Bad Manners and Brimstone

Given that Tom’s mother’s original “crime” was cited as her presuming to criticise Sue’s childrearing, LoP’s latest revelation that Sue is now allowing her six-year-old to choose what Christmas presents she gives to her friends, and doesn’t head him off from utterly unsuitable, extravagant choices, suggests strongly that Tom’s mother had a point!

Well said. Especially jarring since the punishment for said 'crime' was to be willfully and calculatedly shut out of family Christmas on her first year of being a widow, and a lifetime of having to accept the dregs of family time left over once Sues sacred parents are done.

I realise I'm probably making Sue out to be a terrible person, but we have a long history of friendship

I did say to myself after seeing the most recent posts, 'Is this chick a former Miss Australia or runs a major cancer charity or something? Why is everyone so keen to spend time with her and go along with her decrees no matter what?' But then we all - myself included - have people in our lives who could be made to sound pretty scummy with a few anecdotes out of context.

It may be somewhat telling that I've lurked this site for years and my only posts, I just realized, are in response to Sues mean-spirited antics... Tom doesn't come across all that well either. Buddy appears to have a spine made out of jelly.

The same Sue who banned her recently widowed MIL from Christmas lunch a while back and refused point blank to compromise? The names seem familiar……
 
Putting that aside, I guess unless she comes to your house often and is the type to question where her present ended up, just donate it! This seems like the sort of thing a parent would find extra cute and the cuteness is lost on a non-parent.