A woman took it to Reddit after canceling the family Thanksgiving dinner she had hosted for the past twenty years. She made the difficult decision because of her brother’s wife.
Part of her family thought she did the wrong thing by canceling the dinner, while others supported her decision. She posted her story on Reddit to see what strangers thought about it.
The 40-year-old woman’s Thanksgiving dinner invitation was to her mother, children, and siblings, along with their spouses, to her place. When her brother was invited, his wife responded with a message that led her to cancel the event.
What Went Wrong to Cause the Cancelation
The original poster (OP) shared how she’d met her brother’s wife, Julie, five years ago. Since then, over the years, her sister-in-law always created problems over the annual Thanksgiving dinner with the Reddit user explaining:
“Julie is very big into fad diets (Atkins, keto, South Beach) and every year she sends me a list of foods that she cannot eat and a list of things that she can.”
For the previous year’s festivities, Julie sent a list to OP, who prepared her sister-in-law’s special meals according to the woman’s new diet plan. Despite her efforts, the annual family dinner still got ruined.
OP revealed what happened that year, sharing how Julie became upset at the dinner table because her husband didn’t want to eat her ketogenic diet food. The Reddit user shared how they fought at the Thanksgiving table and ruined the night.
When OP invited her family to the Thanksgiving dinner she was hosting this year, Julie informed her that she was following a special fertility diet since she was trying for a baby through in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Annoyed, OP texted Julie that she was only making one dish that year and couldn’t cater to her request. OP explained what she told her, saying:
“I texted her back and told her that this year I was making one meal and one meal only and she could either eat what was being served or bring her own food.”
After reading OP’s message, Julie got offended and replied by saying her husband’s sister was acting selfishly for not considering her request. She also complained about OP to her husband that night.
OP’s brother criticized her over the phone for ruining the Thanksgiving dinner the following day. He also reminded her of when Julie catered to her food allergies while hosting a BBQ party earlier that year.
In her defense, OP said that her food allergies were life-threatening, and Julie’s diet was her own choice that changed every year. She told him he couldn’t compare the two things. OP’s brother then called their mother, who told him that everyone in the family struggled to keep up with Julie’s dietary needs, so she should bring her diet food to family dinners.
When OP discussed the issue with her husband, he suggested she cancel the dinner, and she agreed. She sent a message to everyone that the Thanksgiving dinner was canceled, saying:
“I am serving (Thanksgiving menu). If they want to come over and eat with us, they are welcome to do so.”
After reading OP’s message, her sister, husband, and son supported her decision, while her mother believed she shouldn’t have canceled the dinner. She posted her story on Reddit to ask other people for advice.
How Reddit Users Reacted to OP’s Story
Many Reddit users criticized Julie’s behavior, stating that accommodating such requests was unnecessary, and some shared their own experiences with dietary preferences. One person mentioned transitioning to a vegan diet and facing criticism from vegan coworkers for cooking non-vegan meals for family members.
The general sentiment was that Julie’s demands were unreasonable, and the OP’s decision not to alter the entire Thanksgiving dinner for her was justified.
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