Pass these gifts on but don't trumpet them and hound us over them.

[Lotsofgiftsreally]

So... Always tricky situation with in laws.

Relatives abroad handed Mil some gifts for us. Lovely, I appreciate the thought. We were not with the them for Xmas.. So thanks.

But.. We have been, or dh called from relatives abroad... Go and get your gifts.. Text and email from dh parents... A few repetitions.. Mil handed them over.. Saying to five year old... Ohh you have lots of gifts from relatives...

Get home and both dd got a colouring pencil set and book. Prices tag on each 2.50 euro.

I got some biscuits and dh a nice shirt.

we have some visitors with us who know nothing of the background and they even said... Oh!was that all they gave them!!

[MrsDilber]

You get what you're given and be grateful.

[TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge]

Um, I imagine the 'fanfare' wasn't really a fanfare but your Mil expecting you to actually bother collecting your presents, with it being past Christmas and all.

Add in the fact you don't really bother with her and clearly like to bang on about how your family is waaay superior to her and her family, then the so-called 'fanfare' and mentioning of her family gifting is even more understandable.

[Lotsofgiftsreally]

I am never allowed to mention my family at all trip. Even when dc mention them as said they are cut off conversations shut down.
We used to try and bother with her but no gift was ever good enough.
We weren't expecting gifts and have been extremely busy these past few weeks.. We went before Xmas and Mil didn't actually directly speak to dh or me so we were in no hurry to break our necks going back. Mil got dh shaving foam and me bubble bath which we sat and took gratefully. She on the other hand looked at the wrap dh got her like a piece of rubbish and said. What is it... Oh... A wrap

[bingbongnoise]

The OP sounds like a right fecking charmer!

I think the MIL sounds lovely, and absolutely DID deserve a FANFARE!

[Slanetylor]

I haven't read all the replys but biscuits!!! Seriously?
Anyway if the gifts were so urgent why couldn't your MIL drop them to you? I actually hate when someone gives a gift but expects you to have to go and get it yourself.

[HuskyMcClusky]

Fgs, can we put the whingeing about gifts to bed for a while? It’s just been Christmas.

[Lashalicious]

It’s not about the gifts, it’s about how she has treated you and your family for so long. I get it because I’ve seen what you’re talking about. She sounds awful and you’ve finally had enough of her...you came on here to vent and you got jumped on. I can see why pp thought at first you were complaining for not a good reason but I am seeing what you’re saying now... Sometimes the best thing is to cut contact completely. Or, write her a letter telling her how you feel. Won’t do a bit of good probably but only you know if it’s worth a try. She sounds vicious to me as if she despises you. You resent her building up those little presents as if she thinks she’s bestowing a bit of her largesse onto you, the poor little peasant and her little peasant children. Am I right?

[LolitaLempicka]

Gosh. Your guests are rude twats aren’t they?

[ImKait]

Yes she always acts very superior.. Always.. Always putting my family down and heralding her own. If I mention even the smallest thing about anything to do with me it's cut across or shot down...

"My family would never hand over shirt to one and wrapped biscuits together the other."

"I give out gifts far better than that to dc class mates I have never met."

"On my side varied wealth but the two consistent givers on my side have really hard time, struggling... In many ways and I always say.... Please please please don't go to any trouble.. The dc will have lots(from us) please don't go to any trouble. Yet they do.
But never fuss.. Never expect anything..."

I think the reason you don't like your MIL very much might be because you're too similar.

[Mummyoflittledragon]

I get it. Your mil sounds nasty. You’ve really done yourself no favours with how you’ve explained the situation.

Did the family abroad just let you know they’d given a something to mil for you all and it was your mil, who hounded you to get the gifts?

I think you really need to shut the communication down between mil and the children to stop the build up again.

Your mil sounds very jealous of the bond you have with your family tbh. You’ll never be grateful enough or good enough even if you idolise her, you know.

[CommanderShepard]

My SIL made a big song and dance about buying my children camping blankets. Buying my arse - she got them free in the children's pack on Emirates.

[Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar]

Will you stop with the fanfare. They called you to collect the gifts because you hadn't collected the gifts
What was your "special and thoughtful" gift to them? Maybe they hated it too?

[whiskyowl]

Yet again an AIBU thread is just an excuse for a pile-in of bitchiness.

It IS unreasonable to keep calling someone and asking them to collect a parcel. People are busy. They don't have time to run down to the post office every two minutes. As long as they haven't forgotten, you can pretty much leave them alone to do it in their own time, when it's convenient for them.

I also think it's ridiculous to tell a child that they have a huge pile of presents when all you have got them is colouring pencils and a colouring book. Don't get me wrong, the thought is nice and it's rude to complain about a gift, it may be all they can afford right now. That is not the issue. The issue is that the MIL has raised expectations in children that aren't going to be met by making a ludicrous brouhaha about a small parcel.

[luckylavender]

You're showing yourself up more & more OP. This is quite a nasty AIBU. Maybe address it in real life if you feel so strongly.

[Mummyoflittledragon]

Yup another dig would be it blackberryfairy.

[OnlyAbigail]

This reminds me of something my ex MIL did years ago when I had my eldest child. Ex MIL went on and on about how her sister (DD's great aunt) had got a brilliant gift and was sending it to us. Said gift arrived and it was some tokens collected from cereal boxes stuck on a card which we were then meant to take into a kids clothes store to redeem for a plastic breakfast bowl!

Ex MIL then went on and on at us to write a thank you letter and wasn't it a great, thoughtful gift etc.

[ToastyFingers]

We're genuinely grateful when anyone takes the time to buy us a gift, regardless of what it is, so in your shoes I'd have nothing against the gift-givers. HOWEVER, the MIL getting a 5 year old all hyped up, telling her she had loads of presents, and making a big deal over a colouring book is kind of mean, and a bit like teasing, so I wouldn't be pleased with that.
Also, I hate being told to be more appreciative over gifts, from a third party, it's infantilising and makes me cringe.