How People's Family Christmas Celebrations Have Been Absolutely Ruined
It's nice to imagine that when the holidays come around, we'll be able to spend the day with the people we love, showing gratitude for everything we've received.
But sometimes bad news or bad moods still show up on the holidays, and we have to figure out how to still be grateful for what's waiting under the Christmas tree.
Ready to stir it up, Redditor onakaiserbun asked:
"Who ruined your family Christmas this year, and what did they do?"
So Supportive
"Grandma called my degree useless and a waste of time and not gonna lie, that hurt and ruined Christmas for me."
"I just graduated this year and wasn’t even able to go to my own graduation because of the pandemic. I went to a top-10 college, too."
- Religiomism
Happy Anniversary
"My ex divorced me this year, finalized on what would have been my 11th year anniversary."
"She took the kids and moved 900 miles away. I’m so sad all the time now. Even having my kids with me for Christmas, I feel empty. All I want is my family back."
- taviken
Alone for Christmas
"I was planning to go spend Christmas with my mom and dad this year after my nine-year relationship (together for nine, engaged for a year and a half) broke off just before Christmas. I just moved out, so I'm alone for the first time in nine years."
"Then my dog got a stomach bug. He woke me up three times at night to go outside for a poo (he usually sleeps through the night with no problem) and I discovered a pile of puke on his dog bed."
"It's not his fault, but I don't know if I can go anywhere today."
- therealmoopdog
Not the Present You'd Want
"My wife. A couple of weeks ago she broke the news to me that she had an affair at the beginning of this year, and wants a divorce."
- Di5cipl355
Thanks, Mom
"My mother got belligerently drunk and locked herself in the closet. Then she vomited and my Dad and I were trying to drag her into her bed. She then proceeded to get violent with me and kicked me in the face."
"It’s a terrible feeling especially when the person won’t recognize they need help. It’ll get better some day."
- riverofdenali
"No Christmas Hallucinogens Allowed"
"My cousin, who bought Chic-fil-A so he wouldn't have to eat our homemade meals, announced upon arriving he wasn't helping with anything, tried to trip acid all day on Christmas Eve, got drunk before noon by himself on that same day when I told him no Christmas hallucinogens, and drunkenly screamed in my face when I told him to clean up his dishes and beer cans."
- VoteGeriatric2020
History Repeating Itself
"My girlfriend's sister... She has three young girls and a terrible choice of men, and she chooses today via a video of the kids to reveal to everybody that she is now dating a well-known junkie within our town."
"She has a very addictive personality and has struggled to stay clean herself, and my girlfriend is now ridiculously stressed out and worried for the kids."
- BlackHammer1312
Downplaying the Pandemic
"My mom. She hid the fact she has multiple viral symptoms. I was with her all night last night. I only found out because I heard her on the phone with my grandma asking her if she maybe has the virus."
"I only agreed to come up because I missed Thanksgiving due to the pandemic being bad in their county. I felt guilt-tripped into coming home for Christmas and now once I get back, I’ll be quarantined and have to take time off work."
- georgeharrisonyo
Uber Eats
"Christmas got canceled due to the parents having an argument in the morning and told everyone not to come."
"I spent Christmas with my cat and am eating Uber Eats."
- outis2
More Presents!
"It's Christmas morning and I can hear my nephew, who lives in the apartment downstairs, throwing a temper tantrum because he thinks his sister got 'larger gifts' from Santa this year."
"His dad: 'Are you joking right now? You better be joking. Say just kidding. Oh my god, tell me he's kidding.'"
"It's 8 AM."
- oohkt
Terrible News
"Lung cancer ruined my Christmas by popping up the week before Christmas. I’ve been an endurance athlete my whole life, no smoking and barely drink."
"All my pandemic tests were negative. So we did a CT scan that led to biopsies. Got the results three days ago. I’m only 29 years old, just finished grad school, and landed my dream job three weeks ago."
