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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

...to feel sad that MIL has wrapped presents in glitter paper?

617 replies

somehowsunshine · 23/12/2021 01:06

Can't recycle it. She knows we try really hard to recycle. We are always finding recyclable plastic in her general waste bin. My DH and I will have to bite our tongues on Xmas day as we scrunch the glitter paper into the bin. I know my husband will want to say something but it will make MIL feel bad and make us look ungrateful. I can't stand glitter!

OP posts:
eleda542 · 23/12/2021 12:47

Take it off carefully and reuse

PuzzledObserver · 23/12/2021 12:53

@Shmithecat2

YABU, and a massive hypocrite. Your children are more environmentally damaging to the environment than some glitter paper.
What’s the answer, then - let the human race die out?
Tummelthecat · 23/12/2021 12:55

Sometimes being right isn’t the most important thing. Let it go, both of you. The remonstrating on Christmas day isn’t going to be worth it.

Hope you all have a lovely day.

ItIsntWhatYouThinkItIs · 23/12/2021 12:58

@PuzzledObserver Are you serious? The planet is massively, massively over-populated. It will never, ever die out. Shmithecat2 has a point. If the OP and her nutjob eco terrorist husband were genuine, they would never had reproduced. Having children is far worse for the planet than some harmless glitter. The hypocrisy is palpable.

AngelinaFibres · 23/12/2021 12:59

@100problems

Sad. Biting lips. Needing to say something.

Seize the opportunity OP! You can educate her planet destroying ass for Christmas.

Ooooo yes if she is there on Christmas morning you can take the paper from your children as they open the presents and use it is an educational tool. Give everyone the full benefit of your knowledge. Go full performance parenting on it. Such fun. My mum has a tendency towards feeling herself to be perfect. My dad had a phrase he used to roll out when it got a bit much..." Sniff...sniff...ooo is that the odour of extreme sanctity I can smell dear". Never be the righteous PITA Op it kills the festive mood.
MrsWarleggan · 23/12/2021 13:00

I'd be more pissed off at the use of the glitter paper rather than not being able to recycle it.

My Dsis used it one year. Looks beautiful but that shit gets EVERYWHERE!

My living room looked like a unicorn had spontaneously combusted for weeks after 🤦‍♀️

thesnailandthewhale · 23/12/2021 13:00

I sell cards / wrap etc for Flamingo Paperie - we sell products with flitter (like glitter), that is 100% biodegradable and made from vegetable fibres. Are you sure that her paper doesn't have this too?

Diana8 · 23/12/2021 13:02

@somehowsunshine

It's so unnecessary though. Normal wrapping paper can go into the recycling bin.
We got a letter from our council on our bins reminding us that wrapping paper can't be recycled if it has a "sheen" on it. - much of it has dyes and is laminated, or has tiny pieces of foil in it. Only 100% paper can be recycled.
ItIsntWhatYouThinkItIs · 23/12/2021 13:03

@MrsWarleggan

I'd be more pissed off at the use of the glitter paper rather than not being able to recycle it.

My Dsis used it one year. Looks beautiful but that shit gets EVERYWHERE!

My living room looked like a unicorn had spontaneously combusted for weeks after 🤦‍♀️

It's Christmas ffs! 🤦‍♀️ And there is such thing as a vaccum cleaner.
VestaTilley · 23/12/2021 13:03

I care about the environment and recycling too - but for crying out loud, it’s a bit of wrapping paper.

If you “feel sad” about it it suggests you’re overly emotionally invested in things which really don’t matter.

The climate won’t be saved or lost by your MIL buying some wrapping paper. If this is all you have to worry about your life must be charmed indeed.

MrsWarleggan · 23/12/2021 13:06

@ItIsntWhatYouThinkItIs

It was meant to be a lighthearted joke!

Keke94LND · 23/12/2021 13:07

Where do you draw the line OP? She could have just not bothered getting you any presents as that surely would have been better for the planet?

Friendviv1987 · 23/12/2021 13:07

@VestaTilley

I care about the environment and recycling too - but for crying out loud, it’s a bit of wrapping paper.

If you “feel sad” about it it suggests you’re overly emotionally invested in things which really don’t matter.

The climate won’t be saved or lost by your MIL buying some wrapping paper. If this is all you have to worry about your life must be charmed indeed.

This!!
pigsDOfly · 23/12/2021 13:09

There's so much in the world to be sad about at the moment, a bit of glittery paper isn't one of them.

