Category: life

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People Explain How Much Damage They’ve Ever Done With A Single Typo

We all know it’s worth the extra few seconds to scan that email draft or go through an essay before submitting it.

And yet, we’re often so excited it’s done we just hit send without a second thought.

Then, in a bizarre example of masochism, we read through the whole thing after it’s too late to change anything.

Of course, it’s during that powerless read-through that we see it—the most embarrassingly timed and placed typo ever.

Redditor DoesntUnderstands was apparently in the mood to have people relive all that cringing.

He asked:

“What is the most damage you’ve ever done with a typo?”

These Redditors made the same mistake.

“g and t are very close on the keyboard and for this reason ‘regards’ is not my favorite email closing.” — AdeptAdaptor

“I mistyped ‘regards’ on an angrily worded email. I was told by my manager that, no matter how annoyed I was, I shouldn’t call people that. It’s hard to explain that it was an accident given the tone of the email.”

“Always take a second and proof read any angry email. And then don’t send it. It isn’t worth it.” — the_hair_of_aenarion

This kind of mistake came up a lot.

“My father in law had just died. I text my other half saying, ‘how’s your dad going?’ Instead of ‘how’s your day going? He was not impressed.” — pooches4life

“Asked a co-worker in a group IM if he’d mind me using his d*ck as mine didn’t seem to be working properly.”

“I meant dock, for my laptop.”

“It wasn’t something I got in trouble for but it’s one of those typo’s that will probably come up in conversation for the next several years.” — phormix

“I used to work for a museum booking group visits and educational programs for tour companies and schools.”

“Was working on a reservation and they had only told me how many students were in the group, but I also needed the number of adults. So, I sent an email to the teacher:

” ‘Hello *teachername*, we’ll also need to know approximately how many sluts will be visiting from your school.’ “

“Luckily, they had a sense of humor:

” ‘Not sure how many of us are sluts, but if you meant “adults” it’s going to be around 8 or 10.’ ” — smokehidesstars

One mistake almost reached a large audience.

“I worked in the architecture industry for many years. One of the aspects of the job, when we were designing a new building in a community, was to present our plans to the public in a place like a community centre or a school gym, and they would be able to voice their concerns.”

“The presentation materials would usually take the form of panels printed on foamcore board and placed around the space; these presentations are called public consultations.”

In one instance, we had printed about 30 boards with the title ‘X Project Public Consultation’ at the top, only the ‘l’ had been forgotten in the word ‘public.’ Hilarity ensued.”

“Luckily the mistake was caught before they placed all the boards, and they were quickly reprinted, which cost a lot of money. If it had been ANY other letter we would have let it slide.” — ToothbrushGames

This one came before they even had the job.

“Submitting forms for a job, got a real awkward call back – ‘Did you mean to check this box saying that yes, you’ve been been involved with illegal distribution of controlled substances? Because you checked no on all the other questions about criminal behavior…’ “

“Nice of the guy to give me a chance to correct it, at least.” — BitterFuture

One Redditor’s screw-up could have been costly, literally. 

“My first finance job had to do with managing corporate cash. I was moving funds from one account to another and accidentally hit an extra zero. I ended up moving $30MM instead of $3MM.”

“Luckily it was between internal accounts, so it was easily reversible, but I didn’t know that at the time. I shat my pants and my boss let me panic for 30 seconds before fixing it.” — Fandorin

Another person was lucky enough to catch people before the holidays. 

” ‘Sorry for the incontinence.’ “

“I meant inconvenience, of course. It went out to a group of managers who reported to my boss.”

“We were going to have really limited office coverage for the holidays, so one of their usual processes was going to be delayed, and I was asked to send the official email about how we were going to do business during the couple of days after Christmas.”

“Fortunately, they were great people and we all laughed.” — liniyedf

This typo had the look of some blunt, harsh truth-telling.

“Typing up minutes to a meeting, ‘(company name) was sh** for 10 days over Christmas period and only responded to emergency jobs.’ “

“Not shut, sh**. To be fair all the folks representing that company agreed that their response times were shit due to the fact that they were shut.” — SparkieMark1977

And there is the old double typo.

“Several years ago, I asked my mom if we could go to ‘butt shows’ that weekend. I meant ‘buy shoes.’ “

“No joke, it changed BOTH words to form the most unfortunate sentence ever. I hate my fat thumbs, lol.” — survivetothrive01

Not all cringey mistakes, though, involve a keyboard.

“I wouldn’t say damage to other people but more my self. Was in a mod interview via text for something and the owner just flat out asked me ‘Will you abuse your powers?’ and I meant to say ‘I absolutely will not.’ But I forgot the ‘Not.’ “

“I cringed at my self so I just backed out of the mod interview. Haha.” — TheThirteenthNeef

For a second, this one was tragic.