"Take a lesson from me and make an extra effort to be kind to the people around you each day. Life is too short to be a jerk. And life is too short to not help those around you who are less fortunate, be kind to everyone, you won’t regret it."
- xLabGuyx
Merry Christmas, Migraine
"My cluster headaches made an appearance after two months of quiet. The f**kers."
"They really do suck. I've seriously wanted people to kill me during bad ones just to stop the pain and I did induced labor without pain meds."
"My 2020 nightmare was literally six months of daily clusters. I thought I'd managed to get a drug solution. Today I found out not."
- vrosej10
Carer Fatigue
"My dad was hospitalized for alcoholism recently and now he's home. I'm the only family member left who will take care of him and help organize his care/life since my brother doesn't have any capacity to care whatsoever and is off having a happy little Christmas of his own."
"I came to spend Christmas with my dad even though he's in a bad mood and argumentative about things, he has carers that come in four times a day between 7 AM and 10 PM, which does not change over the holidays."
"I found that two expensive items have been stolen from his house last night (there are only carers that come in so it must have been them), had 2 hours of sleep last night because my dad has a searing toothache, and today I've had to call the medical care line to book a dental appointment for Sunday for him so will have to extend my stay with him to take care of that and get him there, even though I can't drive."
"There's no Christmas dinner, nothing special at all, and I'm very tired."
- Soundasleepx
Dog Surprise
"My kid's dog. The little b**tard broke his leash and took off for parts unknown."
"He came back an hour later with muddy feet and a s**t-eating grin like an hour of unsupervised freedom was his Christmas gift to himself. So it's not really ruined."
- SourImplant
When we think of the holidays, we like to think of the beautiful decorations, music, presents, and good food. Unfortunately, bad times still come around during the holidays, and sometimes, it feels like they show up even more so.
As long as we can remember the little things that make us happy, hopefully we can make a happy, if not simpler and less conventional, holiday for ourselves!
People Propose A Modern Alternative To Coal For Santa Claus To Give Naughty Children
Christmas is upon us. It's time to get those Christmas present lists together.
So... who has been naughty and who has been nice?
Who is getting diamonds and who is getting coal? Yuck, coal. Is that even a thing anymore? Who even started that idea?
There has to be some funnier or more "for the times" type of "you've been naughty" stocking stuffer.
I feel like the statement coal used to make is kind of last century at this point.
Apparently I'm not alone in this thinking.
Case in point...
Redditor rallfreedom wanted us to update Santa's deliveries for the children on the naughty list, they asked:
"Since Santa is old, and coal was considered worthless back in the day, what new worthless item could Santa give to naughty children in 2021?"
If you really wanted to set me off on Christmas morning, then you should leave me something personalized. Something you how I'd hate. Like a cassette tape of 80's Christian soft rock. That would make a statement of just how naughty I've been.
What a Difference
Blockbuster GIF by Big Potato GamesGiphy"Blockbuster gift cards." ~ GamerOfGods33
"And still no one will shop at the one franchise location still open." ~ pesto_trap_god
Discs
"AOL Internet discs... (actually getting rare these days)." ~ whorton59
"After collecting enough of those AOL discs, I just open a bottle of Tennessee whiskey and make AOL disc fish wall art." ~ ExRockstar
"I wish I still had the picture, but my friend passed onto me a photo of a chair (more like a throne, if I recall) made entirely of AOL discs." ~ PM_MeYourSmilingFace
Discharge
"Outdated phone chargers." ~ TheBrotherhoods
"A correct phone charger for the device, but it only works in one very specific angle and charges the phone super slow." ~ Karl_the_stingray
"People rave about how good old Nokias were but they forget that if you went up a version like you got upgraded to a 3310 from a 3210 then all your chargers were now something like 0.25mm too small and you had to buy all new ones." ~ erroneousbosh
Interpretations...
