Christmas is all about spending time with your family, not about letting the night pass in exhaustion from work. That’s how it was during the old days when women slogged off so that guests could enjoy the festival. Have things really changed, though?
Look at this woman whose family backed out at the last minute from helping her with Christmas dinner. Obviously, she was overwhelmed by even the thought of cooking for over 30 guests on her own. Read on to find out what she did next that really angered all her relatives!
More info: Reddit
Christmas is all about having a blast with your loved ones, but not everyone understands this
Image credits: Anna Tolipova / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster's huge family comes together for Christmas, and the 30+ people celebrate with 12 different dishes for dinner
Image credits: ChristmasConundrum1
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
She agreed to host them in her new house on the condition that everyone would cook a dish from the list, and they all agreed
Image credits: ChristmasConundrum1
Image credits: galinkazhi / Freepik (not the actual photo)
However, just a day before Christmas dinner, people started giving silly excuses why they couldn't cook it, and expected her to shoulder the whole burden
Image credits: ChristmasConundrum1
She was so overwhelmed by all the work that she gave them an ultimatum to either help her, eat pizza, or just cancel the whole thing, which pissed them off
Today, we dive into a Christmas tale, where the original poster (OP) tells us how she almost had a mental breakdown because of her relatives. The thing is, her huge family always spends Christmas together. More than 30 people gathered for dinner, and 12 different dishes would be made. You know, the regular Christmas traditions that every family has.
When she bought a new house, the 33-year-old poster agreed to host Christmas dinner, as her place would be able to accommodate all the guests. However, she laid out a condition that everyone brings one dish from the list so that one person won't have to work their back off. Previously, they all said yes, but started backing off just a day before the Christmas dinner.
Much to her annoyance, they came up with the silliest reasons not to cook the food, and OP was pissed. With so many people cancelling their help at the last minute, she had an overwhelmingly long list of things to do. In fact, even the thought of it made her cry, so she decided that it was too much and called up the family to confront them about it.
She gave them three options: they all cook as promised, she just makes pizza for everyone, or she cancels the Christmas dinner and spends it on her own. Utter chaos followed as they just couldn’t believe that she would do something like this. Not only did they accuse her of ruining Christmas, but they also called her a heartless jerk. Wondering if they were right, she vented online.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Netizens instantly jumped to her side and claimed that her bitter family were the real jerks to expect this from her. Not only would she have to put in a lot of physical effort, but she would also end up footing the bill. After all, there were over 30 people, and it was totally unfair that she would spend the night super tired from all the work, rather than enjoy the festival.
Reports say that the typical cost of the traditional Christmas feast has increased this year by more than the cost of living. Researchers compared festive food staples from 2024 to 2025 from the most popular supermarkets and found the cost has soared by 5.52% in the last year, higher than inflation, which is currently 3.6%. That’s a lot of money that she’ll have to invest.
Well, her family clearly seems entitled to lash out like that. Experts also stress that people with entitlement have high demands, prioritize their own needs, and expect others to do things for them. Moreover, if someone does not agree with their demands, they will try to make the other party feel as if they are wrong and that it is a horrible thing to disagree with them.
That definitely sounds like her family. Netizens also pointed out how it’s always the women who end up carrying the cooking burden. Research also emphasizes that women are trained to reflexively and uncomplainingly take on as much of it as possible. Further, it states that cooking is still a highly feminized pursuit; it's a skill girls are implicitly expected not only to learn, but to enjoy doing.
That’s really sad and the complete opposite of the festive spirit, don’t you think? What would you do in her shoes? Let us know in the comments!
Netizens didn't waste any time in calling her family ungrateful and advising her not to listen to their tantrums, but to do what she wanted
