Couple receives passive letter from neighbor living 200 feet away, demanding they close the curtains after claiming she can see into their kitchen, so wife plots petty revenge to annoy her further: 'I'll really give her something to write a letter about'

Author image for Emma Saven
Emma Saven
Jan 7, 2026 12:00 PM EST

Forrest Gump once said that life is like a box of chocolates: "You never know what you're gonna get." The more I hear that quote, the more I'm convinced he was talking about his neighbors.

Sometimes you luck out with the Friendly Smiths, the kind of people whose house always smells like cookies and who wave when you pull into the driveway. Other times, you end up with the Creepy Toms, who always seem to be standing just a little too still by the window. Unfortunately, we don't get to choose our neighbors, so every move is a 50/50 draw. This particular couple seems to have landed next to their own version of the Creepy Toms, roughly 200 feet away, to be exact. So when the wife receives a politely written letter, heavily seasoned with passive aggression, it's no surprise she's left feeling confused. The letter insists the couple install or use blinds so the neighbor no longer has a "clear" view into their kitchen.

The problem? At 200 feet away, there is no clear view, unless someone is making a very intentional effort to stare into your home. If the neighbor is so frustrated by movement next door, one would think she could simply close her own blinds…or maybe put down the binoculars. The couple disagrees on how to respond. The husband votes for silence and peace, hoping the issue resolves itself. Meanwhile, the wife sits at the kitchen table, plotting her revenge.

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  • The best way to shoo away a nosy neighbor is to treat them with overwhelming kindness: endless waves, endless conversations, and even a few Super-Trooper dance routines in your clearly visible kitchen. Because nothing seems to irritate someone more than witnessing the joy of their neighbors—and subconsciously comparing it to their own.

    Perhaps this nagging lady simply had nothing better to do than write a 200-word essay explaining why she believes it’s time for her neighbors to invest in “privacy” by purchasing curtains or blinds. If that’s the case, she deserves more pity than revenge. So the next time the couple receives a letter from her, instead of dancing obnoxiously in the kitchen to push her buttons, maybe they should invite her inside for a boogie instead.

  • Woman looking outside the window in deep thought
    via valeriyhoncharuk

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • AITJ for refusing to close my curtains after my neighbor sent me a letter complaining about seeing into my house

    We moved into a new build a few months ago and honestly weve been loving it.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • Nice neighborhood, quiet street, good layout. No complaints until now. Yesterday we got a letter in the mail from someone who lives in the houses behind ours.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • And when I say behind I mean theres an entire wash and a road between us.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • I looked it up and its literally over 200 feet from her window to mine. The letter was very polite in that passive aggressive way where someone is being nice but also telling you what to do.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • It said something like congratulations on your new home I live across the way and although our homes arent very close I can see directly into your house from my living room and backyard.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • can clearly see you walking around your kitchen and even when you get things from your refrigerator.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • Then she said while she was happy to have new neighbors she would prefer not to have a view into our home and suggested we might want to consider getting blinds or curtains for our privacy.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • I had to read it a few times to make sure I was understanding correctly. This woman who lives 200 plus feet away with a wash and a road between us is asking me to close my curtains so that she doesnt have to see into my house.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • From over 200 feet away. Where she would have to be actively watching to even notice what Im doing in my kitchen.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • Like if you can see me getting stuff from my fridge from that distance you are staring.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • Woman baking in the kitchen
    via Ivan S

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Thats not a casual glance out your window thats surveillance. My first reaction was honestly just to laugh about it.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • Then I got kind of annoyed because the audacity of telling someone else to cover their windows so you can have yours open and enjoy your view is wild.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • Why dont you close your curtains if it bothers you so much. My partner thinks we should just ignore it and go about our lives.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • I agree but I also kind of want to make a point now. Like I wasnt planning on doing anything weird but now part of me wants to just live aggressively uncurtained out of spite.
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • Maybe some enthusiastic dancing while cooking. Really give her something to write another letter about. AITJ for not closing my curtains and honestly considering being more visible out of spite?
    via Ok_Bl**d1734
  • SnowStrong9505 If shes that bothered by what she sees when she stares into your house from across a wash and a road then she can simply stop staring
    via SnowStrong9505
  • WallaboutDenizen You should print signs that say things like "Can I make you a sandwich?" or "Would you like a drink?" If she can read them from over 200 ft away and through two sets of windows then she's using way more than the naked eye to look into your home. So NTJ but you could be, and you could have some good fun while doing it too.
    via WallaboutDenizen
  • _PsychoLlama_ Is there something wrong with her blinds?
    via _PsychoLlama_
  • Woman closing the yellow curtains in her living room!
    via valeriyhoncharuk

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Ok_Alternative_530 Dear neighbour, if it bothers you seeing into my home, please put down the binoculars.
    via Ok_Alternative_530
  • happycoffeebean13 Get some life-sized cardboard cut outs of strange celebrities and randomly put them in strange scenarios. Have some fun make her write more letters. Maybe one of those rolling signs you can program to warn traffic and send her messages.
    via happycoffeebean13
  • _Elephester Get a telescope, and point it right back at her Don't change your habits. Ignore the letter.
    via _Elephester
  • mother-of-dragons 13 She should be closing her curtains. Write back and say that she should be closing her own curtains and not performing cia survailance
    via mother--dragons13

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neighbors surveillance blinds next door passive spying
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