Impatient sister opens Christmas gift ahead of time, forces brother to buy her and her young children a new one: 'She started crying, told me I should be the one to tell the kids they won't have a gift to open'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Dec 25, 2025 10:00 AM EST

Everybody should have something to open on Christmas Day, if you're celebrating. This is the job for everybody involved to make sure that nobody is left out and that everybody gets an adequate gift. He would hate to be going around unwrapping presents only for one person to feel like they've fallen through the cracks. That's not the point of gift-giving. The point is for everybody to feel included, welcomed, and like they were thought of. There are plenty of ways to do that. Doing a Secret Santa-type gift exchange is one of them. That's what we do in my family to make sure everybody is adequately covered. You draw names out of a hat, and everyone is responsible for somebody else's gift. That means nobody is left forgotten about, and nobody has to spend an excessive amount of money. 

But that doesn't stop some people from getting ahead of themselves. Christmas is all about patience. You can't give the gifts right away, or else it would defeat the purpose. The whole point of it is to wait until everybody is in the same room so you can see everybody's reactions and enjoy the time together. If you're opening it up ahead of time, then you're spoiling the whole fun. Didn't we all learn that when we were children, and we wanted so badly to peek at our Christmas gifts before the actual day? We couldn't stand the fact that we had to wait, but our parents taught us that delayed gratification is worth everything in the world. It's one of the early lessons that you learn in childhood. 

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  • A woman on Christmas sits near a decorated table with a glass flute.
    via Max Titov

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

  • But one such family didn't quite learn that lesson. They wanted to open up the gifts ahead of time without any regard for what was going to happen on the actual day. The mom in charge didn't discipline her children enough to make them wait to open the gift. So with the day approaching, and the gift already opened, she was feeling a little desperate. So she thought she could persuade her brother, the gift giver, to get them something else. But he had already given them a gift. So they reached an impasse. Read on to see what happened in the story and what commenters had to say about it.

  • Entitled sister opens Christmas gift early then demands new Christmas gift for family party...

    My sister and her family live in another state across the country. Our family trades names so that we don't have to spend as much money since we are a big family. I got my sister's family and sent her a game she has had on her wishlist for several months, as well as some expansion packs. I went a bit above the family spending limit, but was feeling generous.
    via u/Sassypants_me
  • Because she lives so far away, I had it shipped to her home. Apparently her kids "got too excited" and she just "couldn't make them wait!" They were excited when they saw the game, which is great. And at least my sister said thank you. BUT
    via u/Sassypants_me
  • The next day, she calls me to ask me to get them another gift. She is worried that when we do the family Zoom on Christmas Eve, her family will feel left out since they have no gift to open. When I said I couldn't afford another gift, she started crying, told me I should be the one to tell the kids they won't have a gift to open, and all sorts of other
    via u/Sassypants_me
  • manipulation tactics. I reminded her that I am a teacher (no money lol) and have my own family to care for. And that she needs to be more responsible, buy another gift, and/or teach her children to be patient. She hung up on me. Next time they get an egift card.
    via u/Sassypants_me
  • Two people sit next to each other on the couch opening presents in front of a Christmas tree.
    via Michael DeMoya

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

  • Commenters gave their two cents on the situation.

    MKatieUltra She's the parent, it's her job to teach her kids the consequences. They opened it early, that's on them.
    via u/MKatieUltra
  • knight_shade_real... When the zoom call begins tell the kids you heard they opened the gift and ask how they've enjoyed it so far? That is all you need to do. She is their parent, and they are teens. More than old enough to understand the consequences of their actions. Plus they got a headstart on the gift
    via u/knight_shade_realms
  • srahfox Uh huh, sure, the kids got too excited... ...because this is their very first Christmas and they had noooo idea that gifts are customarily opened on Christmas/eve. And of course she couldn't possibly tell them no! I guess those kids never ever open anything on Christmas then, because how could she possibly keep gifts hidden from them?
    via u/srahfox
  • I'm guessing your sister told them they could open it thinking she could bully you into buying a new gift. Because I'm guessing she's perfectly capable of telling them no when it's gifts she's giving them.
    via u/srahfox
  • SlappyHandstrong Send a wrapped box with a bunch of tissue and a notecard that says "Your gift was the game"
    via u/SlappyHandstrong
  • Interesting-End3676 Easy solution: she should rewrap the gifts that you already sent her. They can then unwrap it (again) on the Zoom call.
    via u/Interesting-End3676
  • samuelp-wm Wrap an empty box. My grandma used to call this a "box of good wishes"
    via u/samuelp-wm
  • Hellbnd_whiskeybe... NTA lol.... Your sister is so entitled I almost questioned if this was rage bait. I recognize you're probably being genuine so please don't take that as disrespect. But she has such a lack of awareness it's insane to me. With that
    via u/Hellbnd_whiskeybent
  • said, your sister is a grown up adult. She has a family of her own. She needs to use this as a learning experience for herself and her children. She could choose to buy her family another gift and wrap it and pretend to be surprised on the Xmas zoom call. Or she could rewrap the gift you purchased and open it again on zoom.
    via u/Hellbnd_whiskeybent
  • PurplePlodder1945 Family zoom party I'd just tell the kids they've already opened their present and they don't get a second. They're old enough to know better and accept it
    via u/PurplePlodder1945
  • andmewithoutmyto... I told my kids "any present you open early, you will personally wrap and we'll go donate it at the mall". OP's sister sucks, she needs to teach her kids accountability and consequences. Maybe OP should wrap a photo of them playing the game.
    via u/andmewithoutmytowel
  • I-said-ur-stupid Do not give in to your sister's manipulation. Absolutely do not! She wants her children to get twice as much as everyone else. And she's going to cry over it after she's the one that messed up and gave it to her kids in the first place? Absolutely. Not. And if you bend over for your sister now, be prepared for it to happen every year. Let her cry, it's a problem she created
    via u/I-said-ur-stupid
  • Bulky-Internal8579 But I need another gift for tomorrow, and I really feel like I'm owed this. If I remember how this works, my kids have disabilities, my cat is sick and my pants don't work. Send gifts NOW!!!!
    via u/Bulky-Internal8579
  • Canadian Dollar87 that's on her. it was her kids that wanted to open it early and now they don't have anything for Christmas. i would have told her "you snooze, you lose" you did your job by getting the gift and sending it to them.
    via u/CanadianDollar87
  • Ultra-Cyborg "They won't have anything to unwrap on the Christmas zoom call!!!!!!! Fucking wrap them again, Karen
    via u/Ultra-Cyborg
  • roosterjack77 Wifes family lives across the country. She has her xmas shopping done, shipped, or orchestrated by December 1st. Everyone understands we should wait patiently for assigned zoom xmas day to open presents. Its called delayed gratification and it is an important part of being an adult.
    via u/roosterjack77
  • Kind_Swim5900 Its not about you having no money. You are allowed to just say "no, this is the gift. There wont be another one." Even if you secretly won the lottery.
    via u/Kind_Swim5900
  • Careless-Image-885 Sister needs to rewrap the gift that SHE allowed them to open. They can get it again. on Christmas. Your sister is not only entitled but extremely immature.
    via u/Careless-Image-885
  • Calm_Initial If they say something on the family zoom - just calmly state the facts. "Oh sweet niblings I sent game name here along with some - expansions did it not - arrive? I'm sure I can check tracking and see when you should have gotten it." They'll inevitably admit they opened it ages ago.
    via u/Calm_Initial

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christmas gifts christmas gifts family video games children entitled people
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