Brothers had 'epic screaming match' over sister-in-law's Christmas gift demand
The Christmas season is known to be a time when family tensions can get close to boiling point, with the expectation to have a good time only adding to the pressure to all get along.
For one family, they didn't even make it Christmas Day before the arguments started, and the explosive row has meant that two brothers are approaching the festive season not speaking to one another at all. The flaming row began when the wife of one of the brothers started making huge demands for an expensive Christmas gift, and eventually led to the two brothers having an "epic screaming match".
One of the brothers posted on Reddit looking for advice on whether or not he had been reasonable during the massive conflict with his brother. He explained that he was close to his younger sister, and every year he and his wife gave her a piece of jewellery, alongside both of their mothers and his wife's sister as well.
His brother got married earlier this year, and to mark the special occasion, the family all grouped together to buy his new sister-in-law her some special jewellery to mark the occasion, "an expensive pearl and diamond set". Because they had so recently gifted the sister-in-law with such an extravagant present, "I wasn't planning to get her anything else other than a few small things for Christmas after that."
However, trouble began at Thanksgiving, when the new sister-in-law "announced she would like rubies or a red stone for Christmas" - which left a bad taste in his mouth, and his own wife's because none of the other women in the family that they annually buy jewellery for had ever made demands about exactly what they should receive.
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"My wife and I decided my new SIL isn't getting any jewellery after that even if it's $5 (£4) worth," the man said, but added that quickly, "Things went from bad to worse". Shortly after that, his "brother stopped by to inspect the jewellery because his wife wanted something more colourful than pearls and she wanted red stone. She was coordinating what outfit she was wearing on Christmas."
This caused the man's wife to make a swift exit from the room and conversation before the two brothers ended up having "an epic screaming match" when the brother realised they had only bought his wife a handbag, instead of the rubies she had demanded.
The man was so angered by his brother's reaction to the gift they had selected for his wife he decided he wouldn't give his sister-in-law, or his brother, anything at all for Christmas, "because who acts like this? I told my brother to start the tradition of getting his wife jewellery for Christmas and he needs to start with rubies. My brother said he can't afford it after the wedding and his wife is now my sister and I’m being petty".
The huge argument led to the brother deciding not to attend the family Christmas celebrations at all, leaving their mother "sad" but understanding she can't force them to buy the jewellery and end the conflict. The man noted that now his sister-in-law claimed they "hate her" and his "brother says he will never speak to me again if I don't apologise but at this point, I'm considering that the best Christmas gift of all."
Commenters were quick to come to the support of the man, "The assumption that something you do for your nuclear family would extend to in-laws is very presumptuous on your brother/sister-in-law's part. You never demand gifts, and she shouldn't have given you jewelry preferences unless you asked for them," wrote one.
Another said in their opinion it was "extremely tacky" to be so demanding over an expensive present.
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