"We currently misinterpreted what 'naughty kids get coal' originally meant. For a poor family in December, coal was the difference between warmth and freezing, hot food and not. 'Coal' was not something mean. It was like socks, now." ~ adaza
"Exactly. If the child was selfless, they would get a personal gift as a reward. If the child was selfish, they instead would get a gift to be shared with the family, forcing them to be more altruistic." ~ MoobyTheGoldenSock
Necessities...
toilet paper help GIFGiphy"Toilet paper. Just like coal, it's something the whole house needs and will use but is going to be bought anyway. It's also consumable and practical just like coal." ~ NeverGetaSpaceship
I could still use toilet paper. You never know when society is gonna go off into the deep end again and buy it all up. Remember the beginning of Covid?
Spin
fidget GIF by Future GenerationsGiphy"Idk why but I feel like fidget spinners would be pretty infuriating to the masses of children as something that still counts as a gift but is for sure a let down & past trend." ~ mmaster42
Way back when...
"An "Introduction to Windows 95" book." ~ Actual_grass
"There's one of those package shipping stores near me that sells all kinds of miscellaneous stuff. Anything to make a buck. They have a carousel stand with laminated sheets containing tips on how to use various computer programs. Still for sale as of last week: 'Shortcut keys for Windows XP' and 'Tips for using Microsoft Word 2010.'" ~ dartdoug
All Yours...
"He could give kids one of the old cables that was collected over the years but wasn't thrown away because it could need it at some point." ~ CaptWeirdBeard
"I have a tupperware tote full of those things. I'll sell it to Santa for scap value of the copper. You hear that Santa? $5 and it's all yours." ~ GreatJanitor
Dial Up
"A rotary phone." ~ cannotbefaded
"My Grandma had a rotary phone she kept(still worked so why not) as well as having a cordless phone. Had a relative that wanted to use the rotary phone the one time just to use it instead, decided they didn't want to do that again." ~ golden_fli
"Okay, I actually like rotary phones. I was young enough to remember using rotary phones and preferred using them to touch tone phones. Only because it was fun to spin the dial and watch it spin back into place." ~ GreatJanitor
So close...
ronald mcdonald mcdonalds GIFGiphy"McDonald's toys from 2 years ago. Old enough to not be popular trends, but new enough to not be collector's items." ~ GavinSnowe
McDonald's still has toys? Who knew? And those fidget spinners, how did anyone ever enjoy those? That would set me off as well.
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It's nearly that time of year, everyone and you know what that means... Christmas movies galore!
That's right, this year flew by so fast that we're at yet another Christmas movie season.
You might be a Home Alone fanatic or a fan of The Polar Express—um, get help if so—but there's no shortage of the movies you can watch.
If you're looking for recommendations that will help you get into the holiday cheer, look no further than Redditor agreatday248, who asked the online community:
"If you could only watch one Christmas movie this year, what would it be?"
"That one on Hallmark..."
"That one on Hallmark where the career driven woman goes back to her small hometown that has a Christmasy name and ends up falling in love with a widower. Can't remember the name."
BoomGotEm
The joke here is... that's all of them.
Every single one of them.
And some of them recycle the same actors.
"This one and the second one."
"Home Alone."
"This one and the second one. For some reason I've always liked the second one just a little more (anything after 2 doesn't exist though)."
WeirdoChickFromMars
I have a soft spot for the second one.
It's zanier and incredible.
"It was unexpectedly amazing."
"Klaus. I watched this last year! Was at a friend's house looking for Christmas movies and found it on Netflix. It was unexpectedly amazing."
Boureyn
I still need to see this one—Netflix is intent on me watching it!
"I've watched it every year..."
"Jingle All The Way. I've watched it every year for 20+ years. It's absolutely hilarious."
TobeyMagu1re
Well, that's one person who can sit through it.
It's not me.
"Literally the only Christmas movie..."
"Literally the only Christmas movie I watch each year, and I have it on for probably half of the 24 hour marathon. My kids hate me for it."
