A mother and her eldest daughter had a falling out during the Christmas season when the latter refused to fulfill a request. As a result, the widow canceled her daughter’s and grandson’s invites.

But the question is, what caused this surprising turn of events?

The holiday season is an ideal time for families to come together and celebrate the joy of their shared relationships. It is a time to uphold treasured traditions, generating enduring memories and building familial bonds.

Unexpected concerns, however, can arise during this celebration, interrupting the festive happiness and introducing strains among loved ones. Today’s story depicts such a scenario, in which unanticipated problems overwhelmed one family’s wonderful Christmas mood.On November 19, 2023, an anonymous female contributor posted her account to Reddit’s wildly popular “AITA” thread. The mother, 43, had children with big age gaps.

Her eldest, now 25, was from a previous high school romance. She later married her current husband after a divorce. During her daughter’s Christmas celebration, the woman approached her and asked for a favor. The original poster’s two younger children, ages 7 and 9, enthusiastically embraced and believed in Santa Claus’s magic. Due to his distinct upbringing, her oldest daughter’s son did not return their feelings.”[My eldest daughter] did not raise [her son] with Santa magic, which is totally OK.

“I just don’t want to ruin it for my children who believe in Santa,” OP remarked of her grandson and how her daughter nurtured him. OP and Her Daughter’s Disagreement
During her daughter’s Christmas celebration, the woman approached her and asked for a favor. “I asked my daughter if she’d please talk to her son, because I wouldn’t like the magic ruined for [my younger children],” OP said.

Despite placing gifts with “from Santa” labels under the tree and setting out cookies and reindeer food (bird seeds), she wanted to keep the enchantment intact. Her daughter’s response, however, was not what mom had expected. “My daughter told us she wouldn’t make her son lie, and my children are old enough to understand if her son decides to say something,” explained the author.

She questioned whether not asking her oldest daughter and grandson to Christmas constituted her the adversary in the family dynamics.When confronted with the debate over retaining the Christmas spirit, the woman took a hard stance. She informed her daughter that if she did not raise the subject with her son, they could spend Christmas at their own apartment.

Unsatisfied with this proposal, her daughter accused her of putting the happiness of her younger children ahead of her own, calling the decision irrational. While the woman’s husband backed her, he indicated she was a little high-strung, given the age of their children.

Despite the conflicting viewpoints, the mom remained committed to preserving the magic of Christmas for her children. She pondered the matter, wondering if not inviting her oldest daughter and grandson to Christmas constituted her the adversary in the family dynamics.