Handmade gifts are supposed to say “I thought of you,” but some people only hear “I didn’t spend enough.”

A woman loved giving crafts at the holidays, partly because money was tight with kids at home.

For years, her mother-in-law received handprint keepsakes and similar projects. Then one year, she told the woman she wasn’t interested and wanted them to stop. It hurt, but the woman complied.

The next Christmas, she made crafts for her other in-laws and bought toys for the nieces and nephews, and her mother-in-law complained about being left out.

When the woman reminded her that she’d asked for no crafts, the answer was “buy something.”

So the following year, the woman made her another craft anyway, and it went straight in the trash along with a rude comment.

Now Christmas is coming, and she’s wondering whether she’s the AH for crafting again.

Keep reading for the full scoop.

AITA for continuing the crafts

I love to give crafts for the holidays, especially since I have my own children and money can be tight. I never care if people put them up, keep them, or anything.

I gave my MIL crafts for years: kids’ handprints, etc.

But soon her MIL had a rather negative reaction to one of her gifts.

She told me 3 years ago that she is not interested in my crafts and would like to stop receiving them.

It hurt, but by all means, I didn’t want to be a burden.

So she brushed past her hurt feelings and continued with her gift-giving tradition.

So the next Christmas, I crafted things for my bro- and sis-in-laws (we buy toys for our nieces and nephews).

But then, her MIL started making trouble once again.

My MIL kept making comments that we didn’t get her anything and that she felt left out.

I explained that she didn’t want my crafts, so what did she want me to do? And she said, “Buy something.”

So, being a crafter, she decided to make something homemade instead. It didn’t go over well.

Well, fast forward to last year, and needless to say, I crafted something.

She was ticked, threw it away, and told me, “I told you I do not want this crap.”

Now we are getting close to Christmas. AITAH for thinking about crafting again and not buying?

Sounds like her MIL isn’t the most appreciative person ever.

What did the comment section think?

This user points out that this person gave her MIL a gift she specifically said she hated, so she can’t act too surprised when the reaction was negative.

Why not be a little more communicative about her finances?

It went from NTA to ESH when spite entered the conversation.

There’s no point in giving someone something they were clear they didn’t want.

The mother-in-law wanted to be remembered and didn’t want to be handed what she’d rejected, which is a tricky target for anyone to hit.

Her cruelty with the trash can was uncalled for, since a polite “no thank you” was right there.

The daughter-in-law’s craft was sincere, though it also ignored a clear request, so the blowup shouldn’t have shocked her that much.

Ultimately, both women stubbornly dug in, and they both got hurt as a result.