Woman Says Boyfriend's Family Won't Stop Gifting Her Junk Disguised as Craft Supplies — So She Faked an Injury to Make Them Stop

Mar. 15, 2025

Family opening gifts in stock photo.Photo: Getty Images

In an anonymous post shared to Reddit, the 25-year-old woman writes that she has been with her boyfriend “for about three years.”

“I’m really into crafting and love reusing things most people would throw away, like empty bottles or soda tabs. Over time, my boyfriend’s family started saving things for me, like old cans or random scraps, and honestly, I thought it was super sweet. I’ve always appreciated that they thought of me,” she writes.

But over time, she adds, “things got kind of… weird.”

When the woman and her boyfriend’s sister had a joint birthday party last year, she was given the usual “craft supplies,” such as, she writes, “soda tabs, empty bottles, and some random other bits and bobs.”

“It was thoughtful in a way, but then his sister got these super nice gifts, like a Pandora charm bracelet and an Apple watch,” she adds. “I felt a little embarrassed to be honest, but I kept smiling and thanked them because I really do appreciate gifts in general. My boyfriend noticed, though, and he got really upset—he even wanted to call them out, but I told him to let it go and not cause drama.”

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When Christmas 2023 came around, the woman decided she had had enough. After they gifted her “an empty soda bottle, some used (and dirty) aluminum foil, and a handful of soda tabs,” she writes that she “snapped.”

“I smiled back and said, ‘oh thank you so much! I really appreciate it. But unfortunately, I won’t be able to use them anymore because of my accident,’ " she writes.

She went on to tell the family that a recent wrist injury (which was actually minor) was “worse than it looked and that both my hands would have to be amputated.”

“My boyfriend nodded with a straight face and added that we hadn’t told anyone yet because it was a really emotional situation for me,” she adds.

While the woman writes that her hands “are totally fine,” she adds that she was “so hurt and angry about the ‘gifts’ " that she wanted the family “to realize how thoughtless they were being.”

Now, she feels that she may have gone too far — but not all Reddit users agree.

“There’s more to crafts than just junk,” wrote one. “There are tools and other mediums that can be bought like adhesives, epoxy, canvas, etc. that can be bought new and given as a gift to show much you care. They did treat you like an afterthought, rummaged through their recycle bin and expect you to be grateful for it. … They should be embarrassed and ashamed of their treatment of you.”

source: people.com