Dear LFTP: the reply-all Christmas wish list
- My boyfriend's mother asked the whole family for Christmas wish lists by reply-all email. How do I respond without appearing greedy?
The second Dear LFTP letter: a woman's boyfriend's mother emailed the whole extended family asking for Christmas wish lists via reply-all, and the writer doesn't want to look greedy. Advice: they asked, so answer honestly within a sensible budget (high/medium/low tiers). This spirals into a long riff on Christmas consumerism — one host is 'fifty-fifty' on whether he's a Grinch, December spending is 'flushing money,' yet gifts really mean 'I was thinking about you.' The Secular answer praises the mother's practicality. A host tells the story of receiving drywall for the attic hidden in a Scrabble box (tiles spelling D-R-Y-W-A-L-L), and the segment ends with a Mancala defeat by his kids.
More on Family
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Dear LFTP: the mother-in-law moved in
- My mother-in-law moved in seven months ago and it’s been difficult — how can we sort this out?
The last letter comes from a wife whose mother-in-law moved in seven months ago with no boundaries, rising bills, unpaid prescriptions, and open disrespect.
From No. 604 · Rearview Mirror
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Dear LFTP: the single man and the holiday cliques
- Would it be wrong for the lonely single man to start declining holiday invitations?
The first Dear LFTP letter: a single man, happy with his life and plenty of friends and family, dreads the holidays — at Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings of 15 to 25 people,…
From No. 603 · Found Out
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Dear LFTP: the grandma, 'Libby,' and the weight comment
- Was I wrong to mention my concern about Libby's weight?
Mike reads the letter: she moved 2,000 miles to be near her daughter's family; granddaughter 'Libby' was diagnosed with a medical condition and put on weight.
From No. 602 · Relationship Counseling
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Dear LFTP: the Mimi letter ('Call Me Hoopi')
- Is it wrong for a grandmother to be upset when her grandson's other grandmother claims the same nickname?
Mike reads the Dear LFTP letter: a grandmother whose two-year-old grandson calls her Mimi — but the other grandmother claimed Mimi for herself, and the daughter-in-law is annoyed and doesn't want 'mom mom' either.