Family member has bought refrigerated gifts

[ScottyandWestie]

AIBU - Family member arriving on Saturday to stay for the whole of Christmas has just advised me they are bringing gifts which need to be refrigerated. It’s not alcohol but they will not explain what the items are for fear of “spoiling the surprise” and will need “possibly two shelves of the fridge”. I have a large fridge but due to catering to a huge amount of people over the Christmas period it’s full and will be at capacity tomorrow. I explained this but they are adamant. AIBU to suggest they store their gifts in a cool box in our shed?

Not a hibernating tortoise - that's only need one shelf.

But a family of hibernating hedgehogs - maybe you could wake them up?

Definitely wouldn't be giving relatives key or access to neighbours' house.

Just ask them to leave it on the boot of their car? We have often stored our turkey in the boot.

In the boot not on!

That made me laugh hard!

Bloody expensive present!

Put it all in the garage or the garden. It’ll be cold enough. We have all our cheese in the garage and the meat and veg will be in there too when I buy them at the weekend.

The image that came into my head was two big trays of mounjaro pens. I’m not even on it. obvioysly I spend too much time in the weightloss forums!

Fancy thinking you can rock up to someone doing Christmas lunch and have 2 fridge shelves to yourself.

You’re hosting, your fridge

TELL THEM IT IS GOING IN A COOL BOX IN THE SHED.

come on, you got this

My MIL wouldn’t give me a whole fridge shelf, even when I was feeding a bay exclusively with expressed breast milk. And that wasn’t even Christmas!

Do you have to eat it out of the bucket?

What is wrong with people, I have 2 fridges and next week they will both be full if someone said clear 2 shelves I’d have to say no sorry there’s no room at all please don’t bring it. Then I sound petty af over fridge space whereas they are in fact stupid people.

Were you expecting it because that’s a very strange thing to bring to someone’s house as a surprise you’re expecting them to eat

🤣

could be worse. My dad bought cheese one year and didn't say it needed to go into the fridge

Yeah my Mum did that one year… and then my Dad did a last minute clear up and went to the tip on Christmas Eve.

You can guess the rest…

Simply say there is no room. When they arrive and expect room they will find out the hard way. Then let it be their issue.

Boot of the car is a good compromise

Look.
It very well could be cold hard cash.
I learned decades ago to never say “no” to a surprise.
You just never know.

And I think, based on your description, that you’d really hurt their feelings if you told them not to bring it - just wait until they arrive and go with ”I told you so 50 times,” and put it in a cooler in the garage, like you want.

Deep breaths, @ScottyandWestie— it’ll all work out. ❤️

This is so stupid on the part of the guest that I have to wonder if it’s deliberate. They’re going to want all the oohs and aaaaahs when it’s finally revealed, too. And who tf is going to want to eat an unexpected two-shelves-worth of refrigerated food at Christmas? God I’m so annoyed and it’s not even anything to do with me 😂

Much as I want to know what it is - if I were you I would say please do not bring said thing, then when they do, let them be unhappy that you won’t have it brought in.

But I’m mean.

Oh my god I would love a few months of that for Christmas 🤣

I need to know what they decide to bring!

Plenty of stuff is grand out of the fridge, in a cool place. I do Nigella's turkey in brine every year and it is grand in the garage. Cheese is safer again! I would see what it is before committing any space though!

If it’s cheese, it doesn’t actually need to be refrigerated…