“A couple years ago my grandpa had surgery for pancreatic cancer. What my mom MEANT to text me is ‘the surgeons will give an update soon’ which instead somehow came out as ‘the surgeons will give up soon’ ” — Tokidoki99

But as far as “damage” goes, this one might take the cake. 

“Years ago I took down the entire web infrastructure of a large (millions of daily users) company with a single additional . in a line of PHP code.”

“Does that count?” — recaffeinated

It’s a list that ought to convince us all to double check the things we type before we send them.

But let’s face it, we’ll never do that.

And we’ll just keep cringing along.

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People Break Down The Dumbest Traditions They’ve Ever Witnessed

Traditions have a way of connecting us to our past.

We learn them from our parents, our grandparents or even an understanding of our cultural background.

And it can be comforting to carry out many of these traditions. They give us a sense of long-term regularity amidst all the chaos of current events and people coming and going in our lives.

But for all that comfort, there are a whole lot of head-scraching moments.

These are the times we wonder:

“How and why did this get started and why the hell are we still doing it?”

One Redditor asked:

“What is the dumbest tradition?”

Of course wedding traditions came up a lot—these come out of Lebanon.

“So we have this tradition in some parts of Lebanon. Once you have your wedding, the bride’s male relatives are supposed to ‘kidnap’ the groom. The bride should go back to her parent’s for 2 nights a night after the wedding.”

“when the priest/shiek asks the bride.. do you take this man as your husband.. the bride should refuse to answer the question twice .. she should answer yes at the 3rd time. As a sign of showing that she’s not desperate to marry the groom.” — Ghost_Leb

But as we know, Lebanon isn’t the only place with bizarre wedding moments. 

“Garter and Bouquet tosses at Weddings.”

“Hate ‘em, always have. Think they’re outdated and I’m so thrilled most of my clients (I’m in the wedding industry) are steering away from them.”

“Seriously, who wants to have their husband go up their skirt in front of their parents?”

“[to be fair]; a decent amount of my clients are older” — caitycc

Then came talk of the clothes.

“White wedding dresses.White is the most unflattering color,makes you look 50lbs heavier and doesn’t outline your body at all.”

“The ONE day it’s about you and your S.O and ur not even gonna pick ur favorite color dress? LAME I’m wearing a black and peach pink dress to my wedding?” — chocolatecakeslicee

One person was more involved with the lead-up to marriage.

“That the man has to propose.”

“When I want to get married I will ask him.”

“Also to add asking the parents for approval. We are all adults, we don’t need your permission to get married” — MinnesotoanPerson

This comment took aim at the whole universe of wedding traditions.

“I got married a few years back and I can tell you that at least 75% of wedding traditions are stupid and should be abolished.”

“If you’re getting married and there’s something you’re “supposed to do” that you just don’t care about, seriously, skip it. You will still have plenty to do and honestly you’ll barely remember the day once it’s done anyway.”

“It all goes by so fast, it’s insane. Ignore everyone else, skip the things that you think are dumb, and just enjoy your day. Absolutely no one will remember if you did that cringey garter dance or threw your bouquet.”

“Traditions are just peer pressure from dead people.” — KitchenSwillForPigs

And then there are the things people do far after the wedding. 

” ‘Staying together for the kids’ “

“Not 100% sure this counts/is a tradition but it sure feels like one with how often people do it.”

“Like dude, just admit your marriage/relationship is failing, be adults about it, and separate instead of pretending you’re doing it for a good reason. As an adult who’s parents did this, I can PROMISE you you’re only hurting your kids and yourselves by doing this.” — SaphireJames

Moving on from weddings, this person was thinking more about daily life. 

“The false kindness rules. I’m talking about the ones that make you refuse a gift, expecting it to be offered to you once more, and other kinds of such rules.”

“The thing is such rules are usually very local, often limited to a particular village, and conflict with the rules of different areas.”

“Imagine that in your area, being offered a gift means being respected highly, and it is rude to reject a gift. While in some other area, being offered a gift means you are supposed to refuse twice and only accept if the offer is repeated for the third time.”

“The result? You meet someone. She offers you a gift. You don’t really like chocolate, but you accept because you don’t want to sound rude. Then she makes a weird face, as if you stole it from her.”

“And she doesn’t seem to be into you, but keeps offering you coffee and dinner, and pretends that the date was successful, only to block you on tinder afterwards.” — King_Dagda

This commenter was thinking politically.

“The dumbest tradition we (Brits) have is having a monarchy. Giving people who serve no purpose prestige, respect and wealth based solely on their bloodline is ridiculous.”

“It’s a perpetuation of the idea that some genes are superior to others and have more worth.” — Negative-Net-9455

This one is just bizarre. 

“Up until he died (although someone else is probably carrying on the tradition), a Canadian weekly agriculture newspaper used to publish the annual findings of a guy who forecasted the weather by reading the entrails (spleen) of a slaughtered pig.” — tangcameo

As is this one. 

“Tar barrel running in Ottery St Mary, England.”

“Yes you are correct, hot tar coming out of a barrel being ran down a street with spectators watching.”

“Even listed as an attraction! Come down to South Devon and get yourself burnt! Fun times ?” — Baconator08

And this one too. 

“In Russia,there’s a tradition among cosmonauts when they go out to the launch pad. The bus they ride on stops half way so the cosmonauts can get out and piss on the tires.” — TeamNathanFTW

We end with a timely example.

“Said this before, but the thing about having your scared/crying child take a picture with dept. store Santa then sending it out as your x-mas card/e-card. How is that at all cute?”

“If they are happy and all, fine. But not if they are clearly in terror.” — John32070

With your help, all these strange behaviors can be phased out for good.

But of course, there’s always someone that seems to still be into it.

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People Share The Best Non-Christmas Movies To Watch At Christmas

Well, here we are again.

It’s the Christmas season!

And you know what that means—tons of Christmas movies on television and a slew of other Christmas content.

A lot of these films have become accepted as part of our holiday traditions.

The TBS 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story is a staple for many families out there—though I’m pretty tired of that movie myself if I’m being completely honest.

You’ve probably watched Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York many, many times by now.

How many versions of A Christmas Carol have you seen? And by that, I mean, other than Scrooged?

The Santa Clause and its sequels are a bit old-hat by now, right?

And as much as you might love It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street, you’re probably wanting something new.

There’s bound to be more out there, right?

Of course there is! Even better, there’s nothing that says you need to watch the typical holiday fare this time of year anyway.

People shared their recommendations with us after Redditor samfringo asked the online community:

“What’s the best movie to watch at Christmas that isn’t a Christmas movie?”

The Shining (1980) and The Thing (1982)

“When my husband and I were newlyweds, we got snowed in together for the first time. We watched The Shining and John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing back to back. Good times.” ~ ColonelSanders_1930

My take:

If you’ve ever wondered what it must be like to be isolated in the middle of nowhere, then you can’t go wrong with either of these.

The Shining is a terrifying tale of how isolation drives a domestic abuser and alcoholic mad while snowbound with his family in a haunted hotel. The snowy environment allows for some stunning and unsettling cinematography.

The Thing, about a research team in Antarctica targeted by a shape-shifting alien, is one of the finest remakes of all time. It’s a thrilling and shocking film with excellent scares and even better practical effects.

Groundhog Day (1993)

“Groundhog Day is the perfect middle of January, snowing outside, cold as hell, movie. Especially if I’m laying around all by myself all day doing nothing.” ~ Beeks525

My take:

Groundhog Day remains one of the best films Bill Murray has ever done. Look past the gimmick–which is used to great and hilarious effect–and you’ll see a rather touching film about maturity and personal growth.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

“The Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s totally a Halloween movie. Unless you need it to be a Christmas movie, in which case it’s a Christmas movie.” ~ anotherpoweruser

My take:

This reviewer says this assessment is spot on!

Right now is the perfect time of year to watch this movie, which seems only to have grown in popularity the more time passes.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is the movie we deserve, but not always the move we need right now.

Band of Brothers (2001)

“For the past six or seven years, I’ve watched the Band of Brothers miniseries with my dad over the Christmas holidays.” ~ Groundloop

My take:

This one is indeed technically a miniseries, but it’s still a great recommendation.

To this day, it remains one of HBO’s finest works–and that’s saying a lot, especially for a studio that usually knocks it out of the park.

The sixth episode of the series is actually Christmas-related, and follows a medic as he attempts to treat the many men who were wounded during the Battle of the Bulge, in Bastogne. Recommended viewing.

The Sound of Music (1965)

“The Sound of Music. I don’t think I’ve watched it outside of Christmastime, but I watch it every year.” ~ shadowley

My take:

Few films are as magical as this one.

The Sound of Music won five Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture prize. Featuring stellar performances from an enormous cast that includes Julie Andrews and the late Christopher Plummer, it is bound to bring a smile to your face.

It was so successful, in fact, that it enjoyed an initial four-and-a-half year theatrical release run in the United States.

