I wish I had some sort of tradition.
“grandfather”
Water Smiling GIFGiphy"Went over to my Laotian friends house when I was little and upon entering his house he said I had to remove my shoes and bow to his grandfather. When he said 'grandfather' he pointed to a fish mounted on the wall. Thinking it was some kind of reincarnation thing I did it and was instantly berated and laughed at by his whole family."
pistonkamel
Just Like A Pill
"So, I was invited to my friend's grandmother's home for Thanksgiving. I was new to the area and I had no family near so I graciously accepted. My buddy, Jason, gave me the breakdown of his extended family that was going to be in attendance. His parents were divorced but would both be attending. His grandparents were married but legally separated and lived apart, but Grandfather would attending."
"His Uncle Carl would be there with his 'mail order bride' and their young son. His other Uncle Ted, was openly gay and battling AIDS. He and his lover would also be there. So I have set the stage, you can probably picture all of them in your mind. In person, it exceeded my imagination. Ted’s boyfriend wore cowboy chaps to dinner. They were all very colorful and animated, the pre dinner discussions were riveting."
"As we were seated for the meal, Jason’s grandmother (Sara) took out an Altoids tin, took two and began passing it around the table. I watched as everyone took 1-2 and immediately took them and washed them down with a drink. Jason got the tin and did the same. I asked him, why is everyone swallowing Altoids before supper? They all laughed. He said oh, these are Valium."
"We learned several years ago that as we gather for Thanksgiving we drank and arguments ensued. So one year my Uncle said, we should all just take a Valium at the beginning of the meal so we can all just chill the hell out. They all laughed hysterically and agreed."
"I passed on the offer and handed the tin to Jason’s mom as next in line. And as the evening played out, they all essentially zoned out during dinner, no fights transpired, and they considered it a successful Thanksgiving. I would have never imagined this would happen, but it was a damn fun experience."
petey001
"impressionable"
"When I was 11 I stayed at my aunt's house over the school holidays with my 13yr old brother, she had a rule that we couldn't watch any tv shows that she considered 'impressionable.' That meant no cartoons, namely Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon. We missed the end of the Cell Saga. My brother was pissed, he hasn't let it go to this day, over 20 years later."
newbzealand
I think this counts...
"Drank slightly-chocolaty water for a month. I think this counts. Years back I was prospecting for a field site on a very remote island in the south pacific. It was sufficiently remote that having me in the neighborhood was something of a spectacle, so as I made trips out to villages from my 'home village', I was feted along the way. I'd get to a village and the local head man and I would get to talking and they'd have a nice feast."
"These guys aren't entirely cut off from the world so one nice trade good they had was powdered milk and Ovaltine. On arriving at the second village, I noticed that they weren't exactly well-to-do, but out came the Ovaltine. Not wanting to use up their supplies, I foolishly interrupted the preparation to tell them 'that was enough'. They looked confused but handed over water with just a bit of Ovaltine floating at the top."
"It was wretched. But trying to be polite, I drank it all. And smiled. Word got around so every village I went to thereafter was informed of my 'preference.' Couldn't exactly correct them at this point as somebody might have been insulted, sooo I drank it. Kinda wonder if the next visitor benefitted from my blunders in protocol."
Kevin_Uxbridge
Being polite...
Dessert Merry Happy GIF by TWICEGiphy"Went to a friend's house for dinner a lovely meal. The whole family cleaned their plates of food then turned them over and ate dessert on the back of their plates like it was the most normal thing in the world. I copied them just to be polite."
Argybargyass
People really do have interesting ways to celebrate and live.
Diablo 2
diablo 3 GIFGiphy"We got yelled at for 'playing that devil game again!' We were playing Mario kart. And Bowser kept freaking his mom out. So we muted it and all was fine from then on. Meanwhile his little brother was literally playing Diablo 2 at the time in the same room. But he already had it muted so it wasn't a problem I guess."
Qix213
by torchlight...
"I once got roped into a wassailing. Marching by torchlight (literal flaming torches) down to the guys orchard to sing at the trees was a new one on me. It wouldn't have been so bad but it was just a handful of us, as in just me, my schoolfriend, his brother, and his parents. Still, we got some cider out of it."
