“AITA For Suggesting We Lock Up The Christmas Presents After What My Niece Did Last Year?”
Having a Christmas present spoiled is a downright horrible experience. It’s even worse when the surprise is ruined for a child. Of course, most kids have questionable impulse control, so there are many who no doubt spoiled their own gifts well in advance.
A person wondered if they were in the wrong for requesting that the gifs get locked up for Christmas after an incident last year. OP’s brother’s child went and opened everything up while the family was asleep, so it seemed like a good way to make sure history wouldn’t repeat itself. That is until the brother and his wife started to protest.
Christmas is a lovely time of the year if you like surprises
Image credits: Chris Vanhove / unsplash (not the actual photo)
But one family Christmas ended up disrupted when a kid decided to open all the gifts early
Image credits: Nicole Michalou / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Alex Green / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Jazzlike-Town7686
Giving gifts at the end of the year is an older tradition than Christmas itself
Image credits: monkeybusiness / envato (not the actual photo)
As with Christmas itself, the origins of gift-giving at this time of year are from the Ancient Roman celebration of Saturnalia. For those who are unfamiliar, Christmas is just one of the older holidays that was “Christianized” to make it more acceptable than its pagan predecessors. Saturnalia was the celebration of the winter solstice, so it was simply “replaced” with the birth of Christ.
While many aspects of the holiday changed, people did retain the tradition of giving gifts that have survived into the modern day. Indeed, the gifts are such a massive part of Christmas, alongside red and gold decorations and Santa, that some complain that its “real meaning” is lost. However, its “real meaning” was already changed when Saturnalia was replaced, so the point seems moot.
Depending on what branch of Christianity one follows, the exact gift-giving day during the holiday season will vary. In some cases, one might hand over presents during early Advent, in others, you would get gifts on Saint Nicholas Day, on December 5th or 6th. So if “Molly’s” gift-opening was premature, then opening the presents nearly three weeks early might seem extreme.
The holidays are an important time for many companies’ sales
Image credits: LightFieldStudios / envato (not the actual photo)
These days, the propagation of gift-giving in media and culture does create a decent amount of pressure on parents in particular. Toy companies in particular see it as a very important time of year. In the 70s, the six weeks before Christmas would constitute up to 80% of a company’s total yearly sales.
Just twenty years ago, US shoppers would spend around $4 billion every single day during the Christmas season. After all, you are generally not going to attend a family Christmas with presents for just a select few. Indeed, this massive amount of spending is probably why many families choose to do something along the lines of a Secret Santa. This way, there is still an element of surprise, but you only have to get a handful of gifts at most.
Despite all the hullabaloo around it, research suggests that the recipients tend to be the least engaged when it comes to their gifts. One study found that 15% reported secretly not liking their gift, 25% considered regifting it and an additional 10% didn’t even remember what they got. It seems that the magic of Christmas is somewhat wasted on adults.
The excitement and surprise of getting a gift isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
Image credits: Anna_Om / envato (not the actual photo)
Interestingly, the gifts that are the least appreciated tend to be ones that rely on personal taste. This covers everything from fashion to media. So if you are concerned about a “generic” gift, chances are that it’s actually the safer option. The excitement and anticipation are also a double-edged sword. One study suggests that poorly wrapped gifts tend to be more appreciated, as their contents seem less disappointing.
So a true cynic could argue that “Molly” simply helped prevent the other kids from feeling disappointed. That being said, she also apparently damaged a gift, which doesn’t really have any excuse. OP is right to insist on better “gift security” even if Molly isn’t going to do it again. After all, kids do have terrible impulse control and, now that it’s happened once, it’s easy to see how another kid might get the same idea.
It’s also understandable that Molly’s parents are somewhat unhappy. However, it’s a blessing in disguise, because it prevents the situation from happening again. If Molly repeats her actions, that’s on them. And if another kid does the same thing this year, the parents will no doubt claim the act was “inspired” by last year.
Some readers needed a few more details
Many thought OP was right to try and avoid the same situation twice
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NTA! when I was 6 I ate all the icing from my cousin's birthday cake. Every year since all birthday cakes are locked up until the big reveal. It's a running joke in the family now and I join in with everyone else. We all have children of our own now and they too join in on the "hiding the delicious cake" Kids do stupid things sometimes but it sounds like it was handled correctly. Don't give her the same opportunity again and hopefully it'll be a new tradition that the prezzies are locked away with no one blamed and no presents damaged
They could even make a game of it then! When the kids are asleep, the adults could sneak in quietly, leave a note, and hide the gifts. It'd be a scavenger hunt! And each clue could have a present attached to it too. Man, they really missed an opportunity.
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NTA. Mindy knew better than to open any of the presents, not to mention break them. If her parents see locking up the living room as singling out their daughter, guess what? SHE was the one who opened the gifts, and SHE was the one who broke them, and no one else. So yeah, Mindy singled herself out. It would be a good idea to keep the gifts in the same room as the parents, if that's possible. Mindy, or anyone else, would not be as tempted to jump the gun.
Those parents are ruining their child by not enforcing consequences. Accountability makes functional adults. I honestly would’ve requested that someone take that child back home that very day. Not acceptable. The natural consequence of such an action is you no longer participate in the fun things that day and next Christmas you sit and watch everyone else open their presents. Might sound mean, but she needs to see what she made the other kids feel like. Maybe she can have a present the next day, but she needs to know how that feels. And a 6 yr old is smart. It’s a really bad sign that she’s already showing such manipulative behavior trying to make excuses for herself.
NTA! when I was 6 I ate all the icing from my cousin's birthday cake. Every year since all birthday cakes are locked up until the big reveal. It's a running joke in the family now and I join in with everyone else. We all have children of our own now and they too join in on the "hiding the delicious cake" Kids do stupid things sometimes but it sounds like it was handled correctly. Don't give her the same opportunity again and hopefully it'll be a new tradition that the prezzies are locked away with no one blamed and no presents damaged
They could even make a game of it then! When the kids are asleep, the adults could sneak in quietly, leave a note, and hide the gifts. It'd be a scavenger hunt! And each clue could have a present attached to it too. Man, they really missed an opportunity.
Load More Replies... NTA. Mindy knew better than to open any of the presents, not to mention break them. If her parents see locking up the living room as singling out their daughter, guess what? SHE was the one who opened the gifts, and SHE was the one who broke them, and no one else. So yeah, Mindy singled herself out. It would be a good idea to keep the gifts in the same room as the parents, if that's possible. Mindy, or anyone else, would not be as tempted to jump the gun.
Those parents are ruining their child by not enforcing consequences. Accountability makes functional adults. I honestly would’ve requested that someone take that child back home that very day. Not acceptable. The natural consequence of such an action is you no longer participate in the fun things that day and next Christmas you sit and watch everyone else open their presents. Might sound mean, but she needs to see what she made the other kids feel like. Maybe she can have a present the next day, but she needs to know how that feels. And a 6 yr old is smart. It’s a really bad sign that she’s already showing such manipulative behavior trying to make excuses for herself.
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