My Man Godfrey (1936)

“It has nothing to do with Christmas, but I always watch the original My Man Godfrey while I decorate my tree. Hilarious movie! William Powell is at his best!” ~ TheHearseDriver

My take:

If you’re looking for a screwball comedy classic, then this is the one.

Carole Lombard and William Powell are indeed at their best. The film, about a socialite who unknowingly hires a vagrant to be her butler, is delightfully funny.

My Man Godfrey was deemed “culturally significant” by the United States Library of Congress and is preserved in the National Film Registry. A splendid transfer is available from the Criterion Collection.

Forrest Gump (1994)

“I feel like Forrest Gump is always on around the holidays. It’s a crowd-pleaser. Everyone from my older relatives to my younger ones can enjoy parts of it and everyone has seen it so much it’s easy to just watch a small part and still enjoy it.” ~ ohno807

My take:

Few films have become such a slice of Americana as Forrest Gump and that distinction is undoubtedly aided by Tom Hanks, who anchors it with total aplomb.

Standout performances by Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, and the great Sally Field make Forrest Gump a joyous experience.

The Great Escape (1963)

“Our family always watches The Great Escape. I’ve seen it so many times now but it’s still amazing.” ~ corporal_bodkin

My take:

A thrilling film if there ever was one.

The story of a group of Allied prisoners of war eager to escape a German camp during World War II, the film features a who’s who of Hollywood talent of the day, including Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn.

Believe it or not, The Great Escape received only a single Academy Award nomination after its release–for Best Film Editing–in yet another sign that the Academy doesn’t always get it right.

The Godfather (1972)

“The Godfather. Don’t know why but I always watch this movie around Christmas time.” ~ Killamagilla1989

My take:

A bonafide classic.

There was a time when Francis Ford Coppola had Hollywood eating out of the palm of his hand. Between this, the sequel, and The Conversation, he had a hell of a run so early in the game.

Believe it or not, though now highly regarded, Apocalypse Now received mixed reviews during its initial release.

Army of Darkness (1992)

“When I was a lot younger, my family somehow ended up renting Army of Darkness right after it was released. Needless to say, the entire family LOVED it and it has been a Christmas tradition ever since.”

“So, that’s my recommendation. Oh, and shop smart, shop S-Mart.” ~ [deleted]

My take:

Why not watch the entire Evil Dead series while you’re at it?

They’re fantastic and Bruce Campbell–on his third go-around as Ash Williams–carries them with such gusto!

Army of Darkness is indeed a thrill ride. More comedic than its predecessors, it features a standout performance from Embeth Davidtz as a (later) zombified love interest.

Well, there you have it, friends.

Don’t say you don’t have anything to watch for the holidays now.

There’s nothing stopping you from making these part of your holiday traditions. Pop one in, grab some popcorn and have a blast!

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Procrastinators Share Their Go-To Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

The holiday season can be a hectic time for just about everyone. There’s a lot of pressure to get the right gift for every single one of your loved ones.

Sometimes, we procrastinate our shopping until the 11th hour and we’re stuck with whatever is left on the bare and picked over shelves at the store. Or maybe you wanted to do some online shopping and realized it wasn’t going to be delivered in time.

There’s so much stress around Christmas gifting that one study showed it could even cause a heart attack.

When it comes to procrastinating Christmas gifts, this list might be your saving grace.

We went to AskReddit to see what procrastinators go-to Christmas gifts are so we could take a little stress out of your holiday season.

Redditor johnsanny wanted to know:

“It’s 48 Hours Before Christmas and You Realize You Haven’t Bought Anyone Anything. What is Your Go-To Last Minute Gift?”

With two days left, now’s the time to get yourself in gear.

You’ll just know.

“That’s definitely a ‘go to target and walk around until I see it, and I won’t know it till I see it’ kind of thing.” – Raze321

“That’s how I ended up giving my dad a coffee mug that looks like a toilet.” – SirVelocifaptor

“Yes!! I go into target and let target take a hold of me. It’s really a spiritual experience having target do my Christmas shopping for me.” – rufusmaru

“I don’t wander around Target without a list anymore because when I wait for Target to tell me what I need, my bank account suffers. Do I need new towels? No, but I do now. Maybe my family member will like this gift I found? Oh and this other one too? Might as well get both. RIP budget.” – EponaShadowfax

“As an employee of Target it is deeply enjoyable to notice people ‘see’ the thing.” – predoucheous

Try TJ Maxx too.

