- - Woman Turned Down Her Sister-in-Law’s Tattoo Gift. Now Her Girlfriend’s Family Has Cut Her Off

Ashley VegaJanuary 1, 2026 at 10:12 PM

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Stock photo of a woman and man at a tattoo shop -

A woman received a $100-off tattoo “coupon” from her sister-in-law during a family Secret Santa exchange

After realizing the artist’s style wasn’t her preference, she gently declined the offer

Her decision sparked an angry confrontation, family backlash, and an uninvitation to a holiday gathering

A woman sought support from the Reddit community after a Christmas gathering with her girlfriend’s family spiraled into conflict over a gift that felt far more complicated than it first appeared.

In her post, the 22-year-old explained that she attended her girlfriend’s family Christmas party, noting, “I’ve known the family for a while, and we’ve all gotten along pretty well.”

She participated in the Secret Santa that they decided to host this year, and said that her name was pulled by her new sister-in-law, who had recently married her girlfriend's brother after a few months of dating. “I don’t know her very well, but overall we’ve gotten along when I’ve been around her,” she wrote.

The gift she received was unexpected: “a coupon of sorts for $100 off a tattoo by her." She added that while she and her girlfriend were “pretty heavily tatted,” she was also “very picky about my tattoos.”

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Stock photo of a woman getting a tattoo

“I’ve been going to the same tattoo artist since I started getting tattoos, and I love her, her work, and being able to see her improvement on my skin,” she wrote, adding that as an artist herself, the connection to her tattoo artist was very important to her.

Although she thanked her sister-in-law at the party, her feelings shifted later that night. “When I got home I decided to scroll her tattoo Instagram,” she explained. “The simple truth is I’m not a fan of her work.”

She noticed that the designs appeared to be traced from Pinterest, something she said she intentionally avoided. “My girlfriend also looked through her art, but came to the same conclusion as me,” she added, noting they both agreed they didn’t want a tattoo from her.

Hoping to avoid conflict, she planned to say nothing until her sister-in-law raised the issue again at a family lunch. “She brought up when she could fit me into her schedule,” the Redditor recalled, forcing her to respond.

Describing herself as “a people-pleaser to a fault,” she said she tried to be gentle but honest: “I let her know that I wasn’t sure if I’d be getting a tattoo done by her ... I said that her work was good, it just wasn’t my preference.”

She believed the conversation had ended, until her brother-in-law confronted her moments later. “Shortly after her husband came out absolutely fuming,” she wrote, saying he called her “selfish, spoiled, and ungrateful” in front of the family.

Her girlfriend defended her, escalating the tension. “My girlfriend argued with him in my defense,” she explained, sharing that her partner said the gift should have been cash so she could choose her own artist.

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The fallout continued even after they left. “This morning I got a text from my mother-in-law telling me we were un-invited to their New Year’s party,” she wrote, adding that her sister-in-law blocked her on social media.

Despite her girlfriend’s support, the poster admitted she felt conflicted. “I can’t help but feel guilty for not accepting the gift,” she wrote, before concluding, “Even still, I don’t want a tattoo by her.”

Commenters overwhelmingly reassured her she wasn’t wrong, with one writing, “Tattoos are permanent, not something to get just to please someone you know.” Another added that she had been kind in her refusal and that her sister-in-law needed to respect her decision.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”