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).

Ahhh! Of course!

DH said yesterday he was worried about her as she mentioned about her nephews sons being named Digby and Rufus and she said that her dad said they sound like dogs names but DH said her dad died when he was 14 so he wouldn’t have been around to mention the names! He did have dementia, it’s maybe something to keep an eye on, especially after Christmas Decoration Gate too!

no young children, 17/15/14/12

I was working all last year at Christmas so wasn’t at home when they came over. I didn’t notice packing them away it was just when I went to put them out this year. They don’t go in the same place each year and kids help take things down and put them away!

If the usually come as a set of three and she has the two you are and not the other one, it’s seems like a rather big coincidence.
Id have to say something and put her on the spot. Someones reaction usually gives them away.
Or steal them back and never mention it to anyone. Just tell your husband you found them and say no more.

Though it would be rather funny if you stole them back and then found your two missing ones somewhere when you are putting the decorations away again 😂

Or you could ask outright if DH gave them to her as you noticed your two are missing and she has them. Clarify they were from your childhood tree and came as a set of 3. You still have one but are missing the two. The very two that she now has. Putting the onus on DH gives her the out to say it was all very innocent or a misunderstanding. It means you can get them back legitimately and then, if you want, kick off that DH did no such thing.

it would but we only Have three boxes of decorations and they have all been emptied so we definitely don’t have them!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4343757529/vintage-christmas-ornament-or-small-wall?ref=elp_anchor_listing&sts=1

The Joy one on Etsy. Apparently a vintage Lillian Vernon decoration.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4339291419/vintage-lillian-vernon-37-santa-ho-ho-ho?show_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details hohoho but sold.

I think your DH or one of the kids gave them to her last year. Have you asked them? (Really want to know now! 😀)

Do you ever help her put her decs away?

Could you take them back then?

I'm really surprised you didn't say anything at the time though.

Call the police!

No offence, these are very common decorations and last year I was gifted them at Christmas as I had admired them on a relatives tree, mainly because we had the same years ago.
Your Mil could have got them anywhere and taking them is a horrible thing to do.

🎅

I have already asked him and he says he didn’t give her anything! He knows they came from my mum and dad too (they were getting rid of some decorations years ago so when I bought my first house they knew I was fond of them and gifted them to me!)

😂😂😂😂

That you know of....

Steal them back and hang them somewhere she can't see them.

I would be heartbroken if I lost my family decorations. Some of them are from the 30's and 40's.

If she saw them when you moved house she might have thought you didn't want them or that they were going with the rubbish, or looked as though they were being left behind and she just thought they were quite nice even if they were old. Ask her? Of course she may have bought the same ones years ago stranger things have happened.

Have you asked the teenagers?

So many thieving mother in laws lately!

I would tell her that you really like these two decorations that you haven't seen on her tree before and then ask her if they are new. If she says yes, ask her where she bought them. That will put her on the spot if she has stolen yours and she wouldn't then be able to use the excuse that she's had them for ages and has forgotten where she bought them.

I’ve never seen them at her house before, ever or anywhere else to be honest. DH has never mentioned that he had to same as a child. I’m not saying it’s not a possibility but it’s very unlikely.

There's no such thing as coincidences in a situation like this.

The likelihood of yours going missing the exact same time your MIL strangely has 2 identical decorations that you've never seen on her tree previously... Is basically zero.

She's got some brass balls though, to steal them and then display them so brazenly the VERY NEXT year! I wouldn't put it past her though, that this is something she does all the time, and she's genuinely forgotten who she took them from!

Personally, I'd steal them back as soon as possible, without saying a word to anyone. Although, because I'm a trouble maker, I'd be very tempted to make a social media post that I know she'd see, along the lines of, "I always get so sentimental at Christmas... Pulling out all the decorations that have been in my family for years... It brings me such joy to see them back on my tree for another year!" Included with a photo of the set of 3 reunited!
She'll know that you know! But the joy is that she can do nothing about it, without outing herself as a thief!

Same. Do it just before you leave! 😂😉🤣

I think the point is that you say it to her, not him.

We moved in November, they went from one house to the next then came out in December to decorate the house

😂😂😂😂 ooh the deviousness!