Grief has a way of blurring the line between need and expectation, especially around the holidays.

One sister stepped in to support her recently widowed sibling and her children, only to find herself under pressure to give more gifts than she could afford.

So as Christmas approached, gratitude quietly gave way to tension.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITAH for not wanting to provide a whole Christmas for my sister’s kids?

I (37F) have two children, 5M and 7F. Their Christmas gifts are already bought and paid for, and their Christmas is settled.

My sister, 35F, has two kids of her own, 2M and 4M. My sister’s husband died in September, and the grief has absolutely destroyed her.

It has prevented her from celebrating holidays with her kids. I have been very supportive and have been there for her and her children.

So far, she’s done an admirable job stepping up for her sister.

I took her kids out trick-or-treating with mine when she was going through a very big wave of grief and felt unable to.

I have also taken her kids to my house for the weekend when she needed a break.

I have never invalidated her grief.

She knows Christmas is going to be an uphill battle and wants to help however she can.

We know Christmas this year is going to be extremely tough for her and her kids.

My whole family and I made sure her kids had plenty of gifts because my sister felt like she wasn’t able to go Christmas shopping without breaking down.

But unforeseen circumstances soon got in the way.

I’m in a bit of a tough spot as I recently got into a minor car accident (nobody was hurt) and need to pay to fix damages, while my husband and I both work paycheck to paycheck.

Recently, my sister called me and told me she didn’t feel like her kids had enough gifts.

She’s sympathetic for her sister, but isn’t sure how much she can do to help.

I told her that I’m sorry if she doesn’t think it’s enough, that I tried, and I don’t really have much spending money since all of the money I’m making is going towards fixing our car and groceries and other necessities.

I let her know that she can always order some more gifts online and have them come after Christmas if it’s too hard to go shopping in person, but she was adamant she wanted them to open everything on Christmas.

Her sister’s pushback made her feel a little yucky.

I got a bit upset at this because I really tried everything with the situation I’m in.

My parents stepped in to get her and the kids gifts as well.

I understand grief can cause people to be irrational, but I can’t help but feel annoyed at the way she’s treating my help.

So, AITAH?

She knows her sister is still grieving, but does that excuse the entitlement?

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

This commenter thinks these kids may be too young to really appreciate all the extra effort.

Her sister is missing something this holiday season, but it isn’t the gifts.

This user seems to understand exactly what this sister is going through.

At the same time, it’s important to make sure boundaries aren’t crossed.

Christmas is supposed to be about love, not tallying what’s under the tree.

Grief may cloud judgment, but generosity has its limits.

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