Posted by Yvette in CA on 23:32 Dec 23
I'm upset with my ILs right now. DH comes from a pretty big family, he has 5 brothers and sisters, most are married and have dc. Some years we all buy gifts for everyone, some years we draw names, and some years (this being one of them) we just buy for the dc.
Well, first, my MIL decided that she wanted to have all the family photos transferred to DVD (or something like that). Anyway, DH said he would check into prices for having it done, and let her know. Then my SILs jumped on the bandwagon and decided that we all should pitch in and have this be MIL's Christmas gift. Then MIL agreed that *everyone* should pay towards this because after all, it would be a *family* gift, and we would all enjoy it, blah blah blah. Oh, and because we're not buying for siblings this year, we have *extra* money that we can use towards this gift. And MIL mentioned, "Oh, I'm sure Yvette is buying gifts for *her* side of the family", in this snide way, meaning of course, that we're total creeps for not buying for everyone else. I'm irritated that they didn't consult us and just expect that we have the money to do this. DH has said we will contribute what we can afford to it, but he is annoyed also the way they went about it.
Now, to top it off, my FIL just called and said that everyone is buying my BIL tires for his car for Christmas, and can we pitch in for them too? We really don't have the money to do this, and of course, we will have tons of guilt if we don't and we'll look like the black sheep of the family. I should mention that my BIL is single with a good-paying job and no financial obligations. Hmmm...do you think the rest of the family is going to chip in when *we* need new tires for our car? Grrr...
Anyway, I will let DH handle it when he gets home. I hate feeling so Scroogy, but sometimes these people bring out the worst in me. Do I have a bad attitude? I honestly don't mind buying gifts for them, but I like to have some warning and some input into what I'm giving, ya know?