My Boyfriends Family Legitimately Thinks Santa Clause Is REAL!

[00:00:02] [SPEAKER_00] Hey Waffle Gang, I do hope you are well. My name is Mark and today we're checking out some more Reddit Stories. And if you do love a Reddit Story, why not consider that like, subscribe, maybe that notification bell too. And let's crack on with today's first story. Much love guys. Now today's first story comes from a throwaway account from the true off my chest subreddit.

[00:00:26] [SPEAKER_00] And it just says, Guy I'm seeing legitimately thinks Santa Claus is real. It starts, I think he actually believes Santa is a real person in some capacity and thinks he delivers presents to his family personally. I'm probably going to leave tomorrow because it's been awful so far and I just want out. I'll call him Adam. Fake name. Adam, 25 male, is from a pretty rural area up in the mountains.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00] Keeping it vague on purpose and his family are what I'd consider religious extremists. He told me this before I, 23 female, came to see them for Christmas. That they were very religious as are mine, so I thought it would be similar. I'm not seeing my own family as I just have my abusive mum left and we are no contact. I've only been seeing him a couple of months and his beliefs have only came up minimally and Santa Clause was not a part of that. Lol.

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_00] I don't even think we've mentioned it all despite walking around Walmart with Christmas decorations and holiday stuff on the shelves and him saying he wishes there was more Christian decor. Adam and his family call Santa Saint Nick to start off with. He has a large family and we had a lot of regular Christmas Eve activities all day, including cooking breakfast and dinner with his family, sitting around and playing with the children, going to a church event around lunchtime.

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_00] When we went to church, his mum would shake her head disapprovingly at some references towards Santa Claus, the pastor maid, and would whisper to his younger brother and her nephew next to her. I didn't hear what she said. When we made dinner, she told me to fix a plate for Saint Nick and I laughed and said, cookies aren't enough. And Adam shot me a horrified look. I felt the gaze of his mother as she gave me this sort of fake smile and said, no hun, that's not a filling meal.

[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_00] So I loaded up about as much as I gave Adam and the men in his family and put it on a plate. His mum put tin foil over it and put it in the fridge in the garage. At some point, about two thirds of his family left. The children went to bed after about an hour of it being dark. Adam's mum told them to go settle into bed so Saint Nick can have his dinner and start to deliver presents. This gave me the implication that he would start his night here, rather than just stop by and have cookies and leave.

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_00] I'm not sure. His mum read a couple of passages out of the Bible about family as we sat around their wood burning stove and we discussed my family situation a bit. Adam's dad then told Adam and I, as well as his little sister, to go to the guest house to sleep. It was about 9pm. I changed in the bathroom and said my goodnight to them and was about to walk out the door with Adam when his mum snapped her fingers and said, Hon, you're forgetting the most important part of Christmas.

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_00] Adam looked pale for a sec before kind of nervously laughing and stepped back the door, holding my hand. We went out into the garage where he grabbed the plate. I said something like, She's really serious about Santa getting his food, huh? Trying to lighten the mood. He squeezed my hand really hard and said yes. I'd say it's serious. We went back in to microwave the meal and we awkwardly stood there in front of the microwave watching the plate turn around.

[00:03:45] [SPEAKER_00] I felt his parents gaze on the back of my head. I said something again. I can't even remember what. Kind of lighthearted about Santa having a full stomach if he eats like this at every house. Adam gripped my hand harder than he did before. And the first sign of affection he had given me in front of his parents all night. And said, His name is Saint Nicholas and he only eats his dinner here. Don't be disrespectful in our home.

[00:04:13] [SPEAKER_00] It sounds calm or typed out like that, but the way he said it gave me chills. His parents didn't say anything and I felt like I was going to cry. I left a walk in the backyard to the guest house and his sister was waiting in this mostly empty living room area in there. She said she started the wood burning stove there and she showed me where to sleep. A twin bed next to her. And said Adam would be in the next room over with his younger brother.

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_00] I just laid down and I heard Adam come in maybe half an hour later and go straight to bed. I've just been laying here unable to sleep because I'm so anxious. And I already hear movement in the main house at this point and I don't know what to think. I thought after everyone had left, mostly small children, the Saint Nick talk would end. I think his family or at least him and everyone younger legitimately believe this is a real person. His parents are really strict and live relatively off-grid and isolated.

