Man gives into daughter's demands and gives her his wife's long-awaited Christmas present, wife leaves them both stranded at a gas station in retaliation

Author image for Ely Bulnes
Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Jan 5, 2025 5:00 PM EST

Welcome, tea-spillers of the internet. You know how in Santa-themed Christmas movies the adults somehow don't seem to be bothered that every year, several gifts that they did not buy suddenly appear under the Christmas tree on December 25th? It might seem like an unrealistic trope now that we know how much money and effort goes into getting "Santa's presents" for the kids. However, it is true that a lot of the Christmas magic done by mothers goes unnoticed. Sadly, many mommas find that while everyone's stocking is fully stuffed come Christmas morning, theirs is empty unless they decided to fill it themselves. 

In our story today, our protagonist, like many other mothers during the holidays, must take control if she wants to experience some Christmas magic. She communicates clearly with her husband the exact purse that she expects to receive, and even pitches in financially for her own gift. However, the only surprise she gets on the special day is seeing her ungrateful stepdaughter strut around with the purse that she manipulated her father into giving her. Get all the details down below. 

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  • 01
    "She left me hateful message about leaving her daughter stranded because I was jealous that her father bought her a new purse. I told her she had been told a lie and informed her of the truth. That in fact her father did not buy her a new purse, he bought me a new purse."
    via Alexthq
  • 02
    r/AITAH u/Defiant-Mariposa • 1d AITAH For leaving my husband and stepdaughter stranded on Christmas when I found out he gave her my big Christmas gift?
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa
  • 03
    My husband M(41M) is the worst at gift giving. We have been together over 3 years and after the 1st year of not receiving anything for my birthday, anniversary, Christmas, Valentines Mother's Day was the last straw after being told I wasn't his mother. I decided to start matching energy.
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    This man already sounds exhausting and entitled.

  • 04
    Father's Day came and I was gone all day when normally I would have put together a big lunch/ dinner and drive 30/45 minutes to go get his daughter A (now 16) so they could spend the day together. He called me in the afternoon and I was polite but not initiating conversation. He asked me when I was picking up his daughter and I replied I had plans and wasn't aware that I was supposed to pick her up since nothing was communicated to me. When he responded with it's Fathers Day I used his response
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    That comeback was incredibly cold! Nicely done!

  • 05
    I had anticipated him getting upset and knew a constructive conversation would not be had so when he started to raise his voice I told him check the table and hung up. I had left a letter to him communicating how much I was hurt about going out of my way for him and to not have any sort of reciprocation. He called me later and said he would try to be better and work on it. (I ended up going to get his daughter during the week so they could enjoy a dinner together.) Background info- he drives big
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    Well, at this point it looks like he's open to change. Let's keep scrolling and see how this story develops.

  • 06
    He's been better about the gifts, it's more of go pick something out and I will pay for it which I really don't mind. He does the same thing with his daughter. I do all the shopping for his family gifts when it comes to birthdays and Holidays. Cut to a week before Christmas and I wake up to my favorite coffee drink and my husband taking me to out to eat for breakfast followed by a trip to the mall to pick out my Christmas gift. I rarely splurge on myself
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    Okay, it seems like he learned a thing or two about our protagonist's love language.

  • 07
    when it comes to purses and clothes. I have a preteen son from my first marriage so I tend to be more practical on myself and spend on him for his birthday and Christmas. My stepdaughter however is very materialistic and always is asking for money or something expensive and between her father and his family and her mother and her family and her stepfather she always gets it.
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    Is the Wicked Stepmother a trope as well?

  • 08
    I had been repeatedly saying out loud that I needed a new purse since mine was hanging on by a thread and had decided to invest in a good designer handbag. I started saving money and looking online for my new dream purse. So imagine my surprise and excitement when we get to the department store and I see they have my dream purse in stock.
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa
  • 09
    My husband sort of gave a look when he saw the price and I told him I could contribute and explained how I had been saving so I could save enough to get this purse that I had been dreaming about for months. He shook his head and said I deserved it and he would get it for me but also gave me the expectation that since he was getting me this he really couldn't afford to get me anything else. I screamed with delight and told him that was ok I didn't need anything else.
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa
  • 10
    With that taken care of my husband asked me if it was ok to go get his daughter and take her Christmas shopping. I had tons to do at home in preparation for the holiday so this worked out so I could have the house empty to get what I needed done. I was reaching to get my new purse when we arrived home and he said for me to leave it because he had another gift he had previously purchased for me that he was going to put inside the purse for me to open on Christmas. I was on Cloud 9 so I kissed him
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa
  • 11
    I hosted Christmas Eve at my house with my family and Christmas Day I slept in tired from the night before and woke up with enough time to brush my teeth before we headed out to go get his daughter then drive to spend the day at his mothers house. I fell asleep on the drive and woke up after his daughter was picked up and we were already in route to his moms. I turned around to greet his
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa
  • 12
    daughter and that's when I saw her rummaging and holding my new purse!!! Where did you get that purse? I asked her and the car fell completely silent. I looked at my husband and he stayed silent with both hands on the wheel looking straight ahead. I asked her again this time in a louder more stern tone. She looked down and quietly mumbled "my dad gave it to me."
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    Based on her reaction, it sounds like the daughter knew she was in the wrong. 

