homemade presents and ungrateful family!!

savingmummy

I would definately say in future no presents due to finace issues.
He should think himself lucky imo!
We only bought for our 2 children and have done for the last 2 xmas`s and noone has moaned about it. They are both earning and seem to be quite well to do so you would think they would have a bit more respect for you both at least you gave them something x

UKTigerlily

He's just shown his true colours, I think it sounds fantastic & would've been made up to recieve a gift like that!

tomstickland

he goes straight into 'i didnt appreciate that basket you gave us, the kids were really dissapointed, they expected toys, you did this last year (we did get crappy cheap activity pack things as agaion no money) we always make an effort'
OH replies taht a lot of time and effort went into it, and we dont have alot of money and definatly not enough to buy all kids presents, we didnt even buy our own children alot.
but bro said it wasnt good enough and just went on and on about how he thought it was crap and the kids just wanted toys to open.

That's very rude and insensitive of them.
Best of not knowing people like that really.

jetty

I made los of homemade pressies this year and everyone loved them. I think what your BIL said was just horrible! Just tell him you won't bother next year, do the hampers for your own kids, sounds like they would appreciate them a alot more than they did!!

S1976

lolly1981 wrote: »

nope he was perfectly sober and thats just OH's family through and through.
quite materialistic, his children are spoilt get everything they want when they want it and because we cant do that we are seen as being bad people lol.

he was saying kids expect toys at xmas...well his might mine certainly dont, he asks for things granted and we try to get him some of the things he would like but he doesnt expect them!

Children expect pressies from their parents (or santa depending on the age) at xmas - from other people children shouldn't actually 'expect' much. This is why selection packs sell out fast as it's the first thing people go for, sounds like your pressy was a lot more fancy and dancy than those any day - anything on top of that is a bonus. If that's not good enough for them then frankly stuff em. It sounds like he was simply trying to enforce his high and mighty status which he knows you can't keep up with - therefore trying to put your hubby down for some reason. Nope you hold your head high they are the ones in the wrong not you and for the record next year stuff em alltogether Or you could stick them an orange and apple in an old smelly sock before wacking them round the head with it

jetty

To be fair, this has come (from how it sounds) from the adult, not the child! I could be wrong, and the children could be arrogant like the adults, but best not assume!

lolly1981

yeah i assumed it came from him and not the kids...as much as they get everything they want they are sweet kids.
i never give gifts to receive them...but it appears not everyone feels like that.

i have to admit im a bit of an attention seeker, in the sense that i like to give gifts because i like the thanks that goes with it...im not bothered if i get a gift in return, just the oh that was nice, or you shouldnt have will do thank you very muchly lol.

but i think the reason i got so upset by it all was because we had made the things, we'd thought about what was suitable for the whole family, hence the snowman soups and gingerbread men. and not just got them a selection box, they required no thought and time, to be fair that had been our original plan but then we saw some fab seagrass baskets in morrisons and decided on the hampers. i enjoyed making them and spending time with my fanily doing them, maybe i should concentrate on that and not what they think...its just i get so angry when OH gets upset as he rarely does!

Kirri

What a horrible, materialistic, selfish person he is - and the poor kids are obviously growing up with the same attitude.

I would love a homemade gift like that! Rather that than some overpriced stuff from shops tbh.

I would have put the phone down had a relative spoken to me like that.. and I wouldn't be bothering with them again.

jetty

lolly1981 wrote: »

yeah i assumed it came from him and not the kids...as much as they get everything they want they are sweet kids.
i never give gifts to receive them...but it appears not everyone feels like that.

i have to admit im a bit of an attention seeker, in the sense that i like to give gifts because i like the thanks that goes with it...im not bothered if i get a gift in return, just the oh that was nice, or you shouldnt have will do thank you very muchly lol.

but i think the reason i got so upset by it all was because we had made the things, we'd thought about what was suitable for the whole family, hence the snowman soups and gingerbread men. and not just got them a selection box, they required no thought and time, to be fair that had been our original plan but then we saw some fab seagrass baskets in morrisons and decided on the hampers. i enjoyed making them and spending time with my fanily doing them, maybe i should concentrate on that and not what they think...its just i get so angry when OH gets upset as he rarely does!

I feel exactly the same, i have asked EVERYONE i gave a gift to exactly how they felt about them! Lol, i'm bordering stalker-ish towards everyone!!! It is a shame, but unfortunately, not everyone is appreciative about things. It's the kids i feel for, they are having the wrong values forced upon them

stclair

lolly1981 wrote: »

sorry bit of a rant!
ohhh im so cross...my OH, my son and myself made hampers for family memebers as we didnt have masses of money to buy expensive wasteful gifts so we decided to put one together...we made jam, filled some mugs with chocolates (wrapped in cellophane and bows etc) made snowman soups, made gingerbread, lemon and peppermint creams.
my 5 yr old son helped decorate the gingerbread men, fill the mugs etc....a lot of time and effort went into it.

yesterday we call OH brother to thank him for the boys gifts and he goes straight into 'i didnt appreciate that basket you gave us, the kids were really dissapointed, they expected toys, you did this last year (we did get crappy cheap activity pack things as agaion no money) we always make an effort'
OH replies taht a lot of time and effort went into it, and we dont have alot of money and definatly not enough to buy all kids presents, we didnt even buy our own children alot.
but bro said it wasnt good enough and just went on and on about how he thought it was crap and the kids just wanted toys to open.
my OH ghot so upset he cried as he was so angry about the selfishness of it all (ne never ever cries over anything, and hes usually really laid back)...he even gave back the presents his bro gave our kids so that his brother cant throw it back in his face, jhes told his lot to not buy our children anything in future then there wont be this problem again.

even his sister was ungrateful for what we bought her, she was the only one we bought actual presents, they were mini cooper related things (as she collects minis) and she was like oh thanks...really rude.

am i right to get annoyed or should we just ignore it, for us family is what xmas is about not the toys the kids get, we have spent the last 4 days playing games and just enjoying each others company i thjought that was what it was about???

Id give them sweet FA next year the ungreatful sods :mad: