GROW UP!
Santa stops at houses all over the world but not at the grandparents house?
You have a Grinch heart!

I could have written this post a few years ago about my own mother. We weren't as well off financially and we did Christmas Eve dinner at my parents' house. She went all out in a way we couldn't possibly. My DD was too young to actually remember this but it put a huge rain cloud over my day. I felt that she was trying to have a redo on those experiences since my parents were immigrants and didn't have much until they got established and landed higher paying jobs. I feel for you, OP.

Totally normal because granny thinks she’s the matriarch/center of the universe. My MIL signed her gifts from Santa the first Christmas we spent there even though she knew we were doing our own Christmas at home afterwards. I shut that down FAST, however she still INSISTS on Santa filling a stocking every year. Thankfully it’s just candy and other junk. OP make her stop now.

OP, it is clear from the answers already received that what your MIL did is not universally abnormal. Many people have memories of santa visiting multiple houses.

She isn't "overstepping" or violating boundaries unless you have TOLD her that you have this boundary or told her not to do something. People seem to get so confused about that...

Anonymous wrote:No, it’s not normal, and I would shut that down fast. She had her turn to be Santa. Tell her on no uncertain terms that Santa is you and DH, end of list.

+1 She had her turn and now it is yours. My MIL does this as well. It gets tricky when Santa brings more or more expensive gifts to MIL's house...

Would have been lovely had MIL communicated intentions in advance then any and all family members could play Santa.

Anonymous wrote:It isn’t normal, but it also isn’t a particularly big deal. If it doesn’t bother your spouse, let it go. If it bothers your spouse, let them handle it.

Clearly it bothers OP. Which isn’t normal. But I digress.

Np, You are trying your hardest to find fault with your MIL. This is a ridiculous post 🙄

Both my mother and my aunt, in France and the USA, have told this to my kids in anticipation of a Christmas-adjacent visit.

It’s sweet of them.

I can’t imagine ever being so possessive and jealous as to be perturbed by such innocent, child-friendly, conversation.

Seriously. You are the problem here, OP.

Anonymous wrote:You are f’ing ridiculous.

Yep. Just wow. Not reading any further in that thread!!

Definitely not normal. Why can't these grannies move on from being parents of kids?

I had Santa leave me presents at my house and also at my grandmas. I loved it!

Team DIL!

Overstepping. Grandma doesn’t get to play Santa unless and until you give permission. My ILs insisted for years that they were going to “outdo” our gift-giving to our DC and they did in an obnoxious way. We were all local. DH never wanted to get involved and so for years DC learned that the grandparents would give them piles of toys and gifts to unwrap whereas mom and dad would give a few meaningful gifts.

The gift giving was so excessive that my DC couldn’t keep track, much less remember the many gifts they got from grandparents, so I’d haul all home and slowly distribute back to them only if they asked where a particular something was.
At the 3 month mark, whatever remained was donated to charity. Mean maybe but was my way of decluttering and handling the situation.

Anonymous wrote:Those of you hating on the OP clearly don’t have a MIL who has overstepped. I am firmly Team OP here. My MIL has gone so overboard buying gifts for my only child that it amounted to thousands of dollars, making our “normal” Christmas presents look paltry in comparison. There does not need to be such excess, MIL has had the chance to play Santa. She does not need to make it a big deal and instead should just give a few gifts from Grandma. Give me a break.

MIL may overstep in other areas, but I wouldn’t consider this overstepping. It’s Santa. Why can’t Santa come to the house where you’re spending Christmas? I think OP is resentful for other reasons, because this alone seems so minor.

OP, you know Santa is not real, right?