Need to rant? Come on over.

[DontlikeChristmas]

I’ll start. We’ve just opened presents. I couldn’t give a fig about presents for myself, but I think if you’re going to spend money on a gift for someone you’d may as well make sure it’s something they will like/use. DH has panic bought me a horrible tie dye jumper two sizes too big. I’ve never worn tie dye in my life. My mother has inexplicably bought me a truly awful outfit clearly meant for a teenager (I’m 50) in a colour I never wear, also in the wrong size. DH has also managed to buy DC a load of stuff they already have because he couldn’t be bothered to check. I feel so deflated by this & think it’s all such a massive waste of money (we probably could have gone out for dinner with the cost of the presents no one is going to wear/use, or made a charity donation).

We now have DHs family coming for dinner, who are lovely people but seem to have ever changing dietary requirements (none of which are due to diagnosed conditions) that it’s impossible to keep up with, so I’ve got to make about 15 different gluten-free/oil free/non-acidic/anti-inflammatory and whatever else dishes (DH ‘doesn’t do cooking’).

I’m over Christmas & it’s not even 8.30. Anyone else?

My bf does not like my family but I have managed quite well to facilitate low contact without anyone really noticing. For some unknown reason bf wanted to spen Christmas with my family. It went ok. But my fucking bf kept joking about how long it has been since he has seen them, leading to my SIL inviting us over and pretty convincingly making noise we will. Like, please stop joking about it and making "promises" you're not going to keep.

Probably being hugely ungrateful but just have to get it out then move on.

Little one is 4 months old, around October time family started asking what to get her for Christmas, asking us to make a list, which we did. List included things like wooden/sensory type toys for her to have in age appropriate stages over the next year, bigger sized clothes, things like wet wipes we would actually need/use etc and just to get her a couple of things.

MIL then produced 3 enormous (and I mean huge!!) bags of presents for her, all of which are plastic / light up / make noise / from Temu etc. I know I’m probably being ungrateful but we specifically said we didn’t want loads of plastic/noisy stuff and feels like she’s just gone completely against that. There is also SO much of it I genuinely have no idea where I’m going to put it all. DH said to her about it being a bit OTT and she said she’s allowed to spoil her grandchild how she likes…

MIL and FIL bought DS 2 remote control things to add to all the other remote control things they’ve bought him over the past few years. Pretty sure they just typed “top gifts for kids” into Amazon and added everything to their basket.

SIL and BIL who were getting a divorce this time last year just announced they’re having another baby. They hardly spend time with the child they already have so can’t wait for this one to be fobbed off on PILs too while our kids get completely ignored because we live too far away (20 minutes drive vs 5 minute drive).

My period started last night 2 days late and incredibly heavy. Never been so glad to be home in my life!

Wish I was a solicitor.. DivorceLawyersrus should do pretty well this year according to this post.
Get RID, ladies, have some self respect..

Re awful mothers, fathers, in laws, bin them.. you don't HAVE to put up with them, you know?

Oh and PILs bought DD and DNiece a karaoke machine each then spent the afternoon complaining they were being too loud… Pretty sure no one held them at gunpoint and made them buy them!

This sounds horrible but "blood curdling scream when a sausage was dropped" made me laugh 😂

Awww you missed your opportunity to step in and punch fuck out of her... 😂

You're better off without the love rat - you can have a new start in the New Year.

Please- think hard about how you want life to continue. This sounds so sad.

Small rant….

Got up early for a relative to pop in for coffee on their way elsewhere. Tidied up etc, got some breakfast items in case they wanted something as they told us they would be ‘out on the roads early.’

Heard nothing, messaged them at 9:40am They’d already passed by around 9:30am but didn’t want to call in as it was ‘early’ and we might still be in pjs. 🙄

I've done 'Christmas single' this year as my DM died recently. Despite the wider family and friends all telling me "It's going to be awful for you this year, isn't it?", nobody thought that it might be nice to include me in their Christmas Day plans - or at least give me the option.

But never mind. I went to my vicar friend's church Christmas morning some distance away and everyone was lovely. On return home, I went to visit an elderly friend whose family are also ignoring her. We had a lovely time together. I then cooked what I wanted for dinner and watched what I wanted on TV.

I would recommend Christmas single to anyone.

@Jade3450 really needed to read your comment. I married someone who doesn’t ‘do’ the daily grind (he does other things like DIY, but usually so that he can focus intensely on it and not parent the children). I’m not responsible for his attitude or for him - he’s not a bad person and I can’t just leave him. My mistake isn’t his attitude or trying to address it, it’s that I fundamentally married the wrong person.

