She Returned the Birthday Gift Her Mother-in-Law Gave Her After Finding Out it Was a Way To Ensure She Would Host Thanksgiving
A woman opened a stand mixer from her mother-in-law on her birthday and was genuinely touched by the gift. Then her mother-in-law announced that she now had no excuse not to host Thanksgiving, and the next morning, 12 relatives were told the holiday was at her place.
She never agreed to host. By the end of the weekend, she’d returned the mixer, backed out of the plans in the group chat, and learned there was a painful reason behind it that her husband had known about for weeks.
A Stand Mixer on Her Birthday
Her birthday was on Thursday, and her mother-in-law gave her a stand mixer. It was a thoughtful gift, and she could tell real care had gone into choosing it.
Stand mixers aren’t cheap. A good one can easily cost a few hundred dollars, which made the gift feel even more generous at first.
No Excuse Not to Host
Right after she opened it, her mother-in-law said that now she had no excuse not to host Thanksgiving. The table went silent.
She laughed it off in the moment. It seemed like an awkward joke, and she didn’t want to make the birthday dinner tense.
A Group Text to 12 People
The next morning, her mother-in-law sent a group text to about 12 people. It said Thanksgiving would be at the couple’s place this year and asked everyone to share what sides they’d be bringing.
She hadn’t agreed to anything. Suddenly, a holiday she’d never planned to host had been announced to the whole family.
A Two-Bedroom Apartment
She and her husband live in a two-bedroom apartment with a tiny kitchen. It barely fits two people, and only if one of them turns sideways.
In six years of marriage, she’s never hosted a family gathering. Her usual contribution has been a store-bought pie, which she freely admits.
Her mother-in-law’s home is set up for exactly this kind of event. It has a dining room, a full kitchen, and enough seating for 14 people, and she’s hosted Thanksgiving there every year since the couple married.
The Cost of Feeding a Crowd
Hosting Thanksgiving for a dozen or more people isn’t just about space. Between the turkey, extra groceries, drinks, and supplies, the cost can easily climb into the hundreds of dollars, even with guests bringing sides.
In a small apartment, there would also be extra expenses for folding tables, chairs, serving dishes, and other things a larger home might already have. For a couple who’s never hosted, those costs would be starting from scratch.
A Gift With a Plan Behind It
She texted her mother-in-law to say she’d never agreed to host. Her mother-in-law replied that it was already done and everyone was excited, which felt like a challenge to cancel on the whole family.
That evening, her husband admitted his mom had brought the idea up with him weeks before her birthday. The mixer had been bought specifically so she couldn’t say she didn’t have the right equipment.
A Mixer Returned
On Saturday, she drove to her mother-in-law’s house and gave the mixer back. She thanked her but said she couldn’t keep a gift that came with that kind of condition attached.
Her mother-in-law was crying when she left. At home, she replied in the group text that she and her husband wouldn’t be hosting and that she’d never agreed to it.
By that night, her mother-in-law had called her husband’s side of the family and told them she’d thrown the gift back in her face. The situation had grown much bigger than a birthday present.
The First Thanksgiving Without Him
Then her husband shared the part he’d left out. Her father-in-law passed away in March, and this will be the first Thanksgiving without him, which is why his mom can’t bear to sit at her own table this year.
Now her mother-in-law says she won’t do Thanksgiving at all unless it’s at the couple’s home. Her husband believes his wife could have given his mom this one year, but she keeps coming back to one thought, which is that her mother-in-law could have just asked, and she’s left wondering whether knowing the truth sooner would have changed everything.
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