The person who replies about going to a hotel doesn’t seem to notice the PETTY part of the thread title.

You don’t go to a hotel over petty shit unless you’re the kind of person who has extreme reactions to small things. That’s a whole different thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom is refusing to host Christmas because I’m not speaking with my sister (we are 32 and 29 years old).

It cut off before I was done. So my grandparents are hosting Christmas, but they are ordering pizza. I’m pregnant and very emotional over this. My husband and I have decided to have our own Christmas feast.

That sucks, but I love pizza ordering grandparents!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom (65) texted me yesterday, 12/23, for gift ideas for my younger brother. I was slammed at work and finally got to get a few hours later. I sent her something I think he’ll love and her response was “it can’t get here in time!”

No shi* Mom, it’s two days before Christmas. Go to TJ Maxx and get him a head scratcher.

“Well, mom, that’s what happens when you wait until Mary’s water breaks to buy Christmas gifts.”

Visiting in-laws and there is not one comfortable seat in the living room. There is an assortment of chairs and one unbelievably lumpy, slippery sofa. It’s so odd. Buy some comfortable furniture already!

I so, so relate to this! Luckily, we are at our house this year. My ILs have literally two seating options:
1) High-backed Victorian sofa and matching wingback chair with no padding and honestly less comfortable than just sitting on the floor
2) Stupid rocking chairs with caning (no cushions)

Even they talk about how uncomfortable their sofa is. I’m like…what the hell? You bought a new coffee table, you remodeled your alread-decent kitchen, and you can’t spring for a new sofa? I will buy one for you. I’m seriously thinking of just anonymously sending them a new sofa and probably they would just deal.

When we stay over at the ILs we are in DH's and his sister's old rooms. The mattresses are at least 40 years old. Then my FIL asks me every morning, "So how'd ya sleep?" Finally I just started saying, "To be honest, I didn't sleep at all, Bob! The mattresses are 40 years old." He just looks at me goes "mmmhmmm" and MIL shuffles uncomfortably. Once I even offered to buy new mattresses and MIL was like, "But we don't need new mattresses! We hardly use them!" Agggghhhh. (I bring an air mattress now)

I can totally relate to this - we had the same issue!! It was SO UNCOMFORTABLE (and also DH slept in the basement of his parents house, so we slept in the freezing cold basement in an ancient full size bed with the original mattress from when he was a kid). When we had our second kid we lost our guest room, so offered them the queen size bed and three year old mattress. We rented a truck and drove it out there (we usually fly but this was worth it). Life is so much better when we visit them now. Now I need to figure out how to get them to buy new pillows....

Easy - gift the new pillows for the guest rooms so t"hey don't have to spend their hard earned money" (questionable in my MIL's case) on it?

My in-laws have pillows made of concrete. Everyone here loves “firm” pillows. This year I just bought myself a pillow while we were out holiday shopping. MIL looked surprised and said, “We have soft pillows!” No, you don’t but now you have at least one!

My MIL keeps the house hot AF, year round and I’m going through menopause. It’s also dusty so I’m hot and sneezing. I hate staying there but she insists.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom (65) texted me yesterday, 12/23, for gift ideas for my younger brother. I was slammed at work and finally got to get a few hours later. I sent her something I think he’ll love and her response was “it can’t get here in time!”

No shi* Mom, it’s two days before Christmas. Go to TJ Maxx and get him a head scratcher.

“Well, mom, that’s what happens when you wait until Mary’s water breaks to buy Christmas gifts.”

Visiting in-laws and there is not one comfortable seat in the living room. There is an assortment of chairs and one unbelievably lumpy, slippery sofa. It’s so odd. Buy some comfortable furniture already!

I so, so relate to this! Luckily, we are at our house this year. My ILs have literally two seating options:
1) High-backed Victorian sofa and matching wingback chair with no padding and honestly less comfortable than just sitting on the floor
2) Stupid rocking chairs with caning (no cushions)

Even they talk about how uncomfortable their sofa is. I’m like…what the hell? You bought a new coffee table, you remodeled your alread-decent kitchen, and you can’t spring for a new sofa? I will buy one for you. I’m seriously thinking of just anonymously sending them a new sofa and probably they would just deal.

