After Ashley spends a lot of time and effort getting her fiancé’s Christmas present, she is completely devastated at her gift in return. At her wits’ end, Ash leaves for her mother’s house to salvage Christmas, only to come to a realization about her relationship.
Let me be clear: I never wanted our relationship to feel transactional, but sometimes, you have to wonder if things are as balanced as they should be.
My fiancé, Ben, and I?
We were far from equals financially. He was a pediatrician with his own private practice, and I was a hairstylist trying to build my clientele.
Yet, I never let that be an excuse to fall short when it came to gifts.
Especially for Christmas.
Last year, I worked double shifts for months to buy Ben the one thing he’d been talking about for ages: a PS5.
“I just want something that I can do while switching my brain off. Work is tough enough, Ash,” he would say.
Ben loved gaming, but for whatever reason, he hadn’t bought the console for himself.
I figured that this was my chance to surprise him, to let him know that I had been paying attention for the longest time.
But there was a catch. The PS5 was impossible to find at retail price.
I searched online, checked every store in town, and finally found one through a cousin, who kindly added a hefty markup for “his troubles.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say, Ashley,” my cousin said. “I went through a lot of trouble to get the PS for you. Honestly, I did you a favor by getting it.”
I couldn’t argue and dipped into my savings.
It was Christmas, after all. Didn’t the man who saved children deserve something special?
And it was worth it. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he opened the gift.
I imagined it would be a moment of pure joy. Ben would beam at me, and I would feel like I’d just knocked Christmas out of the park.
But what happened that Christmas morning?
That was a whole different story.
Ben had been busy leading up to Christmas. His practice was booming, especially since one of the medical magazines had recently done an interview with him, making him every parent’s dream doctor.
He was doing so well that he moved into a newer apartment that had three bedrooms and a study.
“It’s perfect for us, Ash,” he said, showing me the photos online.
“And we won’t have to leave for a while. Not until we decide to have kids in the future.”
He even gifted his parents his old apartment as their Christmas present, which came with fancy upgrades that only Ben was used to. And what about his brother, Evan?
Ben had bought him a new customized Mercedes. Mandy, his sister, got a pair of diamond earrings and an exclusive art kit. I’m pretty sure her kids also got a few presents.
Everyone seemed to benefit from Ben’s financial success, and I was genuinely happy for them.
He deserved to celebrate after all the years of hard work.
But it was a bit weird that these gifts were given before Christmas, meaning that there was more to come.
And what about me?
I started to notice something was off when he didn’t even ask me what I wanted for Christmas. A few days before the holidays, I casually brought it up. I mentioned that I could use a few practical things for work.
Nothing hectic, just a new professional set of scissors and maybe a new set of dye bowls to mix colors for my clients.
Okay, and maybe a new pair of boots.
Ben listened and nodded, making me believe he’d taken the hint.
Boy, was I wrong.
Christmas morning rolled around, and Ben’s family came over to his apartment. It was a great start to the day because their laughter and holiday spirit were infectious. We all gathered around the tree, exchanging gifts, and I watched as Ben opened his PS5.
The excitement in his eyes was everything I’d hoped for.
He grinned ear to ear, kissed me, and thanked me over and over.
That moment made all the saving, all the stress of finding it, worth it.
Then, it was my turn.
Ben handed me a small gift, smiling widely like he had some secret he couldn’t wait to reveal. I could feel the anticipation in the room. Mandy even had her phone out, ready to record the moment.
I was actually excited for a second, as my fingers ripped the wrapping paper apart.
Only to find… a bottle of toothpicks.
Toothpicks.
I blinked, waiting for him to say something.
Anything.
Literally anything to indicate that this was some kind of elaborate joke. But no, he just stood there, smiling.
His sister burst into laughter, her phone still recording as she zoomed in on my face. I couldn’t believe it.
After months of planning and saving to get him the PS5, this was my Christmas gift? A pack of toothpicks?
“I thought you’d like it,” Ben said, still smiling. “But if you don’t, I can give it to my niece instead.”
The room filled with laughter.
Ben’s mom chuckled, her hand on her mouth. His sister was practically in tears from laughing so hard, and all I wanted to do was disappear.
Or slap Ben.
Both.
I stared at the pack of toothpicks, speechless. He thanked me again for the PS5, like that made up for everything.
I excused myself and walked straight to the bathroom, locking the door behind me.
I stood there, staring at my reflection, trying to keep it together. Outside, I could still hear Ben’s family giggling about the gift.
A few minutes later, Ben knocked on the door.
“Come on, babe,” he said. “It was just a prank.
Mandy thought that it would be funny.”
Ben’s voice was calm, like this was all just some light-hearted joke I should laugh off.
But I couldn’t. How could I pretend that it was all okay?
I took a deep breath, wiped away the tears that had started to form, and opened the door.
“What kind of prank is that?” I snapped. “Toothpicks?
After I spent months saving up for something you really wanted, this is what you thought would be funny?”
His family gathered around as the tension escalated. His sister was still holding her phone, capturing every second of our argument, too.
I felt like I was on display. Like I was a zoo animal being prodded for a reaction.
“You’re overreacting,” Ben said, crossing his arms.
“It’s just a joke. Lighten up.”
“Overreacting?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “This wasn’t a joke; it was cruel.
You’re a grown man, Ben, not some teenager. And the fact that you think this is funny shows just how little you actually care.”
The laughter from earlier had died down, replaced by awkward silence. His mother gave me a pointed look, like I was the one ruining Christmas.
“You didn’t need to blow up like this,” she said, shaking her head.
“You’re ruining everyone’s mood.”
I could smell the turkey burning in the oven, but I made no move to get it out.
I’d had enough. This family was ridiculous. Instead, I grabbed my coat and my keys and headed for the door.
The rest of Christmas was spent at my mom’s house.
The peace and quiet were everything I needed after Ben’s family. Ben texted me later, saying that he was sorry and that he’d bring my “real” gift the next day.
Apparently, the toothpicks were his sister’s idea all along, and I should have taken the joke in my stride.
“I don’t know, Ash,” my mother said when I told her what happened earlier that day. “It just seems like they don’t have enough respect for you.”
“I agree,” I said, picking at my turkey and mayo sandwich.
“It’s just that Ben has been doing this a lot lately. Whenever his family says something, he’ll automatically go with whatever they say. It doesn’t matter if it conflicts with anything else.
How am I supposed to marry a man like that?”
“Darling, the only thing I can tell you is that you need to think about this long and hard. Is there a future with Ben or not?”
My mom left me sitting at the dining table alone and went to watch TV. As I sat there, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this went deeper than a bad prank.
It wasn’t just about the gift. It was about respect. And clearly, there wasn’t much of that in our relationship.
The next day, Ben showed up with a small box.
His face was apologetic, but I was already checked out of our relationship.
“Here’s your real gift,” he said, handing me the box.
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