A well-placed gift can bring people together, but when it upstages someone else’s gift, it can cause more harm than good.

One woman’s zest for gift giving ended up upstaging the host at her own Christmas party in what became an epic struggle for attention.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

AITA for outshining my friend with my gifts?

I (30f) have a group of friends of 10 people.

Every year for the past 5 years, we have gotten together to do a Secret Santa.

This year, we celebrated really late due to our schedules not overlapping well.

In the past, the celebrations have followed a predictable schedule.

For the past 4 years, I have planned it.

It was either at my place or at an Airbnb because we had planned on going to another event.

Anyways, each year, I would get a gift for my Secret Santa, and then a smaller gift for everyone.

These gifts are always something small and practical, usually a mix of chapstick, lotion, hand soap, lint rollers, etc.

I have made it clear that I do these little gifts because I like to give gifts and I do not expect them to do the same.

I do not expect anything back for giving them some soap.

I also would not feel upset if they regifted them to someone else.

But this year, they were mixing things up.

This year, my friend Julie (27f) got married and bought a house.

She told me she really wanted to host this year, so that is what we did.

We went to her house and everything was beautifully decorated, and she cooked an amazing meal.

The hosts had prepared several thoughtful gifts for her guests.

At the end of it, she gave us a little goodie bag, saying that since I usually host and give little gifts, she was going to do it too as this year’s host.

She got us a little lint roller, some hair clips, and some gum.

So she found that the perfect time to also announce her gifts.

At this point, I said I had gotten everyone a little something small too.

Since we celebrated late, all the Christmas stuff was on sale, so I had gotten them a stocking with their initials on it.

Inside, I put in some candy, air fresheners, and a cute ornament with their pictures inside.

The host, however, was not pleased by this.

Julie pulled me aside and told me she was upset at me because I was trying to outshine her present, and that since I was not the host, I should not have done that.

I told her that I didn’t get everyone a small gift because I was the host – I did it because I like to.

She said I should not have done that because it makes her look bad.

This guest found herself confused. She thought everyone knew this is just who she is.

I apologized for not letting her know that I was going to bring them, but I had made it very clear previous years that I was going to continue doing it because I enjoy it.

AITA?

A little thoughtfulness can go along way, but it seems too much thoughtfulness can also get you in trouble.

What did Reddit make of all this?

Sometimes, to get along, you just have to put up with other people’s weird quirks.

This commenter, however, doesn’t think her extra gift was so innocent after all.

Whether or not her intentions were good, this user’s guilty verdict still stands.

For this redditor, it was all about the timing.

Sure, this woman could take home the gold every time if gift giving was an Olympic sport, but she might want to learn when to hold back, too.

There’s a time and a place for everything.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.