Flood-One
I wish I liked this one more.
I remember rolling my eyes each year during the 24 hour marathon!
"It's not Christmas..."
"Die Hard. It's not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off Nakatomi Plaza."
ultragreen
I can absolutely get behind this.
The first movie is fantastic!
Not that the sequels weren't fun but to be honest... I ignore them.
"It's a Wonderful Life."
"I used to watch this with my dad every year. He loved this movie and lived his life the George Bailey would have. My dad passed away last year and I will always watch this movie at least once every holiday season."
chartreuslader
This is truly a perfect movie.
I just might rewatch it this year.
"Gremlins. This is the only Christmas movie I absolutely need to watch or else the holiday is ruined."
ShemhezaiX
So gruesome!
So fun!
And yes, all in the spirit of Christmas.
"Watched it every Christmas..."
"Miracle on 34th Street. Watched it every Christmas with my Mom and Dad for as long as I can remember."
musicismylife10568
Another one I need to make the time for—it's been ages.
The original is wonderful and the one from the 1990s isn't half-bad either.
"The Albert Finney version..."
"The Albert Finney version of A Christmas Carol. It's been my favorite since childhood, and here I am, decades later, and I will never get tired of it."
CranberryGlade
Classic.
A must for any holiday film aficionado.
In the interest of letting people enjoy the Thanksgiving holidays, I will wait until December 1 before I pop How the Grinch Stole Christmas into the DVD player.
But trust... I am already counting the days.
Have a favorite holiday movie that wasn't mentioned here?
Feel free to tell us more in the comments below.
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For most children, the holidays are all about presents. And as some people grow older, the holiday season is still all about presents.
Unless you're playing Secret Santa and present exchanges come from a place of mischief, you would hope that the person you're genuinely giving a gift to would be appreciative.
But because we've been given tacky presents at one time—despite the gift giver's good intentions—we know there's a chance that we too could fail at Christmas.
But hey, it's the thought that counts, right?
For the ones who thought they deserved better, Redditor Jalb101222 asked strangers on the internet:
"What's the worst Christmas present you have received?"
Family members just don't have a clue.
The Thought Didn't Count
"Every year my aunt gives our family 'Thrift Santa' gifts, like a bunch, from thrift stores. The thing is, nothing relates to anything. The worst I've gotten are among a Kama Sutra book when I was 13/14 (awkward), and a New York Yankees baby onesie. I don't have kids, I don't watch baseball."
– Yippee614
Worse For Wear
"When the tomagotchi craze was in full swing my siblings and I asked for one."
"My sisters both got one, and I got a jacket because mine was torn up and small."
"When I asked my dad why I didn't get one and if Santa thought I did something bad that year. He told me I was too old for Santa and needed to learn life isn't fair."
"I was 8. My sisters were 7 and 5."
"From that point forward I only ever received clothing."
– dariusz2k
For A Prospective Forensic Scientist
"My mum is notorious for bad presents, I've had such delights as toothpaste and vitamin pills wrapped up for me at Christmas."
"But one that stands out was a car crash kit. It had a disposable camera for recording the scene, a form for both parties to fill out, a tape measure for measuring... I dunno stuff and some chalk, for what I assume was for marking out where the dead bodies landed, or something, I dunno."
– X-cessiveDreamer
A Traumatic Experience
"My great grandma gave my cousin a jock strap from goodwill. Her mental health was bad at this time. 1992ish? He started crying. He was 9."
– mistahmarbles
Grandma's Taste In Fashion
"My grandmother was terrible at picking out clothes. When I was around 13, she got me a shirt with a puffy panel on the chest with a zipper to, I guess, store things in."
"She gave it to me Christmas Eve, and I had to make sure I wore it Christmas Day when she came around. Like the bulk of the clothes she bought for holidays or birthdays, it was worn once or twice, then promptly stuck in the back of the closet for a year or two until I outgrew it and had to throw it away."