“If we’re talking non-money gifts you know what’s a great go to? TJ Maxx. They are just a hodge podge of random stuff and they have bailed me out so much when it comes to gift giving because with all the things they have you are bound to find something for everyone.” – PM_ME_HEALTH_TIPS

“This or their sister stores, Marshalls and HomeGoods, and their slightly lower end competition, Ross and Burlington. Always hard to leave those stores without buying something.” – CumboxMold

“Barnes and Noble has also successfully pivioted to be a store full of junky stuff. Probably the best toy selection now that Toys AR Us screwed the pooch.” – huxrules

The softest blankets around.

“Those soft-ass blankets you find in any store around Christmas time. And then I buy one more for me. Every goddamn year.” – guardrevenant

“I’m going to be real with you. I bought myself one of those last year. Then my mom and dad commented about how soft they were. Great, I’ll buy them each one too. But then our new kitten at the time wouldn’t stop stealing my blanket to suckle and knead on because I guess he liked how it felt, well alright I’ll buy one for the little dude. Open up the site to find out there’s only 5 blanket patterns, 3 of which I already have now between me and my parents. Alright, well, if I get the cat one that’s 4/5 patterns. The last pattern is cheaper anyway…”

“And that’s how I spent $150 on 5 blankets last Christmas.” – IUsedAFarcaster

“About 4 years ago, my wife ordered something from Nordstrom, and somehow they accidentally delivered an entire box of these super soft throw blankets to us, there was about 40 of them in there, not cheap either, they had a retail price of 60 bucks each.”

“We called them, and they could not find any record of them sending these to us, there was no record of these blankets in their system, so they told us to keep them since they could not process a return. We tried to explain that we never ordered them, they just came to our address. Basically, since it wasn’t in their system that they ever shipped them to us, they wanted nothing to do with them.”

“So now we had a box of 40 of these sweet blankets. We kept about 5 of them for around our house, and now they’ve become the default ‘I don’t know what to get this person’ gift. Everyone we’ve given them to has literally loved them. I think we are now down to about 10 left.” – Redditor

Liquor and Legos.

“Liquor for the grownups, Legos for the kids, Duplos for the little kids.” – jimmyjohnjohnjohn

“Legos for the grownups.” – sonicbillymays

“Or for my family, legos for everyone. Seriously, I’ve bought legos for almost everyone this year.” – icepyrox

Alcohol and poetry.

“Cash, candy, and/or alcohol.”

“I wanted to write everyone at work a personalized haiku, I think I’m going to give them mini-alcohol bottles instead.” – 099uyx

“Haikus are cheaper/ You know all you have to do/ Is write three small lines.” – foxfay

“Would write a haiku/ Oh well, I dont know how to/ Have some alcohol.” – KeepCalmJeepOn

Or really just alcohol.

“I’ve done this. Wrapped an unopened bottle from the bar, stuffed it under the tree.” – sobriety_kinda_sucks

“Wine, liquor, or beer?” – elee0228

“Whatever they prefer. Like my mom would get pink moscato, my dad would get crown xo, and my brother likes to try craft beers from local breweries. That probably makes me sound pretentious, but they are so particular about their alcohol and if I bought them anything else I know it would be regifted or not even used.” – magmurray

Gift cards.

“Here is what I do every year.”

“I go buy gift certificates for my favorite restaurants, and gift cards from Best Buy. I then put them in Christmas cards with no name on them.”

“I keep some in the house and some in my car.”

“If someone gives me a gift, I say “Wait a minute, I have something for you too” and go get the card. I quickly write their name on it and hand it to them.”

“Its worked out perfectly for me for years. I give everyone that gives me something, and if I end up with extra gift certificates or gift cards, I just use them on myself.” – joecooool418

“A stack of Starbucks cards works well also.” – ac7ss

“Amazon, Target and Chick fil A are my stash.” – happygamerwife

“I do this with Lush or Sephora gift sets, because it’s always women who ‘get you a little something’ so I stash one or two I know I’ll like in my closet and then if I don’t give them away I either use them on myself or save them for birthdays.” – jacquelynjoy

Just lie.

“My last minute gift is saying I ordered something online but the shipping was late.” – Someone_browsing_tru

“My ex GF did this, but then she sent me a shipping update and it had the date and time of order on it. Christmas eve, about an hour before I arrived. In her defense, it was a bad-a** gift!” – johnn11238

“Better than when my mom grabs gifts so early in the year she then loses them. ‘I have your gift, its somewhere in the house, but I can’t find it. It’ll turn up eventually.’”

“I found Oblivion Shivering Isles in a closet 3 months after Christmas… Good job mom.” – Rayne37

Plus, you can always blame shipping delays on COVID these days.

What’s in the house?