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_00] I barely have service here so I'll see if this post because I can't even text my friends SOS right now. I feel like I'm in a horror movie where they believe Santa is like a distant uncle or something. Does anyone know any traditions like this? They killed a pig sometime in the last week as well as a couple of chickens and the whole family is coming back tomorrow. And maybe it'd be less weird with more people being here. A few of his cousins gave me a more modern vibe rather than the rest of his nuclear family. But I didn't know.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_00] I might just head back and stay at my apartment a couple of hours away alone. I don't think I can continue seeing him. It's just been so weird. This kind of went from light-hearted with that title to really creepy by the end of this section. The only thing I could think of as I was reading it, and maybe this is a bit harsh, is Resident Evil game, Resident Evil Village, where it says welcome to the family. But I'm genuinely curious what this is all about as well. First commenter said,

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_00] Tired says, So Opie does come in with an update and says, I'm still alive, not dead.

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_00] Holidays ended horribly and my relationship is over. Probably for the best now that I've had time away from him. Talked to my friends, read comments, because I essentially ruined Christmas. St. Nick literally left the food untouched because there was a non-believer in the house, and Adam's mom made a point of it being because I was there. And I was essentially barred from seeing him and called a degenerate in front of his whole family. I really did want to make a proper update to this, but felt ridiculous and embarrassed that it,

[00:07:19] [SPEAKER_00] one, blew up so huge. Two, everything I said was absolutely picked apart. I get it that I sounded dramatic and whatever. I guess I just write dramatically, but I treated this no different how I write in my diary. I think this is it. I can't imagine typing out another few paragraphs of the worst Christmas I've ever had. Completely alone with crazy religious nuts, and in my fields only for it to be called a horror movie in the making. Like yeah, I know. My life right now just sucks.

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_00] Wish there was more to say or it was more dramatic for everyone wanting that, but I just don't have it in me. Wish I had a real family and relationships that don't suck. Wish I had answers for you of why his family is so crazy around the holidays, and aren't normal people that let their son date girls outside their borderline Amish lifestyle. I don't know. The end. I mean, in the end, I guess it's sad that we're left wondering why, but at the same time, just glad that Opie's got out,

[00:08:18] [SPEAKER_00] because that did sound wild, didn't it? And they're calling Opie a degenerate and a non-believer and all this kind of stuff. Holy moly. What do you guys make of this situation? Bit different than that one was. Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below, and let's move on to another story. Our next story comes from the Relationship Advice subreddit from EatamoonPie, who says,

[00:08:42] [SPEAKER_00] My 24 female, brothers 35 male, widowed fiancé's 32-ish female, dead husband, 30s male, is not dead. This is so fucking ridiculous, I don't know where to start. For as long as I can remember, my brother's been the golden boy, and I've been the fuck up. I'm obviously an accident, had some difficulties in school, and by the time I came around, my parents were peaking in their careers and too busy for me,

[00:09:11] [SPEAKER_00] and he was too old to hang out with me. About two years ago, golden boy introduced us to his girlfriend, Sarah, not her real name. She's beautiful and tall and tragic, exactly my brother's type. Sarah said she was previously married, but her husband suddenly died from a rare heart condition. Basically, he dropped dead at 28-29. In the aftermath, she left her home state, went no contact with her family and old friends.

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER_00] My brother says they were harmful during her grief journey. Moved across the country and reinvented herself. This was like four years ago. Immediately, I did not like. She seemed fake. It was just a vibe thing that I couldn't vocalize. But also, it didn't matter. My parents loved Sarah. Like the moment they met her, they started including her in family vacations, birthday dinners, and within a few months, my mom was saying shit like,

[00:10:08] [SPEAKER_00] I think she's the one for your brother. Sarah has no social media. She has a super unusual last name, and over the past two years, I've googled from time to time. Some recent stuff comes up. Like stuff related to her job, but nothing from before her move, and nothing related to her husband. Nothing comes up. And she's cagey and weird about him. If you ask anything about what he was like or his name, she gets teary, and then Goldie jumps in.

[00:10:38] [SPEAKER_00] They got engaged a few months ago. So every conversation right now is about wedding planning. Sarah has a few friends, none from her past life. So I'm in the bridal party with some of their mutual friends. We went bridesmaid dress shopping a few weeks ago, and I went to Venmo her payment for my dress. And then I was like, I wonder how far back this goes. Pretty fucking far. Mostly payments between her and my brother, and hairstylist slash nail artists.