– wetwater
Budget Gourmet
"A box of top ramen. Just a standard grocery box of ramen bags. It was wrapped up with a nice bow too, and it was not gifted as a joke. My family knew I was having financial troubles and was only eating one meal a day, they honestly thought they were helping me out."
– The_Quicktrigger
You can't always get what you want. Worse, you get what you don't even need.
They Must've Been On The Naughty List
"My husbands step mother gave me, a 36 year old at the time, a kindergarten size back pack and when I opened it she said, 'I actually bought that for ——- (a child) a few years ago and she hated it so I threw it in a closet and I saw it and thought you'd like it. None of us did, we all think it's ugly.'"
"That same year they gave my 3 kids gifts totaling all together $15 with the clearance stickers on them while her biological granddaughter opened a $300 unicorn. Which they made sure we knew cost $300, and then they pointed out to everyone our clearance stickers and what great deals they were (they weren't), and then they made my kids leave the room so the grand daughter could take pics alone with her unicorn."
"It was the last Christmas we visited them. lol"
– simplysufficiant
Because Homewares
"A dishtowel.. I was 8 years old."
"Oh, yeah. That was very common in my country until recently. Especially the older members of the family would give household gifts to the children, especially the girls."
"It's based on the tradition of the couple moving into the same household after marriage. Usually the women would bring the household furnishings to the marriage. So from a young age, girls receive gifts like this and gradually build up this equipment so that families don't have to buy it all at once."
"This was especially common among less affluent families."
"An elementary school teacher of mine once told us the story of how she received a set of towels from her grandmother for Christmas when she was about eight (this was in the 1940's). From her grandmother's point of view, it was a generous gift that she had carefully chosen and had to save money for all year."
"But it was a terrible disappointment for an eight-year-old girl, and she didn't hide it. She said she later regretted her reaction, which is obvious because she still remembered it even at seventy. (She told us this story to teach us a lesson about gratitude)."
– NeutralWitch
A Musical Hint
"Since my dad isn't on Reddit I will share his story for him. When he was young he was hell bent on becoming a drummer. He would make full drum kits out of my grandmothers pots and pans and whatever he could find. Very detailed set ups. After months and months of building drum sets and drumming on anything he could find he woke up Christmas morning…to an acoustic guitar and guitar lessons."
"He told me he took a few lessons and would always end up flipping the guitar over in the class with the other students and just play it like bongos."
– Swarhammer
People Explain Activities They've Added To Their Post-Pandemic Bucket List | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
While we've all been cooped up for the better part of two years, many of us have been dreaming up exciting plans for the future. Maybe it's finally time to s...They Cut So Deep
"A set of miniature butter knives with ceramic fruit and vegetables as the handles. From an aunt who said that I was 'So hard to shop for.'"
"I was 7."
– vodkaenthusiast89
Worst Surprise Ever
"A comic book that was laying around the house for several months which I read twice in this period. I didn't know it was supposed to be my surprise present."
– Cheap_Stay2750
Premature Grooming Delight
"My dad, his first christmas divorced and living alone, first time ever shopping for us clearly lmao because my mom did all the shopping before, got me a nose hair trimmer..."
"I was 12."
"And definitely did not understand why I got that gift."
– ThisSorrowfulLife
That Stinks
"When I was 5, I had gotten a sephora gift card from my grandma. My mom ended up using it."
– Miranda9091
Gift comparisons were made, and these Redditors got the short end of the stick.
Put To Use
"When I was 10 years old my grandparents gave me an unwrapped suitcase for Christmas. In the interests of convenience, they used that suitcase for the wrapped presents for my sisters."
– ragedandobtused
"Misplaced" Gifts
"The time I was really into Green Day and the emerging 'alternative' music of the mid 90s. And my mom bought me a few CDs (back when CDs were something stupid like $20 each). Wow! Awesome gift! Except the CDs were Toni Braxton and Mariah Carey and something else I've completely forgotten."