“Check the regifting shelf in the linen closet and see if something can be disposed off. Else cash in an envelope.” – Fickle_Holiday

“If you give the world’s most uninteresting gift to someone in an extended family of regifters, could the gift go generations without ever being opened beyond tearing the wrapping paper? The last person in the chain would circle it around the Goodwill drain as a donation 10 years later, still unopened.” – Redditor

“My mom had an experience like this, it went on for about 11 years! Someone at the office bought this “super cute” door Santa, like you would hang on the front door during Christmas time? Ya it was anything but cute… had a body of pine cones and the creepiest Santa head I’ve ever had the displeasure of witnessing. It was dubbed ‘Creepy Santa.’”

“The gifter left the company shortly after, and sure enough he made an appearance the next holiday gift exchange and for every year for the next decade! He made his way back to my house a couple times, and was used as a threat when we misbehaved… ‘Don’t make he hang Creepy Santa on the tree!!’ It was surprisingly effective.”

“It eventually found a forever home in the hands of a new hire who wasn’t around to get the joke, but she loved it so props to her.” – Shiftyy

An experience.

“Buy tickets online for a upcoming play, dinner & show, concert, game, etc. Print out page of ticket confirmation and put it in a nice Christmas card envelope. It’s an awesome gift because people tend to love it more than clothing or other junk you usually give. And if your parents are like mine, they barely take the initiative to go to these type of events themselves or don’t even know about them. Experience>material goods.” – Yoinkie2013

“Risky unless you know what peoples schedules are.” – Ferahgost

“I do it for my parents every year because they are impossible to shop for and never book these things for themselves. Book it 2 months out on a weekend with refund, date change or cancellation guarantees.” – Yoinkie2013

Hopefully, this gave some of you a spark of inspiration in your time of desperation.

There’s still enough time to get those last minute gifts!

But maybe the best gift of all is the time spent together? I guess we’ll just have to find out.

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People Debate Which Candy Is The Worst Of All-Time

A good majority of us prefer sweet over savory, and we are insatiable when it comes to our cravings for treats with sugar as the primary ingredient.

As kids, many of us may or may not have salivated over the candy selection at the grocery check-out counter and “accidentally” threw a KitKat and/or a Twix bar on top of mom’s grocery pile for purchasing.

We could devour any of those selections. Or could we?

When it comes to sweets, it seems we can still be discerning about which ones to put in our mouths.

Redditor EmmaClark43244 asked:

“What is the worst candy of all time?”

Acquired Taste?

“I’ve never understood why people hate candy corn. I love them personally but I’m mentioning it because I know people hate ’em.” – Dyl-thuzad

Chocolate Knock-Off

“Palmer brand ‘chocolate’.”

“The cheapest most garbage chocolate you can buy a lot of around easter and Halloween.” – sneed_feed-seed

No Sugar? No Way

“Haribo sugar free gummies.” – Sonotmethen

Not For Black Licorice Fans

“Dubbelzoute drop. From the Netherlands. It’s just anise (black licorice flavor) and tons of salt, with no sugar. My former boss was Dutch and loved them, made me eat them from time to time to be polite… It’s not something you can ever love, unless you grew up thinking it was normal.” – MightiestThor

Thank You, Bertie Bott’s Beans

“Those Harry Potter jelly beans that actually taste like the flavors they have like earwax, dirt, puke. Yeah. Not a good experience.” – Bulky_Bicycle_9196

Waxy Goodness

“Those weird wax bottles in the candy section were you drink the sugar water (these are tiny, like the size of a finger) and are just stuck with the wax afterwards.” – peonyseahorse

Unloved Candy

“those valentines hearts that are stamped out of sidewalk chalk.” – thefirstbrick

Not A Fan

“Zoute Drop: It’s black licorice and salt. Imagine chewing on a tablespoons of pure salt with unsweetened licorice.” – greeniewillow

They’re Definitely Not Peanuts

“Circus peanuts. What the heck even are they. Weird fruit-but-not-any-fruit-youve-ever-eaten flavor, off-putting orange color, shaped like mutated peanut with the consistency of smushed marshmallow.” – thousand7734

The Familiar Suspects

“Laughing at these comments because I love all of these – circus peanuts, black licorice, Good and Plenty, Twizzlers, candy corn, conversation hearts, Werther’s Originals, etc.”

“If I had to pick one from the comments so far it would probably be Tootsie Rolls. You think it’s gonna be chocolate but it’s something weird. Tootsie Pops on the other hand are the bomb!” – DadsRGR8

Big Offenders

“You’re gonna hate me but I have a list.. all wax candies including candy corn, candy pumpkins and those bottles. Twizlers, black licorice, anything black licorice flavored. Any chocolate that you put in your mouth that doesn’t melt but rather.. crumbles?”