When we stay over at the ILs we are in DH's and his sister's old rooms. The mattresses are at least 40 years old. Then my FIL asks me every morning, "So how'd ya sleep?" Finally I just started saying, "To be honest, I didn't sleep at all, Bob! The mattresses are 40 years old." He just looks at me goes "mmmhmmm" and MIL shuffles uncomfortably. Once I even offered to buy new mattresses and MIL was like, "But we don't need new mattresses! We hardly use them!" Agggghhhh. (I bring an air mattress now)

I can totally relate to this - we had the same issue!! It was SO UNCOMFORTABLE (and also DH slept in the basement of his parents house, so we slept in the freezing cold basement in an ancient full size bed with the original mattress from when he was a kid). When we had our second kid we lost our guest room, so offered them the queen size bed and three year old mattress. We rented a truck and drove it out there (we usually fly but this was worth it). Life is so much better when we visit them now. Now I need to figure out how to get them to buy new pillows....

Easy - gift the new pillows for the guest rooms so t"hey don't have to spend their hard earned money" (questionable in my MIL's case) on it?

Anonymous wrote:DH’s parents insist on mashed rutabaga in addition to all the actual good sides of a turkey dinner, so my house presently smells like dirt and ass.

This is perfection for this thread.

Anonymous wrote:My parents have a big house. It used to be a small house built in the 1950's but they added several additions over the decades and now it had a large bizarre layout (some rooms have 2 doors, the kitchen is small and closed, there are 3 living rooms). But anyway, my petty vent is that they keep the heat at 66F to conserve energy. Today DH put the kids in long underwear to play inside.

Hah! I am 37 and keep the house at 59-61. If we crank it to 64, we are living large!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re at my SIL’s. I’m a coffee addict and usually power up with several shots of espresso during the first couple hours of the morning. SIL has two options for coffee: (1) single-cup pour over, which takes 7 minutes start to finish for one measly cup at a time, or (2) a $900 espresso machine you need an engineering degree to operate. I feel like the Goldilocks of coffee.

I am hard pressed to understand your complaint, unless it is, "I am too dumb to operate a coffee machine."

Seriously, Google and/or YouTube are your friends.

Same with washer/dryer family. It’s not that hard.

PP with the washer and dryer situation, we found your sibling!

PS “operating” an espresso machine is in no way similar to installing a washer and dryer. Good for you that you think it’s NBD, but for many of us it would be. When we got ours installed a few years later, not only did it take an hour plus, but they had to come back for a second time because there was some sort of an issue. Can’t imagine not paying 30 bucks instead of having to deal with that.

But OP DID pay the $29 - her MIL still refused the installation!! That's the worst part!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom (65) texted me yesterday, 12/23, for gift ideas for my younger brother. I was slammed at work and finally got to get a few hours later. I sent her something I think he’ll love and her response was “it can’t get here in time!”

No shi* Mom, it’s two days before Christmas. Go to TJ Maxx and get him a head scratcher.

“Well, mom, that’s what happens when you wait until Mary’s water breaks to buy Christmas gifts.”

Visiting in-laws and there is not one comfortable seat in the living room. There is an assortment of chairs and one unbelievably lumpy, slippery sofa. It’s so odd. Buy some comfortable furniture already!

I so, so relate to this! Luckily, we are at our house this year. My ILs have literally two seating options:
1) High-backed Victorian sofa and matching wingback chair with no padding and honestly less comfortable than just sitting on the floor
2) Stupid rocking chairs with caning (no cushions)

Even they talk about how uncomfortable their sofa is. I’m like…what the hell? You bought a new coffee table, you remodeled your alread-decent kitchen, and you can’t spring for a new sofa? I will buy one for you. I’m seriously thinking of just anonymously sending them a new sofa and probably they would just deal.

When we stay over at the ILs we are in DH's and his sister's old rooms. The mattresses are at least 40 years old. Then my FIL asks me every morning, "So how'd ya sleep?" Finally I just started saying, "To be honest, I didn't sleep at all, Bob! The mattresses are 40 years old." He just looks at me goes "mmmhmmm" and MIL shuffles uncomfortably. Once I even offered to buy new mattresses and MIL was like, "But we don't need new mattresses! We hardly use them!" Agggghhhh. (I bring an air mattress now)

I can totally relate to this - we had the same issue!! It was SO UNCOMFORTABLE (and also DH slept in the basement of his parents house, so we slept in the freezing cold basement in an ancient full size bed with the original mattress from when he was a kid). When we had our second kid we lost our guest room, so offered them the queen size bed and three year old mattress. We rented a truck and drove it out there (we usually fly but this was worth it). Life is so much better when we visit them now. Now I need to figure out how to get them to buy new pillows....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not spending the holidays this year with my large, very loud, and very argumentative family (that I love but drive me crazy) this year due to DH work conflicts, and was really looking forward to a nice chill nuclear family Christmas with my DH and teens but all my siblings are calling and texting me incessantly to share THEIR petty vents about the other siblings, their spouses, and our parents. So I’m getting second hand drama from 2000 miles away when all I want to do is watch tv and drink cocoa in peace.