"Or the Christmases when my brother would get a pile of presents or something pretty expensive (foosball table, air hockey table, etc), and I'd get a couple books and lipgloss. I love those things, so the gifts themselves weren't bad, but I was clearly not the favored child."
"In the aftermath of gift opening, mom would look at the pile my brother got and the few gifts I got, then make a big show of stomping around the house claiming she knows she got more for me, she must have misplaced all the other gifts! Without fail, for several years in a row, she 'misplaced' my gifts. Because she realized in the moment that she spent waaaaay more on my brother than me. Never once did she find these 'misplaced' gifts."
"And to make it worse, my birthday is shortly after Christmas, so I never got much for my birthday because the budget was blown on Christmas. My brother claims he remembers me getting sh**ty birthday gifts and I was always jealous of his. I don't have any memory of that, but it very well could be. (The worst birthday was the year I only got a Bible with my name stamped on the front in gold lettering. That's a birthday I remember quite clearly.)"
– daughtcahm
How One Becomes An Ex
"The year I gave my ex husband a Tag Heuer watch he gave me a $19.99 Walmart blender. We already had 3 blenders."
– tealgrayone
Why Lamborghinis Suck
"A Lamborghini calender. My brother got a guitar and amp. My two sisters got a bike each. F'k i hate Lamborghinis now."
– Stickmag
The Punishment
"When I was 12 I bought myself a kindle. Me and my sister spent an entire summer working for our grandpa and stepdad to save up for them, each of us spending about 200$. My mom got all 3 of my brothers a kindle for Christmas and I got some Clothes from old navy."
"I was livid and when I talked to my mom about it she told me that my sister and I had been excluding our brothers from hanging out while we played videogames and it was unfair. She never apologized or saw anything wrong with what she did, and I honestly still haven't forgiven her almost a decade later."
– BlueButterflies139
Walmart Finds
"On my 10th birthday that my parents kept making a big deal about (double digit age i can legally babysit now) my dad went to walmart the day before and came back with 2 wallets and a ipod that my sister started asking for a week before my bday."
"I get a wallet and my younger brother got the same wallet and he gave my sister the ipod. I felt so depressed after that and my grandparents took me to walmart with $20 to spend for my bday. When we were checking out i saw the wallets by the candy where the cashiers are and they were $1. I got reminded of it and went to look at the ipod my sister got and it was either $250 or $350 bucks...we ate frozen corndogs and ramen everyday so it seriously hurt to see that."
"Edit: there were alot of other f'ked up things my parents did, but my sister was my dads fav (middle child) and younger brother was my moms (youngest)."
"When i turned 16 i wanted to test to see if they would even notice if i stopped talking, eating, and leaving my rooms..a year and a half later they finally said something, if i wasnt at school i just went in my room and slept and didnt eat their food. Met my wife and as soon as i turned 18 her gma let me move in and i havent spoken to my parents in almost a decade."
– AutomaticRisk3464
A Sibling Scores
"I got a bunch of combs and a cheap children's chemistry set that I already had three of. My brother got some DS games and a lego Star destroyer."
– cobalt_phantom
It's funny how our tastes evolve from when we were kids.
My parents' friends typically bought me clothes, which I never appreciated because I always wanted TOYS.
One Christmas–I think I was around 12—I was given black and red Nike high-tops from a family friend, and I scoffed at the reveal after anticipating something more exciting, like, I dunno, the Star Wars Power of the Force Hoth Battle Playset made by Kenner?
I ended up asking to have the sneaks sent back and lying that the shoe size was inaccurate as the reason.
Man, I wish I had those AWESOME high-tops now! Actually, I would appreciate them now. Because I still want the Star Wars playset, TBH.
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Christmas will be here before we know it, so it's never too early to start thinking about what to get our loved ones.
Commercials will tell us that moms want candles and bath bombs or "wine mom" products.
