Update: 6 siblings inform family potluck host that they won't be bringing a dish, 1 hour before event: 'I had already spent so much time and money on the food I prepared'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Dec 25, 2025 11:00 AM EST

Family traditions might be on the brink of a big change for this family, in which 6 of the 7 siblings planned to show up empty-handed to a potluck meal. 

A good family meal is a wonderful thing. Oftentimes, even when the meal isn't specifically a potluck, everyone will contribute a little something. Maybe one person brings green beans, one person brings cake, and someone else brings mashed potatoes. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just enough food to feed your loved ones. That way, one person isn't stuck with the formidable task of cooking for a couple dozen people! It just distributes the work amongst the attendees. 

Sometimes, though, you just simply do not want to cook a single morsel. It's the holiday season, you're tired and overworked and your fingers are aching from wrapping presents for the kids. So instead, you could go out to the store and get some premade food and put it in a dish to take to the family get-together. It's not a perfect solution, but you could just tell people it's homemade if you want to, and probably no one will question it. You might even get some compliments on it! 

Perhaps the worst option, though, is to commit to an event where you're expected to bring a dish, and then back out at the last minute. I think the host would rather you be 20 minutes late so that you can rush to the grocery store to get your assigned food, instead of just showing up empty-handed. 

As this sibling shared, not 1, not 2, but all 6 of their siblings bailed on this potluck dinner at the last minute. I definitely feel for this person who tried to arrange the dinner, only to be left with nothing to feed their family members. But perhaps this big of a failure is a redirection — maybe they should just get pizzas next year, instead of requesting that all these reluctant cooks spend hours in the kitchen. It's okay to make your own traditions, even if they don't match the traditions you grew up with. Or, you could have a potluck where everyone is encouraged to just bring precooked food. Or, you could have every sibling Venmo you some money to get a meal catered. There are so many options that allow a family to still gather and have a wonderful time together, but also alleviate any burden of cooking and all the prep that goes with it. 

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  • 01
    Woman in red shirt with hand on hip stands in front of table covered in plates of food
    via Daria Trofimova on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    I host the holidays for my 6 siblings, significant others and me. This year I cooked the entire Thanksgiving dinner, so for our Christmas get together we were going to do potluck style.
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  • 03
    Perfect, I'll make meatballs and deviled eggs. Easy. An hour before everyone is supposed to come over, every one of my siblings informs me that they aren't bringing any food. Great.
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    Edit: wow, this blew up. A few people asked how it went so here's the update. I asked everyone to get stuff from the store and suggested they get chips, pre made platters
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  • 05
    or dishes, drinks, etc and told them to coordinate amongst themselves who was bringing what. One sibling suggested ordering a pizza, but the other siblings eat healthy and didn't love that idea. I
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  • 06
    also didn't love that idea because I had already spent so much time and money on the food I prepared. It wound up ok.
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  • 07
    Everyone brought something to contribute so we had plenty of party trays and random food. The nacho cheese dip for the pretzel balls gave everyone a stomach ache. Next year, I'm ordering Chinese food lol
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  • 08
    Nectarin... I would cancel the event and go out to view lights.
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  • 09
    Anthrod... "Hi everyone, seems like this date didn't work out for everyone to do a potluck item. Gonna go ahead and cancel the event, let's try again in 2026!"
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  • 10
    Human-... They all said they weren't bringing any food with an hour notice? That was coordinated. If they can't be bothered then neither can you.
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  • 11
    Cancel it and do something Christmassy instead on your own Family drama will ensue, but it will be brief.
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  • 12
    SnooMuf... I would have eaten before they came and not put my food out. They can't be bothered to contribute, they don't get to eat. Next time, don't host either.
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    Dinner table with plates of salad and other foods with bread basket in the middle
    via Stefan Vladimirov on Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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family drama meals siblings potluck
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