-Satsujinn-
Naked
"I guess this qualifies as "culture:"
"My sister was dating a man that had been raised in a nudist colony. He took her to meet his family at their house at the colony. She was a tad surprised when his mother immediately says 'there is a hook on the bathroom door for your clothes.' My sister proceeds to spend the entire evening naked with his folks. Her BF had told her before they went that it would be her option but I guess his parents didn't think so."
asphyxiationbysushi
Antwerp
"When I lived in Antwerp (Belgium), I once was stopped by an elderly, woman on the street. She was asking for help inside her house. Guiding me through a house where the temperature was way too hot, she stopped at every radiator and asked me to turn them down."
"In the end we went to the kitchen, where some jewish women and children were watching me silently while I was putting all the burning gas stoves on a low heat. Then she showed me out, thanked me and closed the door. In Antwerp there is a big community of hasidic jews, I can imagine this was during sabbath."
laurens-t
Time and Place
Big Brother What GIF by Big Brother After DarkGiphy"I work for the ambulance service and I was asked to take my shoes off before attending to their mother in cardiac arrest. Politely reminded them that there was a time and place."
phoenixfeet72
culture/religion...
"I had a neighborhood friend that i played on the street with and at school sometimes. Her mom and dad always told me i wasn’t allowed to be in the same room as my friends older brothers because seeing young women was a sin for unmarried men. i was 10 at the most. the youngest of her older brothers was 16. When I was asked by my friend to sleep over for her birthday i was told by her and her mother thatIi needed to remain in my friends bedroom."
"Her mother would bring us food and drinks and take us to go to the bathroom whenever it was safe. I told my sister about it the next day and she told me i wasn’t allowed to go near their house or my friend again. to this day I still don’t know if it was actually due to culture/religion or if maybe they just had a really freaking weird family."
haesslichryn
And check this...
Tom And Jerry Food GIF by Boomerang OfficialGiphy"I remember going to my Swedish friends house. And while we were playing in his room, his mom yelled that dinner was ready. And check this. He told me to WAIT in his room while they ate. That crap was f**king wild."
Wowimatard
Peace signs...
"I went over to a friend's house for a sleepover and when I changed into my pajamas her mom started demanding I put something else on and throw my pajamas out. I was really confused, she was yelling about how my pajamas were sinful and bore signs of the devil!"
"I ended up just calling my mom to take me home because I was so uncomfortable, but that woman just kept scolding us for allowing me to wear satantic symbols. The symbols on my pajamas? Peace signs. She said they were broken crosses, so clearly a sign of the devil."
usernameemma
Eh…?
"I once went to have dinner with a girl from Uni who came from a super nice but very religious family. Her dad turned out the be the pastor. Absolutely no problem being silent while they’re praying before dinner, however after dinner the whole family got their bibles out, and asked me politely, which my favourite verse was so we could read it together. Eh…?"
Qihai7
Coal
australian government simpsons GIF by Environment VictoriaGiphy"My friends father was a Geordie and his grandad was Scottish. Each hogmanay it was my job to leave their house and re-enter bearing a gift of coal. This was my task as I was the only one there with dark hair. So that's a thing."
GabberZZ
Snowed
"Went to stay with distant relatives in Lithuania during winter. It's nothing for them to all get naked in the sauna and pat each other with birch branches then run out and roll in the snow. After a while I just went f**k it and gave into my inhibitions but at first it was a bit confronting being naked, exposed and vulnerable. On the flip side, their snow chilled vodka was primo which broke the ice so to speak; would 100% do again."
mypoopscaresflysaway
skin and all...