But is that what they really want? The only way to really know is to ask! We wanted to hear directly from mothers to learn exactly what they are looking for this holiday season.
Redditor TheTitanCoeus asked:
"Moms of Reddit, what the hell should we get you for Christmas?"
Here are some of the best answers.
Something she doesn't get enough of.
"An hour of goddamn peace and quiet."
"At least that's what my wife wants."
- opus_4_vp
"I came here to say a weekend home alone. I can't even begin to relax in an hour, I've to clean up first!"
- MsPinkieB
"Same here. No time for myself with all the house chores and cleaning!"
- Dexfolio_reddit
No responsibilities.
"An entire day off from any obligations - and that includes having to remind you to do things."
"Dishwasher needs unpacking? Just do it, don't make me ask you to do it."
"Laundry needs folding? Go get it done, I don't want to see it or have to remind you to do it."
"Kids need feeding? You know where the kitchen is."
"Just.... let my brain have the day off, yeah?"
- BlueShoeLover
"That will result in the dishwasher having 2 days worth of dishes, kids being hungry, and dinner being some microwave food."
"You can't just except him to remember everything. A better idea would be to spend the day in some spa."
"Unless he also wishes for the same thing, and you settle on hiring a professional housekeeper XD"
- King_Dagda
"I am getting increasingly depressed by the number of responses in here that amount to 'things you should already be getting regularly anyway.'"
"Why do so many women put up with useless men? Why would you live with someone who makes your life more difficult?"
"If my wife said this I couldn't live with the shame."
"If you're a single mother it changes things a bit, but if your kids are more than six months past old enough to do chores they're old enough to do them unprompted."
- Otherwise_Window
"From a once upon a time wife who tried too hard to be the Flash in her only marriage, thank you. This means more than you know."
- oyofmidmidworld
Get the house cleaned and send her to the spa while you're at it.
"Have the house professionally cleaned! Like detailed! Have it done while you send me to a spa day and you're good for Mother's Day and my birthday too!"
- datagirl60
"My mom does housekeeping. Drop $140 and that house will sparkle."
- Chrissyspeaks
"Massage gift certificates, not just one, but 6-10. Growing a person does some weird stuff to your body and then you get older with not time so everything hurts."
- Representative_Bad57
"Appointments! Lashes, hair, laser, etc."
- string1969
Don't forget the car.
"Auto detailed car. Kids make cars do dirty. Having someone else clean the car would be so refreshing to many moms I'm sure."
- khall20
People Share Their Unexpected Happiest Moments | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
While many of life's big events like weddings and births bring us joy, even the smallest of gestures or gifts can leave a lasting impression. Especially if y...Use your hands and get creative.
"Make me something! Bake me bread, paint for me, draw me something, frame a photo you took, make me a playlist .. show me your art!!!!"
- somethingblue331
Redecorating.
"I honestly had no idea what the hell I wanted until I accidentally overheard my boyfriend telling his mom he wanted to completely redecorate our bathroom in my favorite color as a Christmas gift. And I then realized that is exactly what I want for Christmas."
"Now I have to pretend I didn't hear that conversation lol."
- Arperiod_Io
"'Like ohmygosh you painted the bathroom in my favorite color lavendeeee-Teal. You painted the bathroom teal!? That's not my favorite color!'"
- Caffeine_and_Alcohol
Declutter.
"A storage unit for all of the clutter. That's it."
"That's all I want. The clutter is stressing me out. Actually, I think I'm low-key depressed because of it."
"I just want to feel peaceful in my home."
"And maybe some candles that smell like almonds. Or the new Stanley Tucci book."
- TheAmazingElGato
Cook a nice meal, maybe more than once.
"When my kids were younger I asked for a unique Mother's Day gift and it was one of the best gifts I ever got."
"I asked them to cook a dinner for the family (4 of us) once a week for three months. They had to work together AND clean up. And they needed to LMK 24 hours in advance about what ingredients were needed so I had time to go to the store."
