Nothing says ‘family fun’ like going into debt for a candle no one wanted.
One woman says this year’s Christmas spirit is being measured in dollar signs.
She wants to ditch the family gathering after they set an outrageous price for Secret Santa.
‘Completely unreal’
“This year my family decided to raise the price limit to $250 per gift,” explained the 29-year-old.
It’s a far cry from the traditional gift exchange, where a modest Kmart gag gift would suffice.
“Honestly, I’m a little shocked. I understand inflation has hit, but that’s a lot of money for a gift, especially for something that’s supposed to be fun and quirky,” she said.
It is understood that she has no budget.
“After paying for all the bills and essentials, there’s barely enough left to get by. The idea of spending $250 on a gift is completely unrealistic to me,” she said.
Her reluctance has left her feeling isolated from both tradition and family.
“My mom thinks I’m ‘little’ and that it’s ‘just a present.’ My dad says I’m overreacting and it’s not about the price, it’s about the Christmas spirit,” she revealed.
“Some of my siblings say I should just soak it up and ‘get it together’ because it’s about being together.”
The event doesn’t seem worth the damage to her bank account.
“I didn’t want to be the person who had to sit back 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,” she said.
Most of her extended family—up to 25 people—agreed to the dollar amount with only slight hesitation. Despite the pressure, the expectation remains.
“$250 is the amount my family ‘agreed to’ when it comes to the cost of the gift. I don’t think a maximum amount was even discussed,” she added.
‘Don’t tolerate it’
Speaking on Reddit, she sought reassurance that skipping the meeting was the right decision.
Many commenters were outraged by Secret Santa’s request.
“Your family is teasing you, although not maliciously. Don’t tolerate it,” one commenter wrote.
“Sounds like this ‘tradition’ turned into a luxury spending contest that no one asked for,” said another.
Others shared what they do to keep holiday gifts budget-friendly.
“Our family has a rule about gifts: take care of the children. Adults don’t exchange gifts,” said one commenter.
“We just find weird hands from our basements or give each other the dumbest things we can find,” joked another.
Unfortunately, the Secret Santa gift is just the beginning of the shopping spree she must undergo.
“While we are not expected to receive gifts for every member of the family, we still make other gifts. So I would get that gift on top of the gifts for my parents, siblings and grandparents,” she explained.
One thing’s for sure – if the price of family bonding is $250, the couch seems like the best place to spend Christmas.
#Woman #ditch #family #gatherings #setting #crazy #Secret #Santa #limit
Image Source : nypost.com