"I am reminded of the story on Reddit where a girl went to her boyfriend's parent's house to meet them, and they had a ritual where they gather around a table and savagely consume an entire orange, skin and all. She didn't do it, and she upset the entire family. I think it's my favorite story from Reddit."
frauleinsteve
“witches”
Hocus Pocus Wtf GIF by FreeformGiphy"I was kicked out of an elementary school friend’s birthday party because another friend and I played 'witches' in her treehouse. She was Southern Baptist. There was a literal cauldron in her treehouse, I stand by my decision."
erineestevenson
‘cheat night’
"Late to the game, but here goes. I had a friend growing up whose parents didn’t allow any snacks in the house. Every time he invited me over to spend the night, I was expected to bring boxes of snack food because it could be allowed if brought in by an outsider. And yes, his parents would partake, too. So there was junior high school aged Higestache bringing boxes of snacks for an entire family to have a ‘cheat night’ at my expense."
higestache
When in Rome... so as people do...
Hands Off!!
Giphy"When I was 12, a family friend grabbed my DS and deleted the save of one of my Pokemon games." Aceofkings9Aceofkings9
Mother-In-Law Dearest...
"My MIL likes to volunteer to show new guests around during big events like birthdays or Christmas."
"And without fail she will find the worst part of my home, usually whatever room has a closed door that's out of the way, and will make them stand in there and have a conversation. You know; the bedroom that's a mess because you threw everything in it. The back room of the basement past the laundry room used for disorganized storage."
"It only took 8 years for my husband to catch on that yeah, it happens every time."
"It's not the worst she's done but it is the most head-scratchingly petty." Ladyughsalot1
Weed on White.
"A friend of mine brought his trashy girlfriend over and she pulls out a pipe and takes a hit and then turns the pipe over and smacks the ash out onto my new white carpet. I asked them both to leave and never saw her again." ElvenDeGeneres
Just No.
"Lived in a house with 2 people at uni a couple of years ago (didn't know them before I moved in with them). One of them invited 2 of her friends to come and stay with us. Went to go and use our shared bathroom and there were about 3 used sanitary pads casually left open draped on our sink, despite the fact that we had a bin in the bathroom for them. Cleaned it up once and went back in the next morning and there were more. Never been so disgusted in my life." jacksonliz7991jacksonliz7991
Out of Towners...
"They were housesitting for my family while we were out of town. We let them stay at our house and sleep in my parent's room."
"When we returned home, our house was a disaster. The kitchen was filthy, and their daughter's toys were scattered all over the house. One of their few tasks was to water our plants. They were all dead when we came home."
"Worst of all, they were told not to come into my room, where I have a valuable collection of old toys. Of course, they let their daughter into my room and play with them. Some stuff was damaged."
"That was the last time we let them watch the house. Next time we went out of town a good friend of mine was given the job instead. She did a much better job." Star_glow
We're not friends anymore.
Giphy"Peed in my cat's litter box at a party we had. Turned the whole box into one solid chunk. It was a friend of mine actually. He was really drunk but I'm sure he did it on purpose. Didn't notice either until our cats pooped or peed elsewhere in the house. We're not friends anymore." Boardallday
No Good Deed.
"A friend of my dad lost his house, and we had a former B&B so we invited them to stay with us. We housed and fed them for weeks while the found another place. For that, we got roaches, criticisms of our food (my dad was the executive chef at a freaking country club and was a damned fine cook), but that wasn't the worst for me, then in my late teens."
"The day they left, I went to play my favorite game on PlayStation: Sled Storm. Couldn't find it. Over turned freaking everything, but I couldn't find it. In searching, I noticed something even worse. My SNES, all games, and half my N64 games were missing in addition to Sled Storm. They had stayed with us as a favor and stolen half my shit that I had paid for with birthday money saved up over years. Forget those people." fghth6
Stank Feet!
"Had a friend who had horribly stanky athelete's foot feet from using the showers at the dorms without shower shoes. All of the skin on his soles and between his toes was gone. His feet were raw, red and shiny with new, thin skin. I invited him over to watch movies. It was me and like 5 other guys. We watched horror movies, drank beers and ate snacks. At some point, he took his shoes off. None of us said anything, but the smell permeated the entire five room apartment (living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, bathroom and laundry room) within mere minutes."
