MIL took down all my Halloween decorations 😒😒

[Orchid90]

Just that .
We went out, invited her to come out too , she refused .
Got home and she took down all
the decorations, which I wanted to keep up a bit longer as it’s my house and I like them!
I know , there are bigger problems in the world , but I’m annoyed and had to tell someone .
I would never clear up anyone’s house without their permission .
she made it clear she didn’t like them and I guess they triggered her OCD .
I am gonna have a very very dark gothic Xmas this year, I always wanted a black tree anyway.

Jeez @Orchid90 she sounds a right pain in the arse, you are a lovely DIL to tolerate her MASSIVE rudeness. Hope her son is worth it 😁. Tell us more about your dark Christmas plans please, I have time to think about festive decorations this year for the first time and would love to hear your plans!!

Oooh! Or go mad and have one of those huge inflatable Santas outside, as tacky as you can find! Wasn't there a thread about that last Christmas?!

Makes no odds though! It's NOT her house.

Exactly!

you might not be able to just ignore something, but you find another way of coping, you don't just alter someone else's home!

It doesn’t matter what she thinks of Halloween. It’s not her house and they’re not her decorations so she’s got no business taking them down.

Why? Would you really interfere in someone else's house?

Please educate yourself on OCD. It is NOT about being excessively clean and tidy.

A friend of mine's child has OCD. She was worried so much about getting ill from eating food she eventually stopped eating and drinking and had to be admitted to hospital to be essentially force-fed through a tube in her stomach, as she became dangerously underweight and dehydrated. She would have likely died without this intervention.

OCD is a serious and debilitating illness. I pray you or any of your loved ones never actually have it and you can still live in ignorance that it is just about being clean and tidy.

Are you someone who takes Christmas decorations down on Boxing Day?

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Why is it mad?

enjoying your cards for more than one day is perfectly normal, binning them the next day is nit.

Commiserations. Mine was the same along with bl**dy awful SIL who never left home and always visited with PIL. They used to bin any ‚foreign‘ food I had in the house. Even if I rescued it, I would find it back in the bin with stuff poured over it. Absolutely awful, I also had a husband problem as he never stood up to them and it brought us to the brink of divorce. Live close by and hardly see them.

SIL does have OCD diagnosed but has been completely sheltered and never got the help she needs. Epic rages and everyone tiptoes around. PIL did her no favours as she does not tolerate other people and is horribly difficult to be around. Actually do feel sorry for her as PIL reach the end. But not subjecting DC to being terrorized by her malicious meddling and rages anymore. beyond the OCD she is a nasty bit of work.

Anyway, vent away. It really helps to get it out anonymously. I hope your husband does have your back.

Yes I think it was overbearing of her to take down the decorations. Agree it's not a hill worth dying on.
Annoying of her. Go out for a couple of hours if it's still bothering you. Do something nice for yourself...it's your reward for refusing to get into it.

Your MIL was very rude to take down your decorations without asking.

You were BVU to not say anything to her or just put them straight back up.

I take mine down the day after Halloween. We always host a party so it’s just part of cleaning up after. She may have thought she was being helpful. And while it’s obviously an overstep as a guest, I can see how it’s possible to go from tidying up your teenage dc’s rooms to tidying up their houses if you don’t stop and reflect.

I have older teens and I think my brain might be starting to melt a bit from the yo-yoing back and forth between their impressively adult aspects and their gobsmacking immaturity. Sometimes you have to just get in and sort out a bedroom before your house gets condemned despite their insistence that they’re getting round to it, and that they have no glasses and plates in their rooms. A few years ago I’d have thought that tidying up in adult married child’s house was a territorial move, but I can imagine it might be more of a slippery slope into madness.

Just don't have her over again. She can stay in a hotel in future.

Our tree is Nightmare before Christmas themed with a large Jack Skellington head on top and the snake wrapped around it. I’m also thinking of doing the fireplace in the style of Dark shadows although I’d have to take down my Hogwarts Great hall decor so I’m in two minds

This. Why bother posting if you’ve accepted that’s the way she is and you’re not going to challenge it? And secondly do your children want a ‘Tim Burton Christmas’ and a black tree? I love the goth but Christmas is supposed to be magical and it’s for children.

Well she's wrong, Halloween (aka All Hallow's Eve) is only the first day. The 1st of November is All Saints' Day and the 2nd is All Souls' Day.

This answer nails it!

I don't see why Christmas can't be magical AND gothy. I have sparkly Halloween decorations I use at Christmas.

Punctuation does add credence to a post.

Nothing wrong with avoiding confrontation, especially with family members but then having a moan to others. It's called a peaceful life.

A guest meddling in my home decor would be a hill I'd be prepared to die on.
Next visit to mil start moving the furniture round.

As someone with diagnosed OCD I’d love to know how you think this actually would ‘trigger ocd’ because it’s extremely unlikely it’s that and much more likely control and that she didn’t like them. You know this is not the norm OR because of OCD, she just doesn’t agree with them. It’s unfathomably rude and I’d have been really upset at anyone coming into my home and removing anything without my permission and I’d have made my DH say something there and then. For context my in laws are deeply religious and all celebrate Halloween, so I’d find religion a BS excuse too.

@watermybegonias · Today 10:46

I would have just quietly put them back up again without commenting on what I was doing, but meanwhile talking to her as if nothing had happened.

LOL, this would be excellent! Do this next time @Orchid90