops We have cats but we already use flea prevention. He's previously made critical comments about our house being untidy so I feel like this was another dig Even if he genuinely thought they would be helpful he could have given them to us another time, I was so embarrassed to excitedly unwrap a Christmas present and find flea collars I don't give presents to get presents but I do put a lot of thought into them that I would like to see reciprocated and I feel his gift was thoughtless. WIBU to ask him not to bother next year?

We got some catnip mice for our cat from my DMIL on top of what she was giving us. There's no way that she'd just give us some stuff for the cat. Your BIL is a knob.

I tink he thinks you have house fleas.

That alone would mean nothing but coupled wit digs about your house....

It makes me feel really uncomfortable about having him in the house, which is a shame because he lives 5 minutes away and we've previously made an effort to invite him round and include him in things. I think it's time we stop making an effort.

The problem with presents is that if his present was passive aggressive rather than clueless he's not likely to stick to a gift list next year and even if we get him something cheap or a charity gift he can still get us something. I'd rather get nothing than something upsetting.

It just struck me that some people have a strong reaction to insect bites, and some don't. It's possible that he reacts much worse than you and has been getting the inflamed sores round his ankles and sees a problem that you don't.

We haven't noticed anything but we do use flea prevention anyway. Honestly, even if he did notice something he could just have mentioned it to us another time, not used a Christmas present to make a point.