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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be angry that my MIL arrived at DS 3rd b'day with his presents wrapped in xmas paper!!!

231 replies

fordywastaylor · 28/02/2010 14:38

She pitched up yesterday at my DS 3rd Birthday party (at one of those activity places) with all the other mums and kids, and presented me with her gifts wrapped in last yrs xmas paper! She never lets me down in showing how tight fisted she is....AIBU

OP posts:
dontgiveashite · 28/02/2010 21:34

God calm down you lot.

Of course she is bu, but i dont think calling her stoopid or a looney, or ganging up on her is actually being reasonable.

Buch of frigging hypocrites.

eatsshootsleaves · 28/02/2010 21:42

Your child is 3 so he won't even notice. He got a present so to me that is not a sign of being tight fisted and she turned up for his birthday party so he'll have been pleased that grandma was there.

We've not had to buy new wrapping paper for the past 3 years as we save the ones that still look nice to reuse. To us it's being resourceful. Each to their own.

BTW, I do hope that this is a wind up.

ssd · 28/02/2010 21:49

agree with dontgive

some of you need to get a life here, why don't we just hang the op for asking a question???

jesus

BetsyBoop · 28/02/2010 21:49

YABVU and ungrateful to boot

I wrapped some of 4yo DD's birthday presents in "congratulations on your engagement" paper, as I hadn't bought enough paper & I couldn't think of any reason why I'd need that paper in the foreseeable future! She didn't notice of course...

My MIL doesn't usually wrap presents at all, freely admits she "can't be bothered". She buy lovely, thoughtful presents though & that's what matters, not the fact they are handed over in a carrier bag.

lockets · 28/02/2010 21:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Scotia · 28/02/2010 22:12

YABU and petty to boot.

NonnoMum · 28/02/2010 22:19

I went to my nephew's 4th birthday party at the weekend. I wrapped his present in Christmas paper as it's all that we had in the house.
It was a crap wrapping job too, as I let DD 20 months 'help' (random sellotape in random places all over the outside).
It did cross my mind, 'hope he doesn't mind Santa and the Penguins in Feb'.
Then I got over it and pitched up to the party.

fallon8 · 28/02/2010 22:39

its called recycling,sweetie.

leavingonajetplane · 28/02/2010 22:50

To everyone on here who is "admitting" to using newspaper, that is now the gold standard of ecologically friendly wrapping paper.

As most wrapping paper cant be recycled easily/ at all

You should be basking in your virtue!

LynetteScavo · 28/02/2010 23:00

So I guess the gift itself was acceptable if the OP is only complaining about the wrapping paper.

SpeedyGonzalez · 28/02/2010 23:07

What a brilliant thread!

fordy, please tell me you are BOF having a BOF! Or shiney stirring things up! This is so very funny!

pigletmania · 28/02/2010 23:15

YABVVVVVU and judgy, at least she bought your dc a present some MIL and parents that i have read on here dont. Be grateful and happy for the gift, bet your dc did not notice the paper, more interested in whats inside.

SparklyGothKat · 28/02/2010 23:31

I have loads of xmas paper left from last year, and if the kids go to any parties I will use it as I refuse to buy more paper when I have some here

sandcastles · 01/03/2010 06:07

Well...I wrap mine in brown parcel paper, decorated by the dds. I don't think the packaging matters, more the thought tbh. I have a friend who doesn't believe in the waste that is wrapping paper, so all her closest friends get their gifts wrapped in newspaper!

And of this is the biggest of the problems you have with MIL, you are lucky!

Bumperlicious · 01/03/2010 07:24

While I agree the OP was being unreasonable some of these replies are pretty nasty and are the sort of thing that gives MN a bad name. All the help in the world for posters like Trinity etc. does not negate the vitriol at this OP over some very trivial issue.

fernie3 · 01/03/2010 08:56

I wrapped my one year olds presents in christmas paper (feb birthday)she didnt seem to care. YABU

StrictlyKatty · 01/03/2010 09:10

If my Dsis had a child I would guess this was her! She has never given anyone a present that wasn't perfectly wrapped, with ribbons and a matching tag

It's her birthday today and I will admit to buying extra nice paper for her present but ribbons and a tag, no!

For a child though, it really doesn't matter. It gets very silly, in our house we have Xmas paper, boys birthday, girls birthday and adult birthday paper... They do all get used eventually but it really is a waste.

Loving brown paper with potato print idea now. Might have to nick that for the future

LadyBiscuit · 01/03/2010 09:14

Bumperlicious - that is the way of AIBU. If the OP has any sense, she would have stopped reading long ago. MN does become a bit shrieking harpy on this topic ...

pagwatch · 01/03/2010 09:20

Oh God. I have to go and read it again now in case I have to apologise.
I thought it was a fab thread as it was a) very funny and b) led me to discover "shit wrapping paper" which I now intend to buy and c) was in AIBU so no one would take it seriously on any level

Original poster
fordywastaylor · 01/03/2010 10:42

Right well I just has a peek this morning to see what has been said, and in fact I think that most of the comments have been quite rude and at times down right offensive!! Some of the things that have been written are acidic, sarcastic spiteful and tbh the kind of stuff that you could do without. Whilst I accept that the disclaimer says you invite others opinions which might not agree with your own , I did not invite to be told I was sad, had no life and was a twit(insert another letter?) if this is the general tone that MN can expect then I wont bother in future. It amuses me that there are women who have really serious issues and concerns and I have seen them receive 20 or 30 replies...to get nearly 200 just makes me wonder what is important. My day to day job involves that I pay particular attention to some details, and I feel sorry that there are folk out there that find that timewasting/amusing/ etc etc. I don't see the problem with wrapping up a present in relevant paper....why jump on me with hobnail boots and wipe them for good measure, with me saying that? It doesn't make me evil, stuck up or nasty. If someone gave me a wedding present wrapped in tin foil/cling film/toilet paper - like some suggestions, although I wouldn't say anything to that person, deep down I think I would feel that they hadn't put the whole 9 yards effort in...especially since I was probably forking out a small packet to feed/entertain them later. Oh and while I am at it I do send cards for occasions, nothing wrong in that. I think its lovely to get cards, especially valentines, easter etc.....Goodness you just can't win!

OP posts:
duchesse · 01/03/2010 10:48

Been waiting ages to be able to use that.

jeee · 01/03/2010 10:55

Was there a thread last year about an evil woman who gave a birthday present wrapped in newspaper? Because I realised 10 minutes before the party I had pink frilly fairy wrapping paper, and that was it. I didn't think the 7 year old boy would appreciate that. So newspaper it was.

But as my son unwrapped the present to show the birthday boy the moment he got in the door, I don't think the mother even saw. Phew.

theyoungvisiter · 01/03/2010 11:04

But fordy - I think the reason you got such strong responses was because YOU were so strong in condemning your MIL.

You said you were "angry" and called her "tight-fisted" and said that she was "letting you down".

That's pretty extreme when all we're talking about is wrapping paper - and people responded in the same vein.

Had you posted saying "Lovely present - but was a bit disappointed it was in christmas paper" then I think you would have got more measured responses. TBH I thought your OP was a piss-take because I couldn't believe anyone would feel so strongly about such a minor issue so I responded in kind with a tongue-in-cheek response.

The bottom line is, you posted with a ranty, angry OP, and in AIBU you tend to get back what you dish out. Sorry.

serajen · 01/03/2010 11:15

o that this was all I had to worry about, presents wrapped in the wrong paper

Morloth · 01/03/2010 11:19

LOL, ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.

If you are going to get upset about trivial shit people are going to take the piss.

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