There’s nothing more frustrating than asking someone you love for a list of gifts they might like and getting nothing, or a very short and vague response.

Maybe you want to appear as if you don’t need a gift, but on certain occasions, you know people want to get them for you anyway – so be helpful!

OP’s mother did this several years ago when Christmas was coming, so he decided there had to be a way to teach her a (funny) lesson.

One year, when the holiday season came and my family started exchanging wish lists for Christmas, my mother didn’t have many ideas for what to ask for, and didn’t want to spend much time thinking about it.

She eventually gave us all a very short list.

I don’t remember most of what was on it. I’m not sure whether she even asked for anything specific at all, or if the entire list was a few vague categories, but the number of specific things listed was definitely fewer than the number of other people in our family who planned to give her something for Christmas.

When he spotted “stuff” on her list and set to Googling, he was delighted to find a dirty magazine with that title and immediately bought it.

The one detail I remember about that list, aside from its shortness, is that the last list entry was, literally, “Stuff”.

I saw that, and decided that this was essentially malicious compliance with the definition of a Christmas wish list, and deserved a little malicious compliance in response.

I also got her a serious and genuine gift, but in addition to that I googled for things that were named “Stuff”, and I found a certain magazine.

No, not the one on Wikipedia that originated in the UK and is about consumer electronics.

I got her an issue of this Stuff magazine, with a picture of a scantily clad woman on the cover and many more inside.

They had a good laugh when she opened it, and guess what? Her lists are a bit more detailed from then on, too.

Our family has a tradition of taking turns opening Christmas presents all together, one at a time, so the whole family can see and briefly focus on each and every present.

When my mother was about to open the Stuff issue, I told everyone to get their cameras ready, to take pictures of her reaction to it.

She laughed and facepalmed for a while.

She knew what it was about, and took that in good humor, but she did gripe a bit about me telling everyone to get cameras ready.

She gave the magazine away in a white elephant gift exchange a few days later, after confirming with the host that such a risqué item would be appropriate.

In the years following that, she sent longer and more specific wish lists.

Was it a win for Reddit? Let’s see!

Some people just like to be surprised.

The gift that keeps on giving.

This joke also never gets old.

Some people had ideas for next time.

This is so wholesome and funny.

A nice palate cleanser after some of the stories on here!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parent’s 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.