MIL has stolen my childhood christmas decorations!

[ExhaustedPigeon37]

Hello all,

Bit of a strange one but I think my MIL has stolen my Christmas Decorations!!

They have been in my family since I was small and although they aren’t expensive, nothing special they are just sentimental to me.

We had these three decorations, saying Joy, Noel and Ho Ho Ho with a Santa head on the top. The letters cascade downwards and the Santa has a loop so that you can hang them up. This year I put our decorations up and only found the Joy one. Asked DH and he said he hadn’t seen them, so I only put the Joy one up thinking I’d come across them in another box, I never did.

Fast forward to yesterday when we went over to theirs and they live about an hour away so we stayed for dinner and catch up after DH finished work. MIL was showing us her new decorations and the tree (which is themed red and white). I happened to glance at the bottom of the tree where I saw THE/MY Noel and Ho Ho Ho decorations hanging off of her tree!!! I’ve never seen these decorations at their house before, so the only conclusion I can come to is that they are mine, which is why I couldn’t find them this year!

Asked DH and he said he didn’t notice, asked if he remembers us giving them to her or anything and he said can’t at all. Last year we moved house in

I’m so shocked. What do I do? Do I ask for them back? Do I just leave it? Do I sneak them out when we next go there? DH wanted to stay at home on Boxing Day but I now want to go there to retrieve my decorations (they have been invited on Christmas Day but declined due to the journey and FIL recently having had a knee replacement).

Blimey.

If you are 100% sure they are yours then take them back when you are next there.

That's a great idea, you could buy exactly the same ones she's taken and give them to her wrapped up as a Xmas present, then when she looks baffled you can say they're a replacement for the ones she took from you

😳 If they were expensive I could kind of understand but they are just cheap 90s decorations 😂

Why would anyone randomly steal tree decorations? Ask her.

No this is the only one I have left at my house! I should have taken a picture of her tree

That one looks in good condition for such an old decoration.

Honestly my Aunt would take anything that wasn't nailed down.

One that stands out was an encyclopedia of cat breeds from her friends house. She was allergic to cats.

i agree with steal them back. You could have an ongoing war over the decorations without ever saying a single word. I also like the idea of replacing hers and stealing yours back and letting her think she has gotten one over on you but you always knowing that she hasn’t. God the longer I live the more I realise people like your MIL are out there.

Is she doesn't have the Joy one and just the other two then they're clearly yours. Trying to think of reasonable explanations, could your young kids randomly have taken them off the tree last year and given them to her so she thinks she was given them and so is now proudly displaying them?

Anyway, I would also just take them back and mark all 3 as well as take photos and then see what happens

She has always had a red and white theme and they have NEVER appeared before otherwise I would have said “oh we have the same decorations!”

I’ve also never seen these before at anyone’s or at any shops. We used to have three, now we have one and she has two!

“Oh MIL I love those decorations, they are like the ones we had. Where did you find them? I’ll see if I can buy more”

Christmas decorations hardly get a chance to look tatty surely? They hang on a tree for two weeks or so each year they are stored safely until the next time. My old decorations are pristine.

We live an hour apart, one of the PILs would have to be there as we don’t have key. They have also recently invested in a Ring Doorbell (funnily enough Because of Christmas decorations being stolen in their village, I nearly suggested it may be the MIL but just thought that wouldn’t go down well!!) I’m hoping we will be going sooner (might suggest we pop over and take FIL birthday present which we forgot to take yesterday!)

Another one for liberating them back home where they belong. Also mark them up so they are unique to you. My bet is she really liked them and didn't think you would realise they were missing.

When do you think she could have taken them? Were they at your house last year or could she have taken them when you were moving house? It seems like a bizarre coincidence that she should have the 2 you are missing. However, if she did take them, why on earth would she have them on the tree for you to see!

There must be something else going on surely?

Did she just take them off your tree then? Did you not notice they were gone when you put your decorations away last year?

😂😂😂

Calm down, Miss Marple 😂 I have family decorations from the 50s which still look immaculate. They are well looked after and only come out once a year.

When do you think she took them? If last year didnt you notice when you packed up? And surely you would have noticed her ferreting through the decorations in your attic or wherever you keep the decs.

It’s cardboard and padding sewn around it not glass or anything that can be broken easily. They don’t take a lot of looking after, they are usually in a box with bubble wrap and other decorations!

You could really fuck with her and buy an entire new set of 3, take your 2 back, put the same new 2 in the same place and then complete the new third one in pride of place, right at the front!

I'm going to have to be that person on MN and suggest maybe there is a dementia issue. So this might be the kindest approach, get your back and give her a full set as she clearly like them, and is maybe going through something (is she stealing the village ones too?!?)

So weird, I’d definitely have stolen them back

‘That’s weird, MiL, I had a set just like that and they’ve mysteriously disappeared! You haven’t got a naughty elf who’s been up to no good, have you?’

That is so weird. Is she ok? Take them back discreetly.