  • 13
    YOU WHAT!!! I screamed!!!!! How would you think it was ok to give her my new purse!!!! He told me to calm down and I cut him off and screamed No and then turned back to his daughter and told her that her father had no right to give her my purse and that she needed to give it back to which she refused. I could feel my anger raging then subsiding to a
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    Hold on — is this the same purse that she personally paid for in part?

  • 14
    feeling of sadness and complete defeat. I put my coat over my head and leaned against the window trying to cover my face and mouth as tears started running down my cheeks. My husband pulled over at the next gas station and his daughter bolted out taking the purse with her. He tried to comfort me to which I slapped his hand away and told him not to touch me and gave him a look of disgust.
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    She communicated exactly what she wanted, and he failed to deliver.

  • 15
    He informed me that after he dropped me off that day he picked up his daughter took her shopping and on the way taking her home she noticed the bag and saw the purse. She begged and pleaded with him to please let her have it. She reminded him about all the times he never got her a gift and how giving her this purse would make up for it and that played on his heart and he finally caved and gave her my purse. He tried to say he was going to make it up to me and I asked him how knowing it was
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    This would have been a great opportunity to teach his daughter that begging and pleading don't always get you what you want. I mean, what is she — five?

  • 16
    impossible. He already spent his money and made it clear that he wasn't going to have money to buy me anything else. I couldn't help but get upset as I tried to get him to understand how hurt I felt and how it's not like she was suffering with her getting to open presents from her mother and stepfather plus gifts from their family along with the gifts she was going to get from his family and that he already spent money on her for her Christmas presents and that was my one gift.
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa
  • 17
    I know Christmas is not about getting presents but I was extremely upset that my husband could be so thoughtless and not consider the amount of pain this was going to cause me. His phone rang and it was his daughter calling from inside asking him to come inside because she needed money to buy something. As he was walking into the store I looked back and tears began to fill my eyes as I saw all the gifts I picked out for his family with care. Something came over me and i stopped crying and got ou
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    Putting your children before your partner is usually sound advice, but you should never treat your partner as less than human.

  • 18
    got in the drivers seat and wiped my face and peeled out of the gas station parking lot leaving my husband and stepdaughter behind. I turned my phone off and drove back to town and spent the day with my family at my cousins house and stayed with them not returning any of my husbands phone calls and not returning home until late following day.
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa

    Boss move.

  • 19
    The only phone call I did return was the one from my stepdaughter's mother to set her straight after she left me a hateful message about leaving her daughter stranded because I was jealous her father bought her a new purse. I told her she had been told a lie and informed her of the truth. That in fact her father did not buy her a new purse he bought me a new purse and she played on her father's emotions after he had already bought her expensive items from her Christmas list to guilt him to givin
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa
  • 20
    I found out through my SIL that my husband's brother went to go get them and the story came out later that evening. His mother is on his side while his brother & SIL and other aunts and uncles sided with me and got onto his daughter. I have not spoken to his daughter since Christmas and things are unsettling at home. I have become more distant from my husband and when I make dinner I don't serve him a plate, I serve only my son and myself
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa
  • 21
    and I only engage in conversation with my son. He's tried to reach for me at night when we are in bed and I always end up crying. I am not angry or mad I just feel nothingness. He's back on the road and I do miss him but I can't shake the feeling of how he let me down and I cannot hide my looks of disappointment. Looking to see what others have to say about the situation. û 21.5k 5,917 1 D
    via u/Defiant-Mariposa
  • 22
    Worried Turnip6458 • 1d The way he has continually ignored you on all major events and milestones, and then gave away your first actual gift (that you had to choose and partially pay for), is appalling. NTA Does he even want a wife? He doesnt sound like he cares for you at all. Reply 2 8.3k
    via u/WorriedTurnip6458

    Homegirl should get her money back!

  • 23
    Qwillpen1912. 1d This was my thought. Did he still expect you were going to chip in for this? What an a . I would have left his thing on the lawn. Or better yet, sold them all and bought the purse. 2k
    via u/Qwillpen1912
  • 24
    ohjasminee 1d Straight up sounds like he only got married to have a personal assistant good grief. This lady is an employee, and a poorly treated one at that. 1.3k
    via u/ohjasminee
  • 25
    Kamena90 1d That's the thing that gets me. If she did pay for part of it he had no right whatsoever to give it to anyone else. She should get the money back at the very least. NTA 461
    via u/Kamena90
  • 26
    Chaoticgood790 • 1d Imagine begging for scraps from this useless dude. You had to BEG for him to acknowledge you, do the bare minimum and get you a gift. That he readily gave to his daughter. Did he end up getting you anything after? Probably not. In 2025 I hope you find the dignity to stop begging for your husband to give a sh Reply 45.8k
    via u/Chaoticgood790
  • 27
    sfrancisch5842 . 1d NTA. But why are you in this marriage? You don't matter to your husband. Period. Reply 113.4k
    via u/sfrancisch5842
  • 28
    Ο Spoonbowl1324 • 1d Exactly, you deserve respect and consideration. His actions go beyond the purse-it's about how he treats you." 3.1k
    via u/Spoonbowl1324

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