@2010Aussie you should be so unbelievably proud of yourself for creating a lovely day off the back of a shit year. Wishing you a better 2026

I know what you mean. Not even cotton mix

Spent Christmas single because both my children were with their dads this year and I foolishly thought I could find a nice guy and had a boyfriend from march to November when I found out he’s in the closet and has been paying for male prostititutes. So after a year of graduating a masters degree with a distinction, getting a promotion and turning ´a big agé, I thought this man would be the cherry on top after being single for 2 years but oh no 😢.Great

He bought me some ‘Muckers’ maybe the horse next year

I am over Christmas from the first Christmas song playing on the radio. I have no problem in assuming I am a Grinch. Overrated day that from what I read here brings a lot of heartache to many families. I actually had a lovely Christmas day at my PIL but my husband got drunk and consequently hungover today for the 4th time this month. I am not British so this culture of getting shit faced at any opportunity is really eating me alive.

Not all British people spend their time getting drunk , we’ve had a fantastic 3 days at mine and my sisters and not a drop of alcohol in sight .

Yes completely comprehend & wholeheartedly compassionately empathise 💚🫂💚
A close family friend once gave me the frumpiest, much too biggest elderly lady's jacket for Christmas 🫂Bless him
It was massive but thankfully I was able to find someone whom truly fitted it, mature & whom really needed this type of warm jacket 🤗
I was so pleased for her
Yes they say it's the thought which counts & so long's we're thought of, most surely it's the most important thing 🤗I've also been the 1 guessworking what to purchase some souls too&have ended up purchasing some items, which weren't appreciated - Though they were honest & told me words to the effect of "I'd rather you gave something, than nothing - Thank you" I guess it just depends how honest & open some relationships are - You know individually, what feels uniquely safe & comfortable for you
God Bless You&Yours
💚🤗💚

Teenager moaned about pretty much everything he got yesterday, but as he had come up with no ideas whatsoever, has a ridiculous amount of stuff already and is extremely difficult to buy for (asd and a bunch of other Sen stuff) I’m amazed we managed to get him anything at all.

I stupidly didn’t update my Amazon “shove it on there to get round to buying it eventually” list specifically for Christmas, mostly because I had put together a different list with things you can’t buy from Amazon on and sent that to my DH. He claims he never saw that one, just the Amazon one, which may explain why he thought wrapping up a packet of post it notes was a good idea. They aren’t even fancy branded ones. I suppose I don’t have to buy them now, but really? 😂
I don’t really drink anymore but I had treated myself to a bottle of Buck’s Fizz for while I was cooking the dinner. Unfortunately it had a really nasty chemical sweetener taste. I took one mouthful and ended up pouring the rest down the sink.

Same teenager then moaned about the dinner but then (after being told countless times to leave the food in the kitchen alone) he secretly helped himself to nearly all of mine after I put it back on the side because I was feeling a bit out of sorts and needed to sit somewhere quiet for a few minutes. I managed two roast potatoes, a pig in blanket and half a slice of turkey before he snaffled the rest. Some behaviours he can’t help, but a lot he can and yesterday he was an absolute spoiled brat, mostly because he didn’t get what he wanted even though he still doesn’t know what that actually was.

I gave up by 8pm and went to bed.

My nine year old niece spent a solid two days whinging, snapping at people, ordering everyone about, and shouting when she didn’t get her own way. Her parents ignored this and my DPs indulged it. After about 48 hours of this delightful behaviour I politely asked her to say please and thank you and to use a kind voice when talking to other people. This resulted in my DM sulking at me as if I’d just taken a shit on the carpet, because to her any assertion of boundaries or calling out of bad behaviour is ‘ruining everything’ - apparently it’s far better to let a child create a toxic atmosphere full of resentful adults.

And breathe….

Blended family, spent months (yes i was that organised this year) buying, wrapping, arranging delivery of Christmas gifts for my DH, all of the kids, partners and grandkids, sorted all food shopping and everything else you can think of to wake up to my husband giving me £100 and saying ‘sorry love, I couldn’t think of anything to get you’. I was very grateful for the money but the fact that he couldn’t be arsed has really upset me. He even tried to joke about it on Christmas night by saying, ‘I haven’t done good this year have I’ to which I told him no he really hadn’t and I felt he had taken the piss and I feel very unappreciated. If it wasn’t for me, his DCs and the rest of the family would have gotten sweet FA!

But in many scenarios you do, don’t you?

If your parents are annoying you don’t just bin them. They’re your family. Same with in-laws. You can’t just refuse to have anything to do with them. What about grumpy teenagers? Sorry, in the bin?

You can’t just go no contact with everyone who doesn’t behave well. Life doesn’t work like that.

I'm so sorry to hear your Mum looked at you with such judgement 😢
She should know it's not ok to just permit 9 year old to be so stroppy & unkind to those whom're just trying to do everything right by & for her🫂
My heart really goes out to you & I feel, really well done to you for being assertive & making a stand for manners & common courtesy 💚
My dad gives me & others looks of disapproval all the time, with him it's utter snobbery 💚
Wishing You&Yours all the utmost very best Sincere Soul

Unfortunately there are many people who do think life works like that.