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).

I think you are a fucking hero amongst women.
Go @ExhaustedPigeon37 . HoHoHo indeed.

Most excellent 007,

I’m so happy for you. Glad you got them back.

I’d watch your decorations carefully next Christmas and beyond, OP. Well done on getting them back. It made up for trifle woman not getting her just desserts.

You've made this exact same post on an old thread about Halloween decorations. Are you quite well?

It’s a little bit mean to roll your eyes. I intended to make the post on this thread. Inexplicably, after I’d clicked to post it, I saw it had posted on an old thread. I edited that one to remove my comment. I then came back to re-post here. I’m not a troll, I’ve been here years.

Wait what now? 😳

Now… @ExhaustedPigeon37 needs to start a plan to hide new decor in mil’s house. Could go themed with Valentine love heart, Easter chicks or the more random 100 tiny ducks! Entirely for our amusement of course!!

And here they are! Back in their home, my home specifically. I shall reunite them with JOY tomorrow but for now, I’m going to sleep with them in my side drawer for safe keeping! 😍

Even managed to ask her if there were any more posts on their local village FB page about decorations going missing 😂😂

Thank you for all of your support! Maybe I’m not as exhausted as I initially thought! Also a huge thanks to @BippidyBoppetyfor posting a Noel to me which I managed to swap to get mine back! Now I come to think of it, and a few people have mentioned this, it really is a small stroke of genius that I have only swapped one 😂😂 I’m quite smug with that one! I really do surprise myself sometimes 😂!

MI5 I’m ready when you need to recruit me! 🥳

Haven't read it all but hopefully the PIL don't have a secret cam somewhere...
That'd be embarrassing 🤣

Outstanding conclusion and closure to this, OP. I'm in danger of wetting myself at your post 'it's in my tights'! 😂 My 17 yo son has said 'she's a fucking legend' and I have to concur.

And this has absolutely topped it off. A message from MIL in the family WhatsApp… I replied… then DD replied

😂😂 her comedic timing is genius!

Now for a cup of tea and to crack open a Chocolate Orange.

Love to you all, even the ones who tried to take me down with unnecessary comments. We shall not surrender!

🎅🏼🎄

Noel looks none the worse for wear after being shoved down your undercrackers 🤭

I’m so glad he survived, that was the most nerve wracking moment of the whole mission 😂

Thank you I must admit I had a slight panic and that’s the only place I could think of putting it 😂😂, and thank you to your son! Christmas has been restored 😂

It has been lovely

Congratulations!!
I knew you could do it. 😁♥️🌲

I do hope, though, that this might continue as a family tradition.

I’m so glad you managed to get them back. I know if it were me I absolutely would of done the same so good work op 😁

Excellent! I have followed your thread from the beginning and at first I thought it was going to wind up in a fight with Mil before christmas. So happy that you managed to get them back in a sneaky way- bravo 007.

But I am a bit worried about the ho ho ho allusions.. Please make sure you guard your christmas decorations with your life! I fear Mil will try to steal them again. Can you airtag them? Or you just have to watch her like a hawk and secure them in a safe until next christmas.

Thank you so much for all the laughters. You have an excellent writing style- you ought to write a book. A christmas mystery based on a true story perhaps?😉

This is the most awesome thread. So glad you have them back x

Just brilliant!! 🤩 😂😂

A masterstroke just replacing one of them. Adds to the confusion and mystery. All boxes ticked OP. Glad you have your decs back, they're really cute.

There's something about Christmas decorations that no one really talks about much but they are little relics of the past to some of us, little time capsules that can bring up a surprising amount of emotion: joy, happiness, nostalgia, wistfulness, sadness, grief, sometimes all at once. I am quite haunted by some of mine. They should not be touched and are borderline sacred in my opinion!

Pigeon of 2025 goes to the op..
One coo-l mner!!

You and your daughter are both legends!!