my family used to guilt me into visiting for christmas, we had a very toxic and abusive upbringing but I still hadn't really worked that out or how to break free from them.

one year they again insisted i fly up for christmas to visit, knowing was out of work, had very little money. but this year also sent a list of things they wanted for gifts. including for each of my three siblings, their partners, their kids of which there was 9 in total and my parents.

like some sort of pathetic pleb, I did what i thought was my familial duties, and got everyone the expensive gifts they asked for, parents included, flew up, ended up buying food for christmas day, completely zeroing out my bank, had £15 left in my wallet to see me til January.

on christmas day, they all took their gifts, complained about various aspects of it for themselves, for the children, they claimed the gifts as from santa, not Uncle Bonjelascott.. ho hum i thought, just make the best of it.

when it came time to give their gifts to me, they had each bought me the cheapest poundland aftershave and deoderant kit's. every single one of them. the boxes also looke wrecked, so i can only assume it was in the "bargain" pile. they were all smirking and making a joke out of it. I got 4 identical sets in total.

my family were not short of cash either, but get them all together, and some toxic shit seems to happen.

I waited til everyone was getting drunk a little later, grabbed my bag, left the cheapo gift packs in my room and walked the 6 miles back into the city, got a cheap overnight bus back down south.

never visited them again.

nowadays i just prefer not to celebrate occasions.