As joyful as the holidays can be, they also invite stress that can threaten even the closest knit of families.

It was this family’s tradition to rent a house together for Christmas, but when one couple moves abroad, they find themselves at the center of a financial dispute that made their holiday season decidedly less jolly.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

AITA for refusing to pay for a shared holiday with family that I am no longer attending.

Our family has been growing, and since last year, we started booking a holiday home in the countryside just before Christmas so we could all spend time together before celebrating separately with our own smaller families.

Most of us live in small city apartments, so there’s no space to host everyone.

The family had quite the arrangement going.

The house we rent is quite expensive but spacious, with a sauna, fireplace, and a chef’s kitchen—perfect for a Christmas getaway.

Each family also has their own room with an ensuite.

This year, we booked the same house right after last year’s stay and made the down payment at the beginning of the year.

But then, there was a change of plans.

In May, I informed my family that we (my husband, kids, and I) are moving overseas in September.

My cousin and her partner, who are expecting a baby, also decided not to go. Her parents said they’d cover her share of the cost.

And that threw everyone’s finances out of wack.

Now, my sister is asking me to pay for my share, saying it’s unfair for the rest of them to cover the extra cost.

Dividing it among the others would only be about $15 more each, but my sister thinks it’s unfair for my cousin’s parents to pay for our share as well.

Now they’re unsure where to go next, but they don’t think it’s fair for them to still pay.

I’m really torn. Should I just pay to keep the peace?

I’m upset because this feels unfair, especially since we’re tight on money after the big move.

It’s also been harder to communicate with my family now that we’re on the other side of the world, though in some ways, being distant from family drama can be a relief.

I miss them all and want to do the right thing, but I can’t help feeling this isn’t fair.

When money gets involved, it’s always a tough discussion.

Reddit was pretty conflicted on who’s at fault here.

This commenter thinks the couple gave more than enough notice.

But this commenter doesn’t think it’s fair for the financial burden to fall on the rest of their family.

Another user chimes in, wondering about how clear the couple’s communication actually was.

The numbers aren’t quite adding up for this redditor.

This Christmas, everyone left feeling a bit shortchanged.

This family’s affairs are more tangled than a stubborn set of Christmas lights.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.