"They were 12 and 16 so I knew they could handle it. There were a few hiccups along the way but they worked through it and it was awesome for all of us!"
"A win win! They grew in their cooking skills, got closer as brothers, gave us parents a break, and they learned to appreciate us more too."
- CA_catwhispurr
Make it personal.
"Literally anything you know I'd actually want. Not some sh*t you randomly let the kids pick from the store. Know. Who. I. Am. As. A. Person. Mom is not my identity."
- GingerSnapsPeas
"If one is not specific, one gets a basket of random bath products or a candle."
"A hairless guinea pig that looks like a tiny hippo."
- lekanto
"I'm totally fine with the stuff my kid picks. I like to see her face light up when I unwrap the gift she chose. That being said, it usually comes with a side gift from my husband, like a bracelet or some earrings."
- Routine_Log2163
"As a kid I don't know who mom is as a person, because you were always mom to us/me. Also if others are like me, which i know they are, moms true colors and interests never really show in front of the kids. I have no idea what my mom likes aside from traveling but she won't go alone and none of us can go with her school, work, else and she has no friends."
- No_War_8097
"When I was growing up my mom always said she was not my friend and only spoke to us to scold us and stayed alone. It took me until I was an adult to realize she didn't want to be a mom and was depressed. Took me until I was 30 to actually form a relationship with her where I could ask what she likes and wants. Just putting it out there so people can know to be understanding if mom doesn't want to talk, and it might get better someday."
- lurkerlady71
Take the decision making out of the equation.
"Plan a super nice date and take me on it. I make enough decisions everyday for the household and I just need to not care and enjoy."
- captainwhiskeytits
"Oh my, yes, this. The greatest relief any day is when I don't have to make every single decision."
- Oh-Oh-Ophelia
Maybe some moms do want candles and bath bombs!
"New, luxurious bath towels. Soft, thick ones."
- ChickFromTheSticks
But it all depends on the person.
"Make up, PJs, jewelry, favorite skincare products, some nice trainers, a gift voucher for something, paid for hairdressing appointment."
"I mean it obviously all depends on what your mum likes, if it was my mum I know she loves gaming so it'd be a ps4 game she really wants."
- Shegotthatvibe
Tell her you love her.
"Show up and tell me you love me. For all the stuff I did and all the sacrifices I made. The few years we had make your own Mac n cheese night because I had no money and various sprinkles and jimmies to put on dinner."
- Ottothedog
"Hey. I know it means nothing coming from an Internet stranger, but you sound like an amazing parent. And I thank you for putting your family first and doing what you had to to make sure they were OK."
- Daylar17
"A phone call and just let me hear your voice, tell me everything about your life and let me continue to be so very proud of your accomplishments and your failures. Let me enjoy hearing about the wonderful adult you've become. Let me hear your frustrations and your pains, your bad judgment calls and your sorrows but know that I hurt for you too but nothing you ever do will make me love you any less. You are the air I breathe."
- Illsleepinaminute
Let her know you're thinking of her.
"New empty nester chiming in- One son just started college 2.5 hour drive away and the other son just graduated from college and got a job a six hour drive away."
"Here's what a great gift for me would be: For three weeks send me a POD, picture of the day."
"It would let me know that they were thinking of me and would make me see something of their day."
- CA_catwhispurr
Some moms want to get their gifts themselves.
"Etsy gift card. I'll buy what I want."
- ThrowAwayGarbage82
"Honestly candy and gift cards so I can actually shop for myself..."
- Aggravating_Lawyer13
"$100 gift voucher to her favourite skincare/makeup place."
- Different-Street-919
Moms deserve so much more than we give them for everything they do.
They raise us, they run the house, they work hard, and they rarely get the praise they deserve.
Give your mother something that she really wants this Christmas, but don't forget that you can show her how much you love her any day of the year.
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