Dear Blake,
My sister-in-law emailed me Christmas lists for my niece and nephew. I didn’t ask for them, nor did I request gift ideas for her children. In fact, I haven’t seen my sister-in-law in more than six months. Of course I will be giving gifts to both my nephew and niece, but I think it was awfully presumptuous of her to just send a link via email. How can I respond to this in the future? Should I just let it go? Am I wrong in thinking that it was poor etiquette on her part?
Signed, Kristina
From Oak Park, Illinois
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Dear Kristina,
Your sister-in-law’s strong arm tactic, crosses a line in my opinion. And because she did that, you should respond as if you have a secret crush on the Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge. Ok, here are some of my suggestions. If the children are young enough to still believe in Santa Claus, tell them that if they don’t get the gifts that they want, they should behave better the following year, and possibly get removed from the “naughty” list. Or, tell the kids what you want from them for Christmas is “cash”, and make sure the amount your ask for is the exact amount that you’re spending on them, thus you’ll break even. Or maybe this idea. Tell her to set up a time when you can swap gifts with her kids, after you have given her kids your list. If the kids say they didn’t get you anything, tell them you’ll continue to change the swap date until those two tightwads have made the purchases. And if none of those work, this last idea will. Throughout the year, try to make as many friends that you can, and then request to be a godmother to their kids. By the end of the year, try to have a least 20 godchildren. Then tell your sister-in-law that you love them like they are biologically your own, and then hand her “their” list. If she seems reluctant buy them all something, accuse her of being insensitive and an unfit mother. And as you walk with your back to her, you can heave a sigh of relief, and then call the local child protection services and try to get her kids taken away. I hope this helps.
Blake