“Like chalk/sand chocolate. Idk it’s awful. Idk if this counts but those bubble gum brands that decide to turn into mashed potatoes as you chew them absolutely randomly.”

“This is because of a personal experience involving two pounds of them and vomit, but, jelly beans, and along with them, other similar candies. Candies that aren’t really candy but rather that healthy thing that grandma gave you.”

“Not because they taste bad, they’re almost always strangely good, but because they’re misleading and that’s a crime. The ‘mixed berry’ and ‘cherry’ and the occasional ‘grape’ candies that taste like liquid cough medicine.”

“Idk what they’re called but they’re like.. they come in the form of lollipops sometimes, or something similar to off brand jolly ranchers.” – Shh_Its_Alex

Gummy Swimmers

“Swedish fish. They taunt you with their outward appearance. Luring you into a false sense of security. They fill your head with the childhood memories of yore.”

“Begging you to come closer. Please, put me in your mouth. Please. I’m just like a gummy bear. F’KING LIES!!!!!” – SeaFaringPig

Halloween Staple

“Candy corn. It’s not even remotely close.” – Adomillad

Thing About Hershey’s

“Coming from the UK and being raised on Cadburys, I’m really not sure how anyone enjoys Hersheys which absolutely tastes like literal puke.” – purplehornet1973

Soda Pop Bottle

“Them waxy little soda’s with that liquid inside. As a kid I always thought you were supposed to eat the whole thing. Yuk.” – KingsterMan

It’s a Marshmallow World

“PEEPS! I just don’t get what there is to like about them. My kids will knock over a 7-11 for them. Yellow ones, pink ones, rabbit or pumpkin shaped….same mushy crap.” – nuclear_pickle_cpc

Taste Of Wax Paper

“When I was a kid I tried those dots of sugar on the paper roll? The paper would always stick to the sugar, you rarely got the dot off with out the paper. It was annoying and even though the sugar tasted great, the chewing of paper was not.” – MickeyRipple

Sucker

“Lollipops kinda suck ass. Probably not the worst they just popped into my mind. I don’t want to commit to sucking on that damn thing for several minutes when I could just eat something different that’s over and done with in 10 seconds. Idk maybe I’m weird.” – Jimjangofett

Sticky Kisses

“I just found out the name of these after 33 years. I also don’t know if they are available outside of Canada, but should be. They are called Molasses kisses.”

“I enjoy molasses but these are the most disgusting of candy. I never met anyone that like them. Everyone I know hated them. Don’t know why do many people bought them to give away, never even seen any to buy from any sites either, I have no idea where people get em.”

“It’s so weird.” – Asrack

Poo-Pourri

“The lavender-flavored hard candy from Europe that turns your mouth blue. It tastes like a pot-puri.”

“I was given a piece when I was filling in for the regular staff and was dispensing medications (pharmacist) with a blue mouth all day. I got punked big time.” – TapirRide

Brown Wax

“Tootsie Rolls are awful. I’ve never met anyone who buys Tootsie rolls and enjoys them. The only time anyone gets a Tootsie roll is on Halloween when they’re unlucky enough to visit a house that hates children.” – drblah1

For me, it’s wax lips.

Why are those always in the candy section when they should be in the toy section?

Because those aren’t candy.

It’s a simulation of Botox gone wrong.

No thank you, next!

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People Share The One Thing Their Parents Said To Them That Still Haunts Them Today

WARNING: some stories involve threats of physical harm or assault of a child

Not every parent is perfect.

A lot of the time, you don’t have to be.

You just need to show up, do your best, make sure your kids(s) have enough food and water for the day and know where they are at any given time. Some days there doesn’t have to be more to it than that.

Yet there are those parental figures who seem resentful of their position, as if they’re angry or unable to let go of their ego in regards to raising their child. From there, the stories only seem to get worse and worse, as we see a litany of stories all starting and ending the same way, with terrible parents.

Reddit user Angry_Cheesecake_ asked:

“What’s the thing that your parents did/said to you that still haunts you to this day?”

Small Remarks With Lasting Effects

“Maybe you could run a few laps”

“One year when I was 12 I attended Christmas at my stepmom’s parents house. It was cool. They get us a few things including some jeans from JC Penny’s.”

“They were the right size but when I got to his house I tried them on and they didnt fit, so I told him they were too small. He responded with ‘maybe you could run a few laps’. He always made off handed comments about my weight but this is ingrained in my brain” ~ hillern21

Tell Me What You Really Think, Dad

“Mom, Dad and I were in the living room watching 60 Minutes one night when I was doing a college program for Graphic Design, which I was really struggling with. 60 Minutes was doing a segment on really skilled art forgers, and I made a comment at the end that being able to fool professionals was really impressive, even though it was obviously illegal and wrong.”