[00:11:06] [SPEAKER_00] But I saw one Venmo from a guy that looked like it was for living expenses. And when I googled him, I found his Instagram. And on his Instagram, I found a wedding photo from 2017. And in that wedding photo, he was the groom, and Sarah was the bride. And that dude is still alive. Like, very alive. He posted three days ago. He's really married with kids. I found her siblings, her old maiden name,

[00:11:33] [SPEAKER_00] and a whole old life once I found her ex's account. So, I don't know what to do. Part of me is like, maybe the relationship ended badly, and that's why she goes around saying he's dead. Part of me is like, maybe she's in witness protection. She's screwed if she is, because I eventually found her. Part of me is like, do I need to tell my brother? Do I tell her? Like, pull her aside and be like, hey sis, what's up? I screenshotted everything so I have proof. I just don't know if I should sit on it,

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_00] or tell someone. OP says, I low-key want credit for figuring out that she was lying lol, but it would definitely be messy. Galaxy says to OP, what if she's a domestic abuse victim? He could have beat and stalked her, so she ran and changed her name, so he couldn't find her. What do you think you'd look like if your brother already knows this, and you're outing a victim? Unless you know for sure, you shouldn't assume anything. Your feelings for your brother and family are skewing your judgment, in my opinion.

[00:12:33] [SPEAKER_00] OP says, that's a good point. I don't like her, but I don't want her to get hurt or put in danger. Wormfighter says, plot twist, your brother knows she's not a widow, and he's complicit in the lie. God knows mum and dad would be a bit less welcoming of a divorced woman. OP says, I could actually see that. My parents are traditional. OP says, I haven't sent any death notices or RIP posts from her friends, so I think she just cut them off. OP on how Venmo works.

[00:13:02] [SPEAKER_00] It defaults to all the transactions being public. Just a description, usually emojis, and who you sent money to. Other people can't see how much you send. You can make everything private, but most people I know have their Venmos public. The Venmo was from like five years ago. Never used Venmo before, but why would that information need to be public anyway? Just curious, really. OP also says, it's cordial. I'm not warm and fuzzy with them, and they're not warm and fuzzy with me. I'm just in the bridal party

[00:13:32] [SPEAKER_00] because it would embarrass my mum if I wasn't. And someone suggests to look up divorces and criminal history in the court system, and OP says, that's a good idea. I know what state she's from, so I'll see what's available there. So, it was four days after that initial post that OP did come in with an update and said thanks to everyone for their thoughts on my last post. Also, lol, some of you were wild, and I love that for you. I felt really affirmed by a lot of the comments that one, I shouldn't involve my parents at all, and two,

[00:14:01] [SPEAKER_00] she might have a tragic reason for changing everything in her life slash be a victim, so I shouldn't approach it like I'm happy to be stirring the pot. I ended up texting Goldie to ask if I could call him on Tuesday night. And when I called him, the freak put me on speaker because they were cooking, so I was like, fuck it. And I just told him everything about the Venmo, the husband's Instagram, et cetera. I framed it like, I'm nosy and I don't care, but I wanted to say something in case Goldie didn't know, or you both don't want other people to find this.

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_00] And Goldie was like, you're an idiot, of course I know, because their marriage certificate will say that she's been married before. For a moment, I thought we were going to get into a fight. Honestly, Sarah kind of diffused it, and the three of us ended up talking for a few hours about Sarah's background, why she lied, and me and Goldie's parents, and our relationship. I won't go into everything we talked about, but basically, Sarah grew up religious. I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to disparage people in this religion,

[00:14:59] [SPEAKER_00] but she said that it's closer to a cult than a real faith. I don't know enough about it to comment. Around five to six years ago, she started having doubts and eventually left it. Unfortunately, in this religion, if you leave, everyone is supposed to avoid you. So her family and friends stopped talking to her, and the relationship with her husband got really tense. She said he was the only person who could talk to her, but the love was gone. She felt the church was trying to torture her back into joining,

[00:15:29] [SPEAKER_00] and that made her be like, fuck it, we bore. Like, if everyone's going to act like I'm dead, I might as well start a new life. So she moved away, started dating, divorced her husband, picked a new last name. She said at first she told new people her background, but knowing about her old faith made people judge her and ask a lot of questions she was uncomfortable with. So eventually, she just started telling people she was a widow because it was easier and was how she felt. When she first met my brother,

[00:15:58] [SPEAKER_00] that's what she told him. She told him the truth a few months into dating. Goldie says they decided together to keep her background from my family for reasons that make a lot of sense considering the type of people my parents are. Ultimately, I'm glad I told them. For the first time maybe ever, I feel like I'm a part of something with my brother. It's weird, but kind of nice. One convo won't undo the past 24 years of our relationship, but I feel bad for underestimating him and writing her off. It's not his fault

