For a teenager, having their own private space is everything — especially when they’ve poured time and effort into making it feel like home.

One girl learned just how much that space meant when her family suddenly decided it should belong to someone else.

So when her half sister demanded she hand her room over as a gift, she refused, triggering tears, yelling, and accusations of “ruining Christmas.”

You’ll want to keep reading for this one.

AITA for not giving up my room because my half sister wanted it as a “christmas gift”

I (F16) live with my mom and her husband.

My mom and dad divorced when I was 2, and she and her husband had another kid, my half sister (14).

I visit my dad here and there, but not often due to him traveling a lot for work.

One day, she had an idea of how she could make her space more comfortable.

Recently I’ve grown into liking anime and other things, so I asked my mom if I could rearrange my room.

It was super plain and depressing at first, so it felt good to add color and lots of decorations (posters, LED lights, pictures).

When it was all said and done, she was really happy with the result — and her family was too.

It took nearly 3 weeks, but it came out super nice and it overall makes me a lot happier to be in.

Last week, my half sister went into my room while I was visiting my dad to celebrate Christmas early, and she told her dad she wanted my room because it looked nice to her.

But this would soon prove to be an issue.

When I came home, my mom told me about her wanting my room, and I said no.

She said it would mean a lot to my half sister and I could take her room and redecorate that one.

When the teen refuses, her mom immediately tries to guilt her.

I said no again and that if she really wanted a room like mine, she could decorate her own herself with their help.

My mom said she was just a kid and wouldn’t be able to do all the decorations like I did, and it would be simple if I just redecorated the other room.

I was angry my mom would even suggest I give up my room I worked hard for and even spent my own money on everything but the paint.

Her stepdad tried to sweeten the deal, but she still wasn’t willing to give in.

Her husband offered to give me money to decorate the other room without spending my money, but I still declined.

My mom called me a brat and said I was almost 17 and should grow up, that I wouldn’t be in the room anymore than another 2 years, so it wasn’t a big deal to give it up.

So that’s when the name-calling started.

Her husband called me selfish and said I was crushing his daughter’s feelings and that was the only thing she wanted for Christmas.

His words were, “OP, how could you crush your little sister’s dreams and be so selfish.”

She knows it might not be that deep for other people, but for her, it is.

I get it’s just a room, but I still don’t think it’s right that I have to give up something I worked hard for because she went into my room without my permission, something they didn’t even care to acknowledge.

My mom has been trying to convince me to give her the room, and I said if she takes my room then I’ll remove all the decorations.

This situation has caused longstanding tension.

She has been mad at me for nearly 3 days now.

I feel like an awful person for letting it get to this extent.

AITA?

If average redditors had a dollar for every time someone in a story dramatically bemoaned Christmas was “ruined,” they’d all be millionaires.

Commenters chime in with their thoughts.

This user suspects there might be some favoritism happening here.

It’s doubtful this mother would say it was “just a room” if her stepdaughter was suddenly demanding her room.

It’s hardly a dream when her half sister only thought of the idea, like, 5 minutes ago.

If no one else is willing to compromise, then she shouldn’t either.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.