This Woman's Family Is Calling Her "Petty" For Skipping Their Christmas Party Because Of Their $250 White Elephant Gift Rule
It's the season of giving, folks, but we live in financially trying times. Not everyone is sensitive to that fact, and that seems to be the case for this woman who's considering skipping her family's Christmas party for requiring guests to bring a $250 gift for the White Elephant gift exchange.
Here's the full story from scorpioh2o's own words: My (29, female) family has a tradition where we do a big Christmas get-together every year, and the highlight is the White Elephant gift exchange. It's always been a fun time, but this year, my family decided to raise the price limit to $250 per gift."
"I'm honestly a little shocked. I get that inflation has hit, but that's a lot of money for one gift, especially for something that's supposed to be fun and quirky, not something super expensive or meaningful."
"I have a pretty tight budget this year with unexpected medical bills and just general life expenses. After paying for all my bills and essentials, there's barely enough left to get by. The idea of spending $250 on a gift is totally unrealistic for me. I expected to show up for the family dinner and festivities."
"I started feeling like I was being pushed out of the tradition because of my financial situation. I told her that, honestly, if I can't participate in the gift exchange, then I might not come at all. I didn't want to be the person who had to sit awkwardly and watch everyone else exchange expensive gifts when I couldn't contribute. Plus, I didn't want to feel embarrassed about not meeting their expectations."
"My mom thinks I'm being 'petty' and that it's 'just one gift.' My dad says I'm overreacting and that it's not about the price; it's about the spirit of Christmas (which, to be fair, I do agree with, but still $250?). Some of my siblings are saying I should just suck it up and 'join in' because it's about being together, while others are telling me they agree with me but are still going to participate since the majority of the family agreed to this."
"There are approximately 18–25 people in my family that will be there, and we are still expected to get gifts for our family members as well."
"I really don't want to make a big scene or cause drama, but at the same time, I feel like this is a massive financial burden that's being placed on me, and I just don't know if it's worth it to show up and feel out of place. So, am I the asshole if I decide to sit this one out?"
Many users felt that the woman was NOT the asshole for not attending the party, as $250 was too big of an ask. "I get it would be very uncomfortable to be the only one who couldn't afford it. Tell your dad you will come if he gives you the $250," user MerlinBiggs wrote.
"It's sad your parents are focused on this and not actually wanting to make everyone feel comfortable," user ShipComprehensive543 agreed.
User Witty_Detail_2573 suggested being completely upfront about the situation in the family group chat.
"That's a shockingly big price tag for Xmas White Elephant unless you are a lottery winner! Combined with the fact that you have actual gifts to buy, I'd message the whole family on one group chat and say, 'I've been advised the gift amount this year for White Elephant is $250. I can't afford that so I'm priced out of White Elephant this year. Sorry guys. Please take me out of the White Elephant list for this year. Have done this on a group chat so no one includes me mistakenly.' Then sit back and watch the chat blow up."
User meeldtar felt that staying home was the best option.
"Stay home, spend a few bucks on having a lovely, peaceful meal, a few treats, and buy yourself a gift you know you want. Sounds perfect to me! If they want to price family members out of Christmas, they might want to recheck the meaning of Christmas."
However, user DreamNo4565 slightly disagreed, arguing that the woman should attend and make the whole family uncomfortable for agreeing to the $250 rule in the first place.
"I would go and force them to be uncomfortable. 'I didn’t want to miss out just because I couldn’t afford the White Elephant gift.' Make them admit either A) the price is crazy or B) they’re greedy, making the gift the priority."
What are your thoughts on this situation? Let us know in the comments below.