[00:16:28] [SPEAKER_00] that he's 100,000 years old and that our parents kind of suck. We had a nice Christmas together and I could tell they were both trying to engage me more than usual. Maybe because they have some respect for me. Maybe because they're scared, lol, but either way, I feel a little seen by them and I feel like I see them more. Thanks again. Make sure your Venmos are said to private. I really liked that update at the end. It seemed to open up this brother-sister relationship

[00:16:56] [SPEAKER_00] and between Sarah and Opie at the same time. Like Opie said, it's not going to fix things automatically, but they're starting to see each other a bit more, which I just thought was a really nice thing in the end. What do you guys make of this situation? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below and let's move on to another story. Now our next story comes from the Am I the Arsehole here subreddit from Wonderful Folds who says,

[00:17:26] [SPEAKER_00] Am I the Arsehole if I report my co-worker for making TikToks about me? I'll use fake names to avoid any more drama. I work with a younger girl, let's call her Carla. We work in healthcare. Since she started, there's always been some sort of tension and I never really understood why. For context, I had knee surgery a little while back and I've had certain restrictions after going back to work. I genuinely wasn't aware that this was causing any sort of issues

[00:17:55] [SPEAKER_00] because no one has mentioned it. They knew that I was out for a couple of months but that was it. I didn't really feel like I need to clarify with my co-workers why I was out for that time. I get home from work and I'm doom scrolling on TikTok and one of her videos pops up. She's talking about how everyone hates me and how I'm just lazy and how they're all going to slash the bitches' tires. Me being the bitch. I wouldn't have known it was about me if the caption didn't say and her name rhymes with

[00:18:25] [SPEAKER_00] and essentially puts my name. I'm the only one with a name that could possibly rhyme with the spelling she put. I spent the last hour crying and I just don't want to go to work tomorrow. I feel like I'm genuinely a nice person. I don't go out of my way to hurt anyone and I've never had any sort of issues with anyone. My mom was in nursing for two decades so I asked her what she thought and she told me I'm being too sensitive and that I should just suck it up and let it go. It's difficult for me because Carla

[00:18:54] [SPEAKER_00] also has a video up that has the back of my car in it. License plate fully visible. Obviously, I looked at her profile after the fact. It's just not sitting right with me and I don't feel like I'm overreacting. I work too hard and I try too hard to be treated like this. I guess if it were to my face, I could respect it more but it being online for strangers to join in on really bothers me. I feel like I'm in high school all over again. Am I the arsehole for reporting her? She'll probably lose her job

[00:19:23] [SPEAKER_00] and that also bothers me. You know, this is absolutely report worthy and honestly, if she gets fired, all you have to remember is that she did this to herself. She chose to make these videos. She recorded whatever she's recorded. That's on her. She's pretty much already identified you in the videos with the rhymes with nonsense. She's shown your vehicle in the videos with your license plate visible and she's literally made threats of slashing your tires and your mom is just totally wrong

[00:19:52] [SPEAKER_00] about the situation and you being too sensitive. This isn't someone making a private comment that you overheard. This is public and it's meant to humiliate you and potentially incite others. But a commenter says to OP not the arsehole. If you're fully honest about what she did and she loses her job that's the consequences of her own actions. OP says I wish I were lying. Commodore says save the videos in case they do slash the tires or anything happens to you or your property. OP says

[00:20:22] [SPEAKER_00] I saved the videos and screenshoted it in case she deletes them. Commodore says not the arsehole reporter. That is insane behavior for an adult and I would say she's acting like a kid but I've never met any kids this bad. Show her that her actions have consequences. OP says it definitely felt like a shock to the system just hearing the way she was talking about me. I was bullied relentlessly in high school but no one ever said anything like that directly to me. I know she thought I'd probably never see the video but gosh. Commenter replies

[00:20:52] [SPEAKER_00] saying I used to be bullied real bad too but that taught me to be truthful stern and a narc but people aren't as rude at least to my face anymore because I stood up to them and would tell adults that their behavior wasn't okay. Sounds like something out of a coming of age movie but it works surprisingly well. OP says it's been so long since I felt like I had to really speak up for myself. I just thought women my age and her age had moved past treating each other like that. It's so discouraging.

[00:21:21] [SPEAKER_00] Another commenter says to OP if the video was just her sounding off about not liking you that's one thing and your mom may have had a point. At the point she's threatening you or your property that's bordering on criminal conduct and should be reported 110%. Not the arsehole. OP says I feel like even without the threat is still not okay. Not with our line of work. There shouldn't be any place in healthcare for bullying. Even without the threat. She basically named me in the caption.