"It was very quiet. We gave the couch to him completely by himself. No great loss, the thing was from the 70's and that old scratchy Herculon fabric (important point). Around 2AM my girlfriend showed up and ordered my friend to put his shoes back on. The smell was in the house two days later. I sniffed around after two days of airing out and Febreze and candles did nothing. I smelled the couch cushions. He had rubbed his feet into the fabric of at least two cushions. I guess the scratchy fabric felt really awesome on his feet that were on fire with the itch." notoneofyourfans
Y'all Stupid or Crazy?!
"My sister's friends went into the back of my apartment while i was throwing a party there and as they went i saw them get some tin foil out. I live in a druggie area and know exactly what that means so I marched right after them and told them that that's not happening under my roof or anywhere in the apartment block (there's only 4 in my building and a family with kids lives downstairs). They understood but left shortly after all butthurt. It is insane to me that they thought I would just be ok with them smoking meth INDOORS in my apartment. Without asking as well!" mister_thang
Every. Single. Time.
Giphy"I used to have band practice once a week at my house. And every week the lead singer would clog the toilet. Every. Single. Time." Gumbybum
Placenta.
"Came to visit for a few days with her infant and placenta. The placenta was wrapped in butcher paper, but nothing waterproof and was half thawed from a long car drive. She put it in my freezer where it oozed all over my food." ductoid
The Drunk.
Giphy"A guy we didn't know very well, a friend of a friend, came over to our house for dinner one night. He got quite drunk, despite not knowing him very well we offered that he stay the night at our place instead of driving home drunk. He refused, drove drunk and crashed his car. Then he tried to sue us for letting him drive home drunk. The guy was an fool." wefedfd
Strawberry Boy.
"This kids who was a friend at the time came over for a birthday party. We were around 13 and he ate a strawberry, except the top of it."
"Then he SMUSHED it into our white carpet and left it there. We were watching, like he just did it like it was a normal act."
"My parents still call him strawberry boy." KatrinaGazette
The Wreath.
"My brother's girlfriend had made a Xmas wreath for my home. When she arrived she took the wreath I had on my door and threw it down the hallway and put one up that she had made (which was seriously ugly by the way) My jaw dropped I seriously could not believe she threw MY wreath down the hallway right in front of me! The following day I threw HER wreath in the garbage." Walk-with-a-cane
Knives Out.
Giphy"I don't remember who the guy was because it happened when I was a kid but there was this guy who was in his early 20s, he was in the kitchen with one of the kitchen knifes and just throwing it into the floor so it would get stuck and pulling it out and doing it again." UhhYawn
Bladders....
"My grandfather's cousin was staying with us a for a week; he has a bladder problem and would refuse to wear adult diapers! What followed was him leaving a trail of pee (sometimes poo), when he walked around the house... didn't take too long for my mother to ask his son to take him back home." queenjany
Dirty Girl.
"My son's girlfriend was having family problems and temporality lived with us. Son/GF were 17 at the time. She had no house manners whatsoever... she'd cook herself meals and leave food and dishes everywhere, expecting us to clean after her. Leave her dirty clothes and stuff all over the house. She once borrowed my car without asking. Got so tired of it we asked her to leave." Eyeletblack
Cabinetry.
"My mom used to reorganize my kitchen cabinets whenever she would visit because she disagreed with my organizational system." Thedaythemusicdied37
"My mom does this with our household. She'll come over, remark that the house needs to be cleaned a bit and she'll just start cleaning. It's such an degrading experience. And it's not like my house is disgusting. If we've hovered the day before she'll remark that it's probably been a long time since we've done that and get the hoover out. She doesn't listen when I ask her to stop so we've stopped inviting her over as much in order to avoid the stress." Just_Me_2218
That booze was MINE!
"Drank all of my booze without asking my permission. These were guests of my roommates, and I was already asleep at the time because I basically had 14-hour days for a job I hated at the time (10 hour shift + 2 hour commute each way), and was still broke as crap. That booze was MINE, and those fools drank it all like they owned the damn place. Never even offered to replace it, either." PianoManGidley
Some friend.
Giphy"My 3rd grade "friend" tried to set my shower curtains on fire for no reason." dummyplant
These stories make us wonder why we even invite people over!
Do you have similar experiences to share? Let us know in the comments below.
