That annoying guest - what is their christmas crime?

[MrsWhites]

So everyone has a guest or someone in the family if you don’t host who will do something seemingly innocent that will piss everyone off? Who is yours and why? I’ll go first -

My sister because she uses all the gravy and doesn’t get off her arse to go and make more! No matter how much gravy we put out she will always use most of it! It’s got to the point now where we put the gravy boars furthest away from her so everyone else gets a go first!

That's my every day. 🤦‍♀️😂

It really wound me up when they were in primary school to be honest- especially as she’s on DH’s side of the family and they are DH’s kids but she’d always seek me out in the hallway or somewhere to privately campaign for whatever experimental new setting she’d found (her kids were both privately educated btw- no fucking about there 😅 )

Now they’re older and they’ve noticed too but last year I’m pretty sure they were playing up to it in front of her- DS kept asking DD to repeat simple words and DD asked if anyone wanted to watch some incredibly dry sounding documentary which obviously everyone refused but we both spotted SIL owl eyed in the corner (DD had no interest at all in restoring Napoleons last letters or whatever it was I assure you!)

Please clarify: Do you make sure to open them all?

@Pusstachio, I must teach DD to play up to it!

I find it really sad, actually - it's horrible to make children feel as if they're trick ponies performing for the adults.

The guest who has had weeks to prepare for their visit, and all morning to get ready, asking me to set them up with the iron and ironing board on another floor. five minutes before lunch for twelve is being served.

I think I might come back in another life as one of those useless uncle types. Imagine having no qualms about bringing nothing, making zero effort, and sitting there like a baby bird waiting for choice morsels to be dropped down to you. Amazing.

Although, reading back down the thread, I realise I don’t really have much to complain about relatively speaking!

Yikes! Some of these are horrific! 😄

I am bookmarking this to reread on Xmas Day!

OP, you may have saved my marriage tbh. In recent years I’ve acquired some spectacularly rude adult stepchildren and in laws who never bring anything, criticise the food, don’t help, don’t ask me a single question about how I am, take all the roast potatoes without giving a shit that other people might want some etc and I honestly thought i was alone in my misery and rage until this thread!!

Why don’t you get him a glass with his name on it and tell him he can only use that glass 🤣

I have a reverse to that -
When I've brought wine (that I particularly like) and the host puts it away, never to be brought out as an option. So instead of offering people a choice, just pouring whatever they've decided on (wine I don't like but can't tell them so they dont get offended).

My sister does something like this. She very rarely visits. When she does she gets miffed that I don't have decaffeinated teabags. Why can’t she just throw a couple in her bag!

That's normal though? It's a shame if you don't share their taste, but it isn't odd to have planned what wine you're having with the food you've chosen before guests show up.

Do people not say look you certifiable woman your plate is swimming in gravy and you’ve just reached for more. Get in the bin with your oh I dont use much gravy bullshit and accept you get your own jug next time so there’s some for everyone else?? And if you don’t like it, don’t come.

I told dh to stop using a dozen different glasses once. He said defensively don’t be ridiculous I don’t do that. Me: you got home twenty minutes ago, and here are your 5 cups since you got home. Him:

Nobody’s stopping you from eating like that.

You asked ‘why not?’ as if you couldn’t understand why people didn’t like it. I answered your question.

You’re entitled to eat like that. Other people are equally entitled to find it disgusting. Your feelings and food hang-ups are not the only feelings and food hang-ups that are allowed to exist.

But surely they know you've brought wine to be shared, not for them to pocket it away?
Different if it was brought as a present. My host never even asked what people wanted or put it on the table so people could help themselves.

My MIL, hands down. She insists on “helping” in the kitchen but somehow manages to be permanently in the way without actually doing anything useful. Stands exactly where you need to be, asks ten questions, then rearranges things “to be helpful”.
Also she insists on washing up as we go, which sounds lovely in theory, except she hides half the cutlery in random cupboards so no one can find a fork when pudding comes out. Every. Single. Year.
I love her, honestly, but by about 3pm I’m fantasising about locking the kitchen door and sliding mince pies under it.

The person who looks into the kitchen and weakly says ‘Goodness, you still in here, can I help at all?’ And then looks incredibly shocked when you actually take them up on the offer and suggest scrubbing a few pans.

I absolutely loved reading this 😆

My DF who sits up at the table first and as soon as he's got his plate of turkey etc, stands up and helps himself to all the dishes, usually before everyone else is sitting down and often while I am still putting the other dishes down. He loves his food! DM then tells him off. I should put his plate down last, but I know I'll forget in the hustle and bustle of Christmas day.

I may have played someone like that at his own game.

I told him that mathematically an egg is a square, his response was, "Oh yeah, well known fact that".

Then he was told by one of my friends that the capital of outer Mongolia is, 'my arse'.

His response. "Think you willfud it is pronounced m-eye-as.

Try it, it's quite good fun.

One of my uncles who asks people “am I right?” After most things he says

”This turkeys delicious” looks at the person next to him “John? Am I right?”

”we should wait a while before dessert” looks at the person across from him “Sarah? am I right?”

“Hats from the crackers last year were better” looks across the table “Olivia? Am I right”

thankfully we don’t have Christmas dinner with him every year or I might consider stopping celebrating 😂

Because you're turning your meal into a dog's dinner in full view of the person who took the trouble to cook it all for you and serve it.

I don’t know why you don’t give her her own jug of gravy and say’Thats yours because I get peed off with you taking gallons of gravy then there’s not enough for everybody else.’ Easy. Why are people so bloody soft?

If it’s terminal it will stop. Unless you meant ‘chronic’