In anticipation of a hearty Thanksgiving celebration, the woman carefully organized a feast filled with love, tradition, and a dash of innovation. With a dedicated month-long effort, she put her heart into putting together an elaborate menu, carefully selecting and testing recipes to perfection. Her excitement was palpable as she envisioned sharing this culinary labor of love with her precious family and friends.
But the joyous anticipation surrounding the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner took an unexpected turn when her husband dropped a bombshell. Just as she was reveling in the culmination of her preparations, he revealed that his mother had insisted on bringing her own food to the gathering. The revelation casts a cloud of confusion and disappointment over the carefully planned festivities.
An anonymous contributor shared her story on “AITA” on Reddit on November 23, 2022. That year, the 32-year-old intended to celebrate Thanksgiving at her home. She created the meal and tested her recipes for a month. She was excited to share her food with her family and felt excited.
Her husband of 35 years provided assistance and support throughout the planning and preparation process. She prepared a beautiful array of dishes with some unusual and classic favorites and all the ingredients were bought.
The surprising revelation of her husband
Her husband revealed the surprise on the day the woman shared her story on Reddit, claiming his mother had asked to bring her own food when she visited. The woman was confused and wondered why she had to go to a restaurant when she had plenty of home-cooked meals.
Her husband responded by calling her vile and reckless and accusing her of ruining the holiday.
Her mother was described by her husband as a “grade A picky eater” who would “not like” anything the woman did, which served as justification. She found this logic absurd and countered that her menu was well-known and had many options. Despite her protests, he considered her mother bringing dinner from scratch a “good compromise.”
The woman objected, thinking it would be a clear criticism of her cooking, humiliating her mother-in-law by eating something completely different in front of everyone and implying that her cooking was sub-par.
Considering the time, money, and effort her mother-in-law had put into preparing the upcoming dinner, the woman found her request extremely rude and insulting. Angry, she told her husband that his mother could eat whatever she wanted at home if she could not eat anything at their home.
Her husband responded by calling her vile and reckless and accusing her of ruining the holiday. But the woman had a different opinion. She just wanted the company of grateful and loving friends and family, not the criticism of someone who, after all her hard work, would not accept her efforts and even call her a bad cook.
The woman happily took on the task of preparing Thanksgiving for her family and friends, seeing it as a true labor of love. If her MIL was going to reject everything she planned, then maybe she should have been the one to say no.
Thanksgiving Lunch Menu
The woman answered questions and revealed the Thanksgiving meal she was going to serve. It featured a number of classic dishes such as creamy mashed potatoes, stuffing, and roast turkey.
As typical accompaniments to these main dishes, she planned to serve potatoes au gratin, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce.
She created Roasted Pumpkin with Goat Cheese, Handmade Apple Butter Rolls, and Roasted Carrots for fun. Savory selections included braised short ribs and honey ham, while unusual dishes such as stuffed mushrooms, special lasagna with white sauce and spinach, bacon, and feta pies rounded out the feast.
The dessert menu was designed to include apple pie, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie to satiate those with a sweet tooth. The woman expressed her shock and asked how her mother-in-law could not eat anything from such a large menu.
A woman’s last choice
The woman updated her original post to thank everyone for their thoughts and express gratitude for the many responses. Although she admitted that she was offended by this, she decided to “kill her with kindness” after thinking about the answer.
She was tired and overwhelmed, but her first goal was to make sure everyone had the best Thanksgiving ever. She intended to let her mother-in-law know she was welcome and ignore any negative comments to focus on her other visitors.
For the sake of her family, the woman decided to be the bigger person and refused to let her MIL ruin her day. She acknowledged that her inner annoyance might not go away, but she was still optimistic that her mother-in-law would try something new and find pleasure in it. However, she assured me that things would be fine even though her MIL would not like anything.
How do Redditors feel?
Do you think the woman handled things correctly? Even though her MIL was making her miserable, should she have invited her instead of leaving her out for Thanksgiving dinner?
A Thanksgiving story shared by a woman on Reddit’s “AITA” forum stirred a pot of family tension and culinary expectations. This story revolved around a carefully planned Thanksgiving dinner that unexpectedly faced upheaval when the woman’s husband revealed the mother’s intention to bring her own food to the gathering.
This revelation left the woman feeling confused and disheartened as she had put considerable time, effort, and love into preparing an extensive and varied menu. Her husband’s explanation of his mother being a “picky eater” further soured the mood and created conflict over the dynamics of the Thanksgiving holiday.
The woman found herself torn between maintaining her efforts and conforming to her mother-in-law’s preferences. Frustrations mounted, leading to heated exchanges between the woman and her husband, resulting in accusations of disrupting the holiday.
Despite feeling offended, the woman decided to take the high road and prioritize a harmonious Thanksgiving gathering for her family and friends. Deciding to “kill her with kindness,” she decided not to let any criticism of her mother-in-law overshadow the celebrations.
Carefully planned and featuring a mix of traditional and unique dishes, her menu reflected her commitment and passion for the occasion. However, an unexpected turn of events caused her to question her mother-in-law’s expected reluctance to participate in the bidding.
In her latest update, the woman expressed her gratitude for the advice she received and acknowledged her decision to rise above the conflict for the sake of an enjoyable Thanksgiving for all involved. Her goal was to create a welcoming environment for her mother-in-law and hope that despite all the reservations, the meeting would be successful.
Redditors weighed in with different opinions, with some favoring the woman’s decision to prioritize harmony, while others questioned the mother-in-law’s stance and suggested different approaches to resolving the conflict.
In the end, a woman’s willingness to prioritize family unity despite personal disappointment resonated with many. Her decision to extend grace and foster a positive environment reflected a commitment to family bonds instead of discord and embodied the spirit of Thanksgiving in its truest sense.