We all know that the holidays can be a total minefield of family drama, but one husband on Reddit just managed to set his entire marriage on fire for the sake of “sisterly cheer.” Imagine dropping hints for an entire year about a specific, pricey gift you really want, only to watch your husband hand that exact box to his sister right in front of your face. We are officially entering the “What On Earth Were You Thinking?” hall of fame with this one.
The Original Poster (OP) is a 44-year-old man whose 39-year-old sister moved into his house in October following a messy divorce. Now, the wife was already not a fan of this arrangement, especially since they own a separate property where the sister could have stayed. But the sister insisted on living with the couple because she gets “lonely” and apparently needs someone to cook for her while she deals with her stress. To make matters even more “interesting,” the wife is currently recovering from a broken leg and has taken time off work, meaning she’s the one doing the cooking and hosting while the sister settles in.
For the last twelve months, the wife has been dreaming of a Dyson Airwrap. If you know, you know: it is the Holy Grail of hair tools and it isn’t exactly cheap. The husband actually did the right thing initially and bought the Dyson back in November, along with some Gucci perfume. He had it wrapped and hidden in the garage, ready to be the hero of Christmas morning. That is, until the “lonely” sister found out about it and decided she wanted one too.
When the sister heard about the Dyson, she got “sad” because her ex-husband apparently bought one for his new girlfriend instead of her. This sob story was enough to make the OP decide his sister needed the gift more than the woman who has been cooking for her with a healing broken leg. He tried to buy a second one, but since it was last minute, they were sold out everywhere. So, instead of just telling the sister “sorry, I’ll get you one in January,” he literally ripped the name tag off his wife’s gift and gave it to his sister instead.
The level of audacity required to watch your wife open a bottle of perfume while your sister unboxes the $600 hair tool your wife has begged for all year is truly staggering. The husband seems genuinely confused as to why everyone is mad, arguing that his wife “STILL got a gift” because he gave her the perfume. He thinks the “extra” Gucci makes up for the fact that he prioritized his sister’s feelings over his wife’s entire Christmas wish list.
Even the OP’s own mother is calling him a total ahole. It turns out the parents were actually going to buy the Dyson for the wife themselves, but they checked with the OP first. He told them not to bother because he was already handling it. So not only did he give his wife’s gift away, but he also actively blocked her from getting it from anyone else. It is a masterclass in how to fail at being a supportive partner during the holidays.
The OP’s defense is that he will just buy his wife another one later when they are back in stock. But as his aunt and mom pointed out, that completely misses the point of “Christmas magic.” It isn’t about the plastic and the motor; it’s about the fact that your husband saw you, heard what you wanted, and made it happen. Instead, he saw what she wanted and decided his sister’s “sadness” over her ex-husband’s new girlfriend was more important than his own wife’s joy.
Let’s be real here: the sister sounds like a total “main character.” She is living in their house, having the wife—who is recovering from a broken leg—cook for her, and then she’s taking the wife’s primary Christmas present? If the sister was a decent person, she would have seen that Dyson and said, “Oh, I’m so glad you got that for your wife, she’s been so kind to let me stay here.” Instead, she played the victim until she got the shiny toy.
The husband is currently wondering if he’s the ahole, and the answer is a resounding “YES.” YTA. You don’t take a gift meant for your spouse and give it to someone else because they’re having a bad day. That is a betrayal of the highest order. He basically told his wife that her happiness is secondary to his sister’s comfort, which is a great way to end up in the “other accommodation” himself.
The edit where he mentions his wife can “walk without crutches” but chooses to “rest” after her cast came off is just the cherry on top of this sh!t-flavored sundae. He’s downplaying her injury to make himself feel better about the fact that she’s been playing maid to his sister while injured. Sir, your wife isn’t “resting,” she’s healing, and she probably wanted that Dyson to feel a little bit like herself again after a rough few months.
What would you do if you saw your “dream gift” go to your sister-in-law while you got a bottle of perfume? Is there any way for this husband to fix the “magic,” or is he destined to spend the rest of the winter in the doghouse? Let us know in the comments if you think he needs to hand over his credit card and an apology immediately!
firstly, the sister is a master manipulator and op is an idiot, the wife needs to leave him