Can I get rid of this sentimental thing from MIL?

[Anonymous]

MIL collects trinkets. Has curio cabinets full of things that, to me, are tacky. Star trek figurines, little model cars, fairys, etc. She had this display of porcelain teddy bears dressed as sailors in various poses. There are like 50 of them. She gave them to us about 10 years ago... these boxes have followed us as we moved around the country. At this point these bears are an inside joke between DH and I. I will never display them. I hate knick knacks. MIL will occasionally ask about things she has given us... things that have meaning to her but none to us. I am going through the basement decluttering today... can I at long last get rid of these bears? If I offer them back to her she will be really offended... if I get rid of them and she finds out... really offended.

[Anonymous]

Keep 2 or 3 that you can "display" in your basement, a kid's room, etc., and donate the rest.

[Anonymous]

Eh it's one box. Unless you live in really cramped quarters I'd say keep them

[Anonymous]

Keeping one box of little bears is not a big deal.
Getting rid of it, hurting MIL's feelings, biiiigg deal.
To me the inconvenience is not worth the trouble if a family fight.

[Anonymous]

How old is mil?

[Anonymous]

It probably doesn't matter. If you get rid of them, how would she find out? Has she ever asked about them?

[Anonymous]

Take a step back and quick iinternal inventory: do you hear how mean spirited you sound?

And pro tip. Between DH and ME, not I.

[Anonymous]

You know, it's amazing how many things have broken/gotten lost in moves over the the years. Such a shame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know, it's amazing how many things have broken/gotten lost in moves over the the years. Such a shame.

Same.

[Anonymous]

Keep the box. Maybe one of your kids will want them to remind them of her one day. It is one box.

[Anonymous]

Give it to Goodwill. Someone will love them.

And I don't understand why some posters are being mean. It's one box, but if you start thinking like that for everything, your house quickly becomes unlivable, particularly for people in normal-sized houses, not McMansions.

In the future, resist all similar gifts!

[Anonymous]

Other people's hoarding compulsion is not my problem. My kids will never be left with boxes of crap like my ILs are leaving behind for us to deal with.

The "display 2, then toss the rest" suggestion is a nice compromise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know, it's amazing how many things have broken/gotten lost in moves over the the years. Such a shame.

Same.

Yep. If they mean so much to her, why are they with you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Give it to Goodwill. Someone will love them.

And I don't understand why some posters are being mean. It's one box, but if you start thinking like that for everything, your house quickly becomes unlivable, particularly for people in normal-sized houses, not McMansions.

In the future, resist all similar gifts!

This is one box of something from husbands mother. We are not talking about a literal box of garbage, or college texts books or other crap we all hang on to. how big could this one box possibly be?
One day in the hopefully distant future OP's DH might like to pull them out and think about his mom.

Unless everything else OP owns is 100 percent useful I don't see the harm in keeping this one box.

[Anonymous]

Have you talked to your husband about it? I think you should keep a few to display and call mil to give the rest back to her.