The "most wonderful time of the year" can also be a stressful time, especially when it comes to all of the preparation involved. One woman on Reddit explained that she is basically her family's go-to lasagna maker and always makes it for Christmas and other special occasions. She loves cooking, so making the lasagna is usually no big deal.
But last year's Christmas celebration, hosted by the woman's mother-in-law, changed that, and because of all the added layers of drama, the woman no longer wants to make lasagna for Christmas. Fair. Except her MIL says she won't be invited if she doesn't make it, and her husband and other relatives think she should just make it to "keep the peace."
Last year, the MIL made lasagna, too.
The woman explained that she has been with her husband for seven years. In that time, her MIL has hosted Christmas every year. The woman has always made lasagna, but last year, her MIL also made it. The woman says that although she was surprised to see another pan of lasagna, she didn't say anything and ate some of it.
The MIL's lasagna was not good.
According to the woman, her MIL's lasagna just didn't taste as good as hers, and as a result, it was less popular. While some might shrug off the fact that not many people have eaten the dish that they brought — especially if someone else brought the same dish — the MIL was extremely offended. "She wound up doing a rant about how everyone loves me more than her and tried to throw my lasagna in the trash," the woman wrote. "I say tried because it mainly ended up on the floor."
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The MIL has never apologized, but she wants the woman to make lasagna again.
The incident caused the woman and her husband to leave the Christmas celebration early, and though it's been almost a year since it happened, the MIL has not apologized. The woman says that she was recently talking to her MIL about Christmas plans, and her MIL asked her to make lasagna, of all things. The woman told her MIL that she would happily make literally anything else.
"My MIL wasn't as polite and called me vindictive for refusing to make the lasagna over a small mistake," she wrote, adding that her MIL said she would not be invited to Christmas if she didn't bring lasagna.
The woman does not want to make lasagna.
When the woman told her MIL that she would not be making lasagna, her MIL was even more upset with her. The woman's husband, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law all think she should just make the lasagna to keep the peace and make things "easier." Her husband also said that she should get over his mom's "mistake."
The woman took to Reddit to see if she should just make the lasagna and get over it.
Redditors think the woman's husband should make the lasagna.
Redditors seemed to roll their eyes at the woman's husband. They don't agree that what his mom did was simply a mistake; one Redditor pointed out that "there are way too many deliberate actions in that event for any of her chosen behaviour to be a mistake."
Many Redditors agree that it sounds like her husband doesn't have her back, and he really should because his mom hasn't even apologized for her behavior. If he thinks making the lasagna would be easier than not making it, he can make it, some suggested.
"Sounds like he just volunteered to make the lasagna!" one Redditor joked.
Many Redditors agreed that although the lasagna situation was problematic, the biggest problem the woman has to deal with is her husband.
Some Redditors say they wouldn't go to that Christmas dinner — lasagna or no lasagna.
Some Redditors would not even entertain the idea of making the lasagna. They simply wouldn't go to that Christmas celebration after how the mother-in-law acted last year.
"I wouldn’t even go until she apologized to everyone for her tantrum and you for trying to throw away and ruining the left overs," one person wrote. "Yes, you just doing it would be easier for him and for her, but where does that leave you? The target of more of her tantrums. No thanks."
"Congratulations, she just gave you explicit permission to make other plans!" one user wrote, referring to the MIL's threat that the woman would not be invited if she didn't make the lasagna.
Several Redditors think she should just buy frozen lasagna.
Several Redditors would go to the Christmas celebration, but they wouldn't be any less petty about it. They told the woman that instead of making her lasagna, she should bring store-bought frozen lasagna.
They're also curious about how the MIL perceives the situation.
Since the MIL and the woman's husband both think the MIL simply made a mistake, several Redditors wondered how they would describe the "mistake" she made.
One person wasn't sure which the "small mistake" was: "Is it a small mistake that she got mad because your lasagna tastes better than hers? Is it a small mistake that she threw the lasagna away?"
One Redditor said the woman should ask the MIL what mistake she was talking about: "I want to know if she says making the lasagna because she wanted to compete… having a tantrum because no one liked her untested lasagna, or her having a fit and throwing your food on the floor. Which part was a 'mistake.'"
Lasagna for one sounds like a better idea to many Redditors.
Several people said they would rather spend Christmas alone than go to the celebration hosted by the mother-in-law. Some suggested making lasagna for one, or enjoying a quiet Christmas alone.
"Stay home for Christmas with your feet up, watching Christmas movies and sipping wine," one Redditor suggested. "Doesn’t that sound nicer than dealing with your hateful MIL?!?!"
Another Redditor took it a step further, saying they'd make the lasagna at home then post a picture of it, just to be petty. "I want the lasagna recipe now LOL," the same Redditor joked.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