I don’t know if your phone works the same way mine does, but I have to press the green button to talk to people who call. Like if I’m in the middle of my Law & Order marathon of shows that I can practically recite by heart, I just don’t hit that button. Then I call back later, if I want. Try it. See if it works on your phone that way.

I just added “tiresomely unfunny DCUM posters” to my list of petty holiday vents. How is it that you have you come to be laboring under the misimpression that you are at all capable of witty repartee?

It just comes to me. It’s a gift! 😘

NP. I thought it was funny!

DP: me too.

“Har har there’s this thing called the “answer” button” objectively is not clever, fresh, or funny. It’s about as predictable and lazy of an attempt at humor one could come up with. If you find this funny, you immediately fail my IQ test and I will hit decline on your tiresome calls and maneuver away from you at the holiday office party.

Also, I did not ask for your advice on this, a “petty vents” thread. And people who offer unsolicited advice, particularly unsolicited wrapped in a passive aggressive attempt at being funny, are a special breed of tiresome.

Funny how you're also ruining/derailing the fun petty vents thread with your annoying complaints.

Anonymous wrote:My parents have a big house. It used to be a small house built in the 1950's but they added several additions over the decades and now it had a large bizarre layout (some rooms have 2 doors, the kitchen is small and closed, there are 3 living rooms). But anyway, my petty vent is that they keep the heat at 66F to conserve energy. Today DH put the kids in long underwear to play inside.

Yes - we're heading to my in-laws for a few days tomorrow afternoon and this is what I am least looking forward to!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We’re at my SIL’s. I’m a coffee addict and usually power up with several shots of espresso during the first couple hours of the morning. SIL has two options for coffee: (1) single-cup pour over, which takes 7 minutes start to finish for one measly cup at a time, or (2) a $900 espresso machine you need an engineering degree to operate. I feel like the Goldilocks of coffee.

I am hard pressed to understand your complaint, unless it is, "I am too dumb to operate a coffee machine."

Seriously, Google and/or YouTube are your friends.

Same with washer/dryer family. It’s not that hard.

PP with the washer and dryer situation, we found your sibling!

PS “operating” an espresso machine is in no way similar to installing a washer and dryer. Good for you that you think it’s NBD, but for many of us it would be. When we got ours installed a few years later, not only did it take an hour plus, but they had to come back for a second time because there was some sort of an issue. Can’t imagine not paying 30 bucks instead of having to deal with that.

My sister cannot say no to her children. My doom is dying, we’re trying to have hard conversations about DNR orders and hospice nurses, and in the middle of all that my 7 year old niece will come in and demand to show us gymnastic moves or sit in the middle of the group playing loud games on her iPad and instead of telling her grown ups are talking and to make herself scarce, sister meekly tries to redirect niece then let’s her do whatever she wants. And she’ll also say to her kids “oh, I’m sure your auntie wants to go read you bedtime stories now” the second I finally sit down with a glass of wine after cleaning her kitchen. I always feel like the mean aunt to her kids, which is not an issue I have with any of my other nieces and nephews.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom (65) texted me yesterday, 12/23, for gift ideas for my younger brother. I was slammed at work and finally got to get a few hours later. I sent her something I think he’ll love and her response was “it can’t get here in time!”

No shi* Mom, it’s two days before Christmas. Go to TJ Maxx and get him a head scratcher.

“Well, mom, that’s what happens when you wait until Mary’s water breaks to buy Christmas gifts.”

Visiting in-laws and there is not one comfortable seat in the living room. There is an assortment of chairs and one unbelievably lumpy, slippery sofa. It’s so odd. Buy some comfortable furniture already!

Anonymous wrote:Dying at the food vents. My own aunt brought a third of a Domino's pizza, frozen God knows how long ago. Container of cottage cheese that is nearly empty. Half sleeve of saltine crackers. Tiny amount of milk " for my coffee". Several hard boiled eggs. We would be happy to provide this stuff!!

Love this PP I am laughing so hard at the old frozen partial pizza. Just broke it out for this special occasion I see!