The note my mother wants my niece to send to my Republican uncle

[dflprincess]

Okay, I know this is petty, but it's proof that no matter how old you are, your siblings can still make you crazy.

My mother's brother turned Republican years ago - no one knows why - my poor grandmother went to her grave thinking she'd failed as a mother because of this. This uncle is also the father of the cousin who has sent me some obnoxious emails regarding Iraq. I have refrained from answering them because Mom didn't want another feud to break out. However, uncle pushed Mother over the edge.

He is fairly well off, my mother is on fixed income. Mom has gotton nailed each time one of his grandchildren has graduated and she always sends $25.00 as she thinks any smaller sum these days looks "cheap". Well, now her granddaughter graduated and Uncle Warbucks sent the whopping sum of $10.00. This has frosted my mother who always looked out for her little brother - including financially back in the day when he was fresh out of school and needed help.

So mom has composed the thank you note she wants my niece to send:

"Dear Uncle -
Thank you for the graduation gift. It arrived the same day as my brand new voter registration card (that's true). I plan to use the money to go see Farenheit 9/11. I have been told that this is a must see movie for anyone who wants to cast an intelligent vote in this year's election."

And, I've been given the green light to respond to the next obnoxious email my cousin sends me. :bounce:

[rednek_Liberal]

1. Ahh how precious are these family ties that bind and Gag.<eom>

[Citizen Daryl]

2. Heh!

:yourock:

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Brilliant!

I like it.

What a cheap ass bastard of an uncle. While one should never give gifts expecting a tit for tat, and all gifts are, as they say, gifts and shouldn't be criticized, it does show a poor lack of judgment and etiquette and plain old humanity to give someone less of a gift than that person has been cranking out for oneself.

On the other hand, how would your uncle know how much his sister has been giving to his grandkids?

[dflprincess]

4. Knowing my uncle's wife

she would have checked out what each of their grandkids got from the relatives. She has made public announcements along these lines in the past about who gave what for various occasions and actually kept copies of their daughters' wedding gift registries so she could keep track of who spent what.

Overall my mother's relatives are a pretty generous bunch of people and don't worry about these things and don't waste time wondering what someone else spent on a gift - gifts are to be gratefully accepted in the spirit they are given. This is what irked the Old One - though she chalks Uncle being a miser up to his being a Republican.

[chicaloca]

5. sounds like my great-uncle

He's filthy rich from a business his wife started and ran, and he has two houses -- one in a fairly expensive area of his city and one on a super-expensive lake. For Christmas this year he gave my brother and I each $10, and we always get him really nice stuff. Also, he doesn't get us anything for our birthdays.

And, of course, he's a Republican.

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. dflprincess - did the note ever get sent?

if so, what was the response?

[dflprincess]

7. Alas, she sent a standard thank you note.

My uncle's health is reputed to be bad (my Mom's older sister says he's exagerrating) and my mother decided we shouldn't do anything to push uncle into apoplexy. Though I did take a chance and sent him a copy of Elmer L. Andersen's editorial from last week. Haven't heard back from him.

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Bummer

but, it's the gentlemanly/gentlewomanly route to take, so I applaud those involved for not taking a nasty way and doing the right thing.

Still, part of me - the visceral part that is tired of rightwing bullshit - was hoping that the appropriately nasty path was taken. :-)