I'm married to the original absent-minded professor (except for the professor part). He wouldn't open anything he knew was addressed to me -- but he was probably thinking about Philip of Macedonia and never even bothered to look at the mailing label.
Mostly he doesn't bother to open the mail at all, which is probably just as well.
[sighs] It was addressed to me. I wasn't home. It arrived at the same time as a box from my sister-in-law; the spouse opened them both and handed out the contents to the kidlet.
Yikes! He handed out your present(s) to your kid? That seems pretty bad. I got a sheep pelt today that my three year old is insisting is hers. I guess it can happen either way. Hope your situation is resolved happily.
Well, they were presents I had ordered and planned to give to the kidlet. On Christmas. Wrapped and all. Not today, handed out of the box as if they were no big deal. (I guess I didn't explain it very well in the poll.)
At least they weren't the only presents I had for her.
I'm still not convinced that he understands why I was upset. I went over it twice before it registered with him that the box was actually not from his sister.
Argh! Some people really don't get it. Mine is scrupulous about mail, but needs Christmas training in other ways before the squidlet arrives. As in, just because your wife accepts that you are a Scrooge and do not give/wrap/care about presents, you cannot expect to behave in the same way toward your child...
Mine is somewhat scroogey -- he loves the tree and the music and the baked goods, but is so hung up about money that he's very difficult when it comes to gifts.
Or maybe it's not the money. I spent Christmas with his parents once, and they respond to a gift the way I would respond to being presented with the corpse of a beloved pet. Not a token "Oh, you shouldn't have," but a "What????? I can't believe you spent this kind of money -- are you out of your mind?!" (They're Italian, so fill in the intonation and the waving hands.)
Early in our marriage, after he pulled a slightly more subdued version of this on my parents, I took him aside and said, "Sometimes it's OK to just say 'thank you' and shut up."
Hee. Mine could use some lessons in "thank you" - he seems to think that just because he's told everyone "no presents" this exempts him from being gracious when presents are given anyway. Um, no. He is also anti-tree, anti-carol, anti-lights, you name it. If I didn't bake the cinnamon rolls he likes specifically for the holidays, I think he might boycott the whole thing altogether.
However. It is one thing to affect your own celebration, and quite another to hand things to a kidlet ahead of time, unwrapped, or suchlike. Augh!
My SO opened a package today. In his defense, it was addressed to the both of us, and he assumed that the contents would be wrapped - although I'm pretty sure I had told him that a second package was coming from my mother and that it was unwrapped. He probably forgot... but it was still a bit irritating.
My oldest sister will do you one better. When someone in my family is expecting non-present packages in December she has been known to intercept them, wrap them (still in the shipping boxes), and put them under the tree addressed to the intended recipient, so that the recipient then spends the month thinking that their package has been lost in the mail until they unwrap it Christmas morning.
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(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 12:13 am (UTC)But that's because my dad tends to open letters not meant for him (he likes to know everything, specially monatery). Grr argh.
Oh well.
(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 02:51 am (UTC)Mostly he doesn't bother to open the mail at all, which is probably just as well.
(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 12:18 am (UTC)Now, the package in question -- was it in fact addressed to you or to someone else? Can you just repackage it nicely and pretend it never happened?:)
(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 12:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 12:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 02:47 am (UTC)At least they weren't the only presents I had for her.
I'm still not convinced that he understands why I was upset. I went over it twice before it registered with him that the box was actually not from his sister.
(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 03:02 am (UTC)He is SO HOPELESS!!!!!!!!
(no subject)
Date: 1/1/06 03:30 am (UTC)Hope you guys had a nice holiday!
(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 01:46 am (UTC)*ANY* box that arrives after December 1st is assumed to be PRESENTS! So one WAITS!
*whacks the husband with a wet noodle*
(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 02:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 02:59 am (UTC)There is only so much spousal training possible, alas, and I'm sure I'm as bad as any other spouse :D
(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 01:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 02:55 am (UTC)Or maybe it's not the money. I spent Christmas with his parents once, and they respond to a gift the way I would respond to being presented with the corpse of a beloved pet. Not a token "Oh, you shouldn't have," but a "What????? I can't believe you spent this kind of money -- are you out of your mind?!" (They're Italian, so fill in the intonation and the waving hands.)
Early in our marriage, after he pulled a slightly more subdued version of this on my parents, I took him aside and said, "Sometimes it's OK to just say 'thank you' and shut up."
(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 03:00 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 03:53 am (UTC)However. It is one thing to affect your own celebration, and quite another to hand things to a kidlet ahead of time, unwrapped, or suchlike. Augh!
(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 03:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/23/05 04:57 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/24/05 03:05 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 12/24/05 06:19 am (UTC)