Rooting through someone's rubbish to demonstrate your eco credentials is tiresome and pompous.

I hope you walk everywhere, never get on an aeroplane and don't heat your home with fossil fuels and of course, never ever use any single use plastics.

And having children? How can you be so irresponsible and blind to the state of planet?

And yet you get 'sad' over a bit of sparkly paper? How odd.

MojoDaysxx · 23/12/2021 13:11

Does op drive a car, turn on heating, travel by plane? People need to look at their own behavior first.
One day MIL will be no longer here. You'll wish for the bit of glitter!

LittleBabyCheeses · 23/12/2021 13:13

@somehowsunshine

DH tends to look through the top of his mums bin when we're round, and usually pulls out 5 or 6 plastic items or cans that can be recycled. Mil can't be bothered which really pisses us off! He does it to make a point of how much she must throw into landfill instead of recycling.
Sounds like you two would be fun at parties.
MarieMaitland · 23/12/2021 13:22

What a shame you didn't add a poll....

ItIsntWhatYouThinkItIs · 23/12/2021 13:23

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 23/12/2021 13:23

@3luckystars

Why is that rude? I’m sorry if that offended you. I just thought she could make the best of the situation and use the wrapping paper again. Sorry again.
@TicTacHoh had quoted your post in error, @3luckystars - she meant to quote a different post - your post was sensible and not rude at all. She did correct herself quickly.
doadeer · 23/12/2021 13:34

@pigsDOfly

There's so much in the world to be sad about at the moment, a bit of glittery paper isn't one of them.

Rooting through someone's rubbish to demonstrate your eco credentials is tiresome and pompous.

I hope you walk everywhere, never get on an aeroplane and don't heat your home with fossil fuels and of course, never ever use any single use plastics.

And having children? How can you be so irresponsible and blind to the state of planet?

And yet you get 'sad' over a bit of sparkly paper? How odd.

This!

Of all the things to be "sad" about. Honestly.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 23/12/2021 13:39

@gindreams

Your husband sounds an insufferable twat

#teammotherinlaw

Joining you in #teammotherinlaw, @gindreams!

If any of my sons went through the bin and lectured me on the contents thereof, I would be very cross. They’d only do it once.

It does look as if @somehowsunshine has abandoned the thread - I suspect we were supposed to join in the condemnation of GlitteryMIL.

If, by some chance you are still reading this, @somehowsunshine, please tell your Dh to leave his poor mum’s bins alone, and to stop bullying her over recycling - if you and he don’t want to destroy your relationship with her.

3luckystars · 23/12/2021 13:40

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius thank you for that kind reply.

BiBabbles · 23/12/2021 13:40

You feel how you feel, but it seems misdirected and weirdly focused on recycling over other options. Many people reuse paper either for other projects or other gift giving and then there are those of us who just don't use wrapping paper at all.

Many years ago, after being fed up with wrapping paper (which like others, my area doesn't recycle and I just found a pain using, and with multiple nonreading kids there kept being confusion even if I picked different wrapping paper for each child), I bought one of these jumbo storage bags for each of my kids with the ones old enough picking out their own.

Every birthday, Children's Day and New Year, their presents go in, we bring them down, we have a countdown to open and they pull things out at their own speed. When little, they loved having a really big bag and doing it all themselves, now they love hearing us bring it down (the material is not quiet), I love that we have years of photos of them with their bags, that there is little mess after to deal with and little stress in maintaining - right now, the bags are sitting on my dresser and anything I get in for them for New Year, I just put it straight in their bag. When it's not close to a gift giving time, they're flattened and hung up. That plus keeping around gift bags to pass along, it makes it really easy.

As others said, the order is reduce, reuse, recycle, with some adding some extra steps before recycling, but it's always the last thing to consider in this.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 23/12/2021 13:41

@MrsWarleggan

I'd be more pissed off at the use of the glitter paper rather than not being able to recycle it.

My Dsis used it one year. Looks beautiful but that shit gets EVERYWHERE!

My living room looked like a unicorn had spontaneously combusted for weeks after 🤦‍♀️

There is a very good reason why glitter is referred to as ‘craft herpes’ - once you’ve got it, you’ll never get rid of it!
NameChangeCity123 · 23/12/2021 13:46

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius

Craft herpes GrinGrinGrinGrin wow. This is so accurate Grin

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