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Christmas is a time for everyone to put their differences aside and enjoy the joyous occasion – but let’s face it, it’s easier said than done. For one man, the drama started early after he refused to pay for his girlfriend’s gifts for her family and friends.
The 28-year-old took to Reddit to seek much-needed reassurance after being slammed as an “a**hole for ruining Christmas” by his partner’s sister.
He explained how he and his girlfriend, Lauren, had been dating for two years and recently moved in together. He works and pays for all living expenses while his girlfriend attends college. The pair collectively decided against Christmas presents this year to set aside a little money for the future instead.
That was until Lauren asked him to pay for her family and friends’ gifts.
He explained: “She said that before she went to school full-time, she used to get really nice Christmas gifts for her family/nephews because she had a full-time job. Her friends do a fancy gift exchange where they all buy each other gifts.”
He declined and said it wasn’t something he felt comfortable doing.
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Subsequently, his girlfriend was upset.
“I don’t want to spend my money on gifts for her friends/family,” he explained on the forum. “And If she wants to buy them gifts, then she needs to get a temporary job or something.”
She came back and positioned it as “a loan.” Again, the man declined, saying that he wouldn’t “get paid back.”
“I also tell her that I’m not comfortable loaning my girlfriend money because it leads to issues,” he added.
Things got even messier when he received a call from Lauren’s sister. She calls him an “a**hole” and mentions that Lauren’s parents are upset too.
“I felt bad, but I don’t want to do this either,” he concluded.
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Redditors flocked to the post to reassure the man that he wasn’t in the wrong.
“He set a healthy boundary and she went behind his back and badmouthed him to her friends and family simply because she didn’t like the boundary,” one said. “Which is not only two-faced, but also manipulative af.”
Another suggested that Lauren’s parents and sister should loan her the money if “it’s so important for them to get gifts.”
“If Lauren wanted to buy gifts Lauren should have gotten a job,” one user candidly highlighted. “Also, why wait till the last minute like this to even bring it up? You both already agreed to not do gifts, but she was still expecting that you would buy gifts anyways.”
Another added: “Plenty of people get temp work during the holidays in order to be able to pay for gifts. Also, she could make presents (like cookies or a little craft or something).”
Ouch.
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