[00:21:50] [SPEAKER_00] I don't know if any of our coworkers follow her but if they do they 100% know it's about me and I'll have to deal with more nonsense at work because of it. Another commenter says report her to both your employer and the police. She's threatening criminal damage. Don't feel guilty for another tiny second. She got this coming. I bet you're not the first she's targeted online. As for her career I would never want a nasty person like this taking care of me. You're doing a lot of people a favor. OP says thank you.

[00:22:20] [SPEAKER_00] I think I let my mom get in my head a bit too much and reading these comments kind of snapped me back into reality and out of my emotions. I'm emailing my supervisor now. I don't feel like I should wait and sleep on it or I talk myself out of it. I have a habit of letting people just railroad me. The commenter says tell HR or whoever and if they seem to not take it seriously say that you will not work with her and try to get her to move branches or something. I don't know anything about healthcare workers. Sorry.

[00:22:49] [SPEAKER_00] OP says I'm not sure myself if I'm being honest. I've never been in trouble and I don't think I've seen anyone have to go through the disciplinary process. I can't imagine it's fun but I did email my supervisor because she's the first line of command. She's really amazing so I think that she'll take it seriously. I did send links to the videos and I have them saved in case she does delete them too. So it was around four days later that OP did update the post and says the update you've all been waiting for.

[00:23:19] [SPEAKER_00] I reported her the next morning after I emailed my supervisor. My supervisor went to HR with me. I wasn't the first person she's done similar to unfortunately. Fortunately for me her having several reports against her for the same thing made it easier on me. So anyways I reported her the next day and she was fired today. They pulled her into the office and made her watch her TikToks and then they let her go. I got the satisfaction of watching her get escorted out by security

[00:23:48] [SPEAKER_00] and her work besties were all smiles all day. No one treated me weird or anything it was a very good day. Thank you to everyone who knocked some sense into me and helped me stand up for myself. I needed that backbone and I'll be working on that with myself moving forward. She also deleted her entire TikTok. We beat the bully this time. Someone says to OP good for you and everyone else who reported her. While it's one thing to engage in gossip at a job even though that's pretty tacky as well

[00:24:17] [SPEAKER_00] there's another to post gossip and to be doxing people on social media. OP says I agree. Had thought about it all night and I realized I genuinely wouldn't have cared had she one not mentioned my name making it obvious it was about me and two had she not posted the back of my car with my license plate. It's one thing to just not like me. I couldn't care less but it's another to just outright degrade me on the internet thinking I'll never see it. Another commenter says I just read the original and honestly

[00:24:47] [SPEAKER_00] your mum is wrong. She's in an era where it's I'm glad you spoke up for yourself and everyone else she victimized. OP says I agree. She hasn't spoken to me since. I told her I'm going through with reporting and I think that may be for the best. Times have changed and healthcare or really any job is no place for bullying ever. A lot of people made really good points that really drove this home for me. People had asked me if I would want her taking care of me or my family knowing the

[00:25:17] [SPEAKER_00] way she is and honestly no I don't. Hopefully my mum wakes up and realises I wasn't wrong but if she doesn't then I guess it's not too big of a loss. Another commenter says my hospital has pretty strict rules on unprofessional behaviour on social media. I suspect recording it and publishing it there breaches any number of professional nursing standards and it's hard to put up the defence given it's documented. OP says my supervisor said I should report it to the nursing board as well. I'm thinking about it but I'm not sure if I want to

[00:25:47] [SPEAKER_00] take it that far since she was already fired. OP then responds to a downvoted commenter regarding the terms used in the posts. OP says insufferable is a word though. What I'm sure you know very well. We call our supervisors supps period. If you don't work in our building then maybe you refer to them as something else and that's fine but we don't. And for the third time I am dyslexic. I don't give a shit about spelling or grammatical errors in a reddit group. Get off your high

[00:26:16] [SPEAKER_00] horse. TikTok TikTok who gives a shit as the same fucking thing. OP put a space between TikTok basically. And yes updates you've all been waiting for because my post had hundreds of comments asking for an update. Genius. So basically OP was just having a go at someone who was targeting her spelling and the way that she writes etc which you know some people got too much time right. But what do you guys make of this situation? Let us know your thoughts down

[00:26:46] [SPEAKER_00] in the comments below. And just a huge thank you for being here today getting involved in the stories your love your support your time it always means the absolute world to me so thank you so much for being here and hopefully I'm going to see you in the next one. Take care and much love. Bye.