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).

Did you ever imagine you'd be interrogated by strangers in such minute detail about your everyday life? 😂

Looking forward to next week's update.

Clearly but it’s not exciting enough for some inc the Op

You don’t want to ask her because you don’t like her and don’t know how to/don’t want to talk to her in a polite manner or treat her kindly. No matter what she’s like you prove yourself to be no different.

Yes, I think the advanced search, explains it all.

DH hasn't seen the relevance of the decs and given them away. Now he daren't admit it.

Much more likely than a grown adult going into someone else’s house and stealing items.

Not sure about "exhausted", you sound exhausting

Can't anyone just read OP's comments - any OP, any topic - without dissecting EVERY aspect of her life? It gets very wearing as detective posters try by any means to prove themselves right, even when they're so far off the mark, they're almost on the moon?

Op, do you have any idea how mil stole the decorations, and when? Did you only notice when you went to get them out? Does mil know where you store them? Did you put them away? (I think I recall you saying dh put them away. It is strange to me that you assume that she took them
rather than assuming that he gave them to her.

I think you should tell your dh that the MN women’s detective agency, by a process of logic and deduction, have concluded that he gave the decorations to mil and we request that he comes clean and confesses.

I know right. I cannot believe how nasty some people are on here. The mumsnet reading comprehension is usually very poor but this thread has taken the biscuit 😂

Did someone mention biscuits?

🤣🤣🤣

much more likely than a grown adult going into someone's house and stealing items

I just don't understand comments like this, because a cursory reading of the this thread will show you other people commenting on just this - grown adults stealing stuff, and spend any time at all on mumsnet and you come across threads about stuff being stolen by cheeky fuckers ALL THE TIME.

It is something that obviously happens! Just because your own social circle is so mature and adult that no-one would do this, it really doesn't take much imagination to see that other people do.

And again the whole - just have a conversation - except from past experience, she knows that MIL is not going to take this well, and will probably gaslight her over it.

The lack of imagination of some posters about how human beings behave is puzzling to me.

It may be puzzling to you because you may not be as insightful and aware as you believe yourself to be.

See this sort of thing, just this! It's so unnecessary and such a snippy comment that adds nothing at all to the thread and has just been posted because someone disagrees with you. Just why? Why do some posters just always have to have the last word. 🤣 Just the superior attitude. It's just weird and unnecessary. We don't have to all agree. It's completely fine. Just let it go!

@BippidyBoppety if it was the vintage Santa Noel from Vinted (the link was posted on this thread) then I was the buyer! He arrived safely (I left you feedback ☺️) and is up near our tree-my daughter loves him!

Hopefully @ExhaustedPigeon37 you can see this thread isn’t all bad-you’re helping vintage decorations find new homes 🤗

You miss the point somewhat - they were snippy so I turned it back on them. In siding with them you are doing exactly what you purport to be protesting: you are admonishing someone who disagrees with you. And ensuring that you have the last word. Perhaps you should take your own advice and let it go (something tells me you won’t).

My dad stored several things including a box of Christmas decorations for me until I got my own place, over 30 years ago. Loads of the decorations were stuff I had collected since childhood, antique and occasionally valuable) things I had been given by a dear great aunt, and loads by my late mmother.The box had Dahlia's Decorations painted on it in bright red with some pics of holly. The box was missing when I got my new place , but I had noticed that stepmother had a couple of identical decorations to mine which she said she'd been given by a family member........Years later, I found the box in the attic after she died. All my precious antique decorations were gone, baubles were broken, my little wooden Austrian figures had missing limbs and heads. No sign of the early Royal Doulton antique Christmas candle holders...... Yet another thing to add to my long list of grudges against the old witch.

I think it's wild people believe adults don't steal.

Maybe this case is more of 'appropriating' - not sure you're step mum would have shoplifted from a store (although who knows?)

I'm guessing she'll have seen it as something that was in her house and therefore her right to pilfer.

From the Guardian:
Ask a grown-up: why do people steal? | Life and style | The Guardian

"Finally, people can steal in order to hurt other people by taking away something that they value."

@O'Vienna Yes, exactly!

It may be puzzling to you because you may not be as insightful and aware as you believe yourself to be

your comment doesn't even make sense.
I never claimed to be insightful and aware, quite the opposite, I said it is obvious that adults DO steal, not a deep mystery just plain blinking obvious that it happens, so why do some posters not believe that they do and why are they insist that it is unlikely?

Not sure why that needed a bitchy comment, hope it made you feel better.

“hope it made you feel better.”

I’m guessing not as good as it makes you feel to join in with accusations of stealing and gleeful anticipation at the thought of the supposed victim “stealing them back”. Happy Christmas to you too.

Buy duplicates, cut the letters apart and rearrange them to spell “HEL NOOO”. Then steal yours back and replace them with the bespoke ones. Then watch her and enjoy her reaction when she notices. Or die of mortification if she says something and they actually weren’t yours that she had…
This is clearly the only option.

I agree with previous correspondent; admire them,ask if she knows where she bought them,as you have mislaid your same ones and want to replace them.Emphasise Lost!