WWMMD? Re Crazy MIL & Christmas gift...long.

[thejen626]

My MIL is kind of...interesting. As background info, she grew up very very poor, and she now goes overboard on Christmas gifts. She also keeps her guest room filled with "random regifts" like kitchen appliances, coffee sets with coffee mugs, perfume sets, scarves, etc, that she buys at Ross all year long. That way if she has a last minute gift, she just wraps something up. Because of this, everyone always gets random shit, not anything that they actually want. But whatever, it's what she does. The back of my SUV was literally full of gifts yesterday, all from her, and when I sorted through them last night, already I have a huge bag going to the Goodwill, just stuff that we won't ever use, and I'm not going to store junk in my tiny house.

Also, we exchange gifts for all of the kids, but the adult siblings don't exchange gifts.

Yesterday I was helping to wrap some random gifts, and she went into the "gift room" and she brings out a box wrapped in wedding wrapping paper, and says "this is for you Jen!" and I say "oh...why is it in wedding paper?" and she just brushed me off and didn't answer, and says "it's a decanter with a Bee on it!" (sidenote: I collect Bee stuff since having my older daughter...but not since we got married, lol). I say "oh, awesome, thanks!" and put it by the front door with my diaper bag, jacket, etc. At that point I figured if I get home and it's cute, I'll use it for a bit in my kitchen and then add it to the Bee collection...but if it's super tacky it's going immediately to Goodwill.

About ten minutes later, we all find out that SIL that wasn't going to be in the country for Christmas, missed her flight and is actually on her way over with her teenage daughter. DH and I have a moment of "oh shit, we don't have a gift for the teenage niece" so DH runs to an ATM to pull cash out. MIL goes into her gift room and finds a J.Lo perfume set. I think that the niece will actually like the J.Lo perfume set, so I wrap that up and we give her that with a card with $20 cash inside it.

As I'm wrapping that up, MIL walks over to me and says "wrap this up for SIL"...it's the box in wedding wrapping paper that she literally just gave me, about 10 minutes before. I am so flabbergasted that I say "what...? I thought this was for me? I'm not wrapping it up for SIL...?" and just look at MIL with a blank stare.

She gets all pissy with me and insists that I need to wrap it up, "to SIL from Jen". (even though the adults don't exchange gifts) I tell her that I'm not going to wrap up a Bee thing for SIL, because everyone knows that Bees are "my thing" and it would be wierd for me to give her a Bee gift. I would never ever buy SIL something with a Bee on it, and if I'm going to giver her a gift "from me" then it's going to be something I'd actually buy for her.

MIL throws a fit, so I figure "fuckit", and unwrap the wedding wrapping paper, and look at the box (it's a hideous cookie jar with a bee on it, lol) and re-wrap it in Christmas wrapping paper. Then I write on the tag "to SIL, from MIL" because there's no way this is coming from me!

SIL shows up, we visit and have a nice time chatting, the kids open their gifts, and SIL leaves.

I got home last night and realize that SIL never opened this gift. As far as I know, it's still sitting under the tree with a "to SIL from MIL" tag on it.

So, should I say "oh sorry MIL I forgot my Bee decanter at your house"?

I really don't want it and won't use it.

Or do I just leave it alone and act like it's now a gift for SIL and she forgot it?

I've never experienced this before, and it felt/feels so strange!

[kwynn]

I'd leave it there. This whole situation is so funny and ridiculous, and you have such a good attitude about everything. I love it.

[vanillacourage]

Leave it alone.

[Deleted]

Your MIL is super weird. I would forget I ever saw the thing.

[thejen626]

Yeah, I thought it was one of the strangest things to ever happen to me...very wierd and I felt so awkward afterwards. Like...so you want me to regift this bad gift that you JUST GAVE ME??

In MIL's defence, she is a very sweet woman. And she has valid reasons for her slight strangeness, had a whacked out childhood, etc. And she's wonderful with my 2 kids, which is really all that matters to me.

[Ashley&Scott]

Definitely leave it alone. And your MIL is weird.

[livinitup]

She's just going to park it in the gift room again. Don't mention it.

[wannabe]

Just act surprised when you open that shit on your birthday.

[limey]

Ha, this is hilarious.

I'd not mentioned it at all.

[noodleoo]

Dec 26, 2012 16:27:41 GMT -5 thejen626 said:

Yeah, I thought it was one of the strangest things to ever happen to me...very wierd and I felt so awkward afterwards. Like...so you want me to regift this bad gift that you JUST GAVE ME??

In MIL's defence, she is a very sweet woman. And she has valid reasons for her slight strangeness, had a whacked out childhood, etc. And she's wonderful with my 2 kids, which is really all that matters to me.

Aw, she sounds like a nice woman with a weird thing about gifts. If you don't want it, I'd say you dodged a bullet and be happy that you didn't have to take it! Let her deal with it. My guess is that it will go back in her gift room and you may see it again some day. ;D In which case, if I were you, I'd laugh and be grateful she's giving you an *awesome* worst gift ever story.

[dr.girlfriend]

Dec 26, 2012 16:46:32 GMT -5 wannabe said:

Just act surprised when you open that shit on your birthday.

This is exactly what I was thinking!

[Deleted]

Dec 26, 2012 16:46:32 GMT -5 wannabe said:

Just act surprised when you open that shit on your birthday.

Yep, this.

Your MIL sounds like my neighbour. She's harmless but totally does stuff like this.

[hannamaren]

I have to say your MIL sounds like a very goodhearted person. But a bit weird.

[Deleted]

Dec 26, 2012 16:46:32 GMT -5 wannabe said:

Just act surprised when you open that shit on your birthday.

Haha. I was thinking the same thing.

[Roc A Bee]

I'd leave it Aline but I'd expect it for my bday or next Christmas

[IrishBelle]

Dec 26, 2012 16:46:32 GMT -5 wannabe said:

Just act surprised when you open that shit on your birthday.

:Y:

If/when you do receive it, you can decide what to do with it then.

[Mrs.Beagle]

Act like it never happened.