Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Family member has bought refrigerated gifts

408 replies

ScottyandWestie · 18/12/2025 20:15

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?

OP posts:
youarebeingsoextrarightnow · 19/12/2025 07:33

A fridge runs at 5 degrees so if you have an out building or external garage, they should be fine in there.

Or as per your PP, you are doing your neighbours a favour and I don't suppose they would be bothered about you using the fridge, if they are away I doubt it will be full of food

saveforthat · 19/12/2025 07:38

WineBeforeWhine · 19/12/2025 07:26

Cheese doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

Show quote history

Well it needs to be kept very cool until you are going to eat it. Where do you keep your cheese then?

Needtosoundoffandbreathe · 19/12/2025 07:42

I keep veg in a lidded plastic box in the porch or even outside if it's not freezing. But agree you don't turn up demanding two fridge shelves when you're staying with someone for Christmas. I'm really interested in what it is they're bringing!

ShodAndShadySenators · 19/12/2025 07:49

We do actually have a second fridge but that's always rammed - it's our drinks fridge - and certainly would be at Christmas too, as any overflow from our regular fridge would get tucked into the drinks fridge. I suppose bottles could be stored outside but we have a large contingent of foxes and I can imagine their glee if they discovered someone had put out a load of cheese (or a trifle or profiteroles or all three!) for them. You don't want cheeses with sharp pointy toothmarks in it. No garage either.

You could put the item(s) in the NDN's fridge but tbh I wouldn't accommodate this family member, they have to learn. I hope they're not one of those annoyomg people who just won't be told, my MIL was one of those. You could talk yourself blue in the face and she'd just dismiss it all. So infuriating (especially when posters say "Oh just use your words OP and TELL her/him. Whyyyy can't people just speak to people these days blah blah". Because they don't bloody listen, that's why)!

SleafordSods · 19/12/2025 07:52

ShodAndShadySenators · 19/12/2025 07:49

We do actually have a second fridge but that's always rammed - it's our drinks fridge - and certainly would be at Christmas too, as any overflow from our regular fridge would get tucked into the drinks fridge. I suppose bottles could be stored outside but we have a large contingent of foxes and I can imagine their glee if they discovered someone had put out a load of cheese (or a trifle or profiteroles or all three!) for them. You don't want cheeses with sharp pointy toothmarks in it. No garage either.

You could put the item(s) in the NDN's fridge but tbh I wouldn't accommodate this family member, they have to learn. I hope they're not one of those annoyomg people who just won't be told, my MIL was one of those. You could talk yourself blue in the face and she'd just dismiss it all. So infuriating (especially when posters say "Oh just use your words OP and TELL her/him. Whyyyy can't people just speak to people these days blah blah". Because they don't bloody listen, that's why)!

Yes I definitely wouldn’t be keeping cheese or trifle outside. The local wildlife would be gleeful if I did.

Silverbirchleaf · 19/12/2025 07:57

OneNewLeader · 19/12/2025 07:24

'LET THERE BE SPACE'

Show quote history

Guess they’re manifesting the Christmas story, ‘There's no room at the inn!’ , and expecting op to find room!

Can you reply that the food will have to go in the stable?!

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 19/12/2025 07:58

I have lidded plastic boxes that I use to keep food either outside or in the shed in case of fridge overflow at Christmas. Drinks go out in the shed in their bottles and we bring stuff in as we need it. Could this be a solution?

redfishcat · 19/12/2025 07:58

It will then need to be in the fridge once given, until all eaten. They are very bonkers.
Just provide a space outside the back door.

JoeTheDrummer · 19/12/2025 08:06

WineBeforeWhine · 19/12/2025 07:26

Cheese doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

Show quote history

Most cheeses do, especially softer ones. Or at least kept somewhere the temperature of a fridge. It doesn’t need to be served at fridge-temperature, but I certainly wouldn’t be eating a Brie on Thursday which has been sitting under the Christmas tree since the previous Saturday.

CrazyCricketLady · 19/12/2025 08:07

Grow your own mushrooms I reckon!

jetlag92 · 19/12/2025 08:10

We had a lovely well meaning neighbour who turned up with two trays of homemade canapes a few Christmasses ago. I obviously thanked her, but said that we didn't have any room in the fridge or freezer - we were out for dinner that evening and always had a particular meal on the next evening.

She insisted and we ended up throwing them away.

She then did the same thing the following year and I had to tell her that we couldn't take them!

ErrolTheDragon · 19/12/2025 08:12

now we all want to know what it is!
Apart from ‘weirdly inconsiderate’ - apart from the fridge space, assuming it’s something edible won’t a shelf or two of fridge space worth be likely to impact the rest of the catering and result in waste of good food.Confused

Whatwouldnanado · 19/12/2025 08:14

Shameless place marking. My money’s on cheese or salmon.

stichguru · 19/12/2025 08:18

I have been known to buy a hamper for people, but you can definately say no to them needing 2 shelves of the fridge! I'm talking a hamper with a couple of packs of cheese that need taking out and fridge-ing!

VictoriaEra2 · 19/12/2025 08:20

My guess is charcuterie boards and platters

CharlotteCChapel · 19/12/2025 08:27

We keep our overflow in the sheds. We also have three fridges, my son & I share one and DH has the other two(not really but it feels like that at times)

They aren't bringing a turkey are they?

UninitendedShark · 19/12/2025 08:30

So who is this family member with main character syndrome?

I do hope it’s not prepared charcuterie boards because they go dry pretty quickly.

Vartden · 19/12/2025 08:30

Are they normally this idiotic! Everybody knows a fridge at Christmas is one huge balancing act! Who has two shelves that just happen to be empty?!

CharlotteCChapel · 19/12/2025 08:31

67eleven · 18/12/2025 22:26

We got told one year to "keep a shelf free" for a badly butchered ox tongue (shudder)

Yum. Ox tongue is really nice if you dont think about what it actually is. The perks of having a grandfather as a butcher.

Imdunfer · 19/12/2025 08:34

Why would you ask your son to recce the size when he picks them up? You've said no. No means no.

Skyflymom · 19/12/2025 08:35

I bet it's a mini hamper that's got cheese in it! Had similar bought for us before. Theyll be fine in a cool box with ice packs. I've just had a big weekend away with girlfriends. Fridge space was limited and we did "fake Christmas" so had all the usuall chilled stuff. I made up a fridge box and kept it in the boot of the car. Ice packs were still frozen when we used it Sunday (lasted from Friday!) I did put the freezer box inside a couple of big cardboard boxes for further insulation and froze Tupperware filled with water so the blocks were big but it worked perfectly

ArcticGrass · 19/12/2025 08:46

I always buy my sister cheese for Christmas, now wondering if she is cursing me every year!

HisNotHes · 19/12/2025 08:51

Yanbu. Just message back and tell them firmly “I’m sorry but the fridge will be completely full and there’s absolutely no way I can fit them in. A cool box in the shed is the best I can offer”.

Jane143 · 19/12/2025 09:00

That’s a really good idea to ask neighbour if you can put a few bits in their fridge. Also this time of year it’s cold enough outside to keep stuff in shed/garage

boredoflaundry · 19/12/2025 09:01

I wouldn’t even bother with a cool box in the shed. Surely they can just leave it in the car!

I bought some cheese at a Xmas market recently and that was exactly what several stalls were suggesting you do with it.

I do have a huge empty fridge in my garage, but I still left the cheese in the car a week before I moved it.