“I added that last part in due to my Dad’s penchant for jumping onto random stuff to be upset at you for, but it wasn’t enough. He angrily burst out that he didn’t want me thinking that what the forger did was impressive, because he didn’t want me turning to that when my art career failed.”

“I mean, I am not and never will be that good, but thanks I guess? I did finish that degree but am changing careers now. All I know is that while I won’t name drop him, that story is going into an acceptance speech somewhere down the line.” ~ morgan145

An Overreaction To A Small Situation

“i hit my brother or teased him or something I can’t remember but it wasn’t very serious (or maybe I said ‘damn’ and my brother picked it up or something) but my dad backed me into the sofa and yelled at me with his face all red from anger ‘I WILL KILL YOU’.”

“I was like 12”

“my parents are usually kind and are very loving so this memory legitimately brings tears to my eyes every time I think of it and any time I need to stop myself from smiling or laughing I think about it and my mood shifts and I hate myself for it” ~ owidh73923sksbha2083

Excluded From The Family

“When I was about 8 or 9, my dad relinquished his parental rights and my step dad adopted me. At the time, he told me he had to take care of his other kids, and just couldn’t take care of me.”

“His wife (during that same final visit) told me that they were trying to have another girl so my sister could have a ‘real’ sister. (All my siblings are half siblings). She ended up having 3 more sons, but no other daughters.”

“Honestly, it broke me as a kid. Since all my siblings were half siblings, I already didn’t feel a part of my own family.”

“My mom couldn’t understand because I was her only kid. All of my siblings had each other and then I was just—by myself.”

“I have struggled with the fear of rejection, and not felt good enough for a long time. It definitely damaged me.” ~ danireeseetc

There’s Nothing Wrong. Some People Can’t Cope.

”What is wrong with you ?! You really have a f-cking problem!”

“By my grandma. I had undiagnosed ADHD, autism and auditory processing disorder, and she was asking why I was not like everyone else. Still hurts years later.” ~ Elisaelle_Alexandre

A Long Series Of Terrible, Fatherly Scorn

“’I hope you die’ ‘Let me just tell everyone how my daughter’s legs are open for every guy’ ‘I’m just gonna go to my other daughter and take care of her since she’ll turn out way better than you’ ‘I don’t care I don’t wanna be your father anyway’ ‘You are just as bad as your mother’.”

“He in fact didn’t have another daughter. He fought for custody years ago only to kick me out.”

“He shouldn’t have lied to court all those years ago if he never wanted me. And if I’m just as bad as my mother he would’ve never tried to get back with her again and cheat on his wife and then use me as an excuse.” ~ GianKMore

A Horrendously Awful Take On A Horrendously Awful Situation

“’If he really wanted to rape you, he would have’—my dad in regards to me being sexually assaulted.” ~ hcomesafterg

Sounds Like An Outstanding Mother

“‘You can die and I wouldn’t care’—said by my birthgiver for struggling in school. She’d also often threaten to kill me if I didn’t improve.” ~ congolesequeen

Just A String Of Them, It Would Seem

“‘You are a disgrace to your father’. He died months before I was born so I never knew him. This was just because I hid my report card from her.”

“Bonus: ‘yeah, I think you’re a whore’. This was because I slept over at my boyfriend’s house for one night. I was 22.” ~ Syntt_

Misreading The Scenario

“‘You’re an emotional terrorist’ because I was suicidal. I was like 15/16.”

“Clearly I was only suicidal because I was trying to manipulate them and not because I was severely mentally ill and being abused.” ~ s9631245

Had bad parents?

While that’s horrible, you’re not alone.

Don’t let what anyone says get you down, even if those people supposedly raised you.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/

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People Confess What Instantly Ruins Their First Impression Of Someone

First impressions can only happen once, so we put a lot of weight into them. Whether it be making a friend or interviewing for a job, it can effect the outcome of future relationships.

There’s a phenomenon called the “halo effect” where we associate perceived positive qualities about someone based on one quality of similar perception. For example, if your first impression of your coworker was they are kind and a good listener, you might go to them first when you need help with something.

Because there’s so much weight in these initial encounters, we wanted to know what things would absolutely ruin a first impression.

Redditor i_Fahmy asked:

“What instantly ruins someone’s first impression with you?”

Here’s some helpful hints that might help you on your next first date or interview.

Not asking questions.

“All statements, no questions. Most of the boring people I know aren’t interesting because they aren’t interested in anything other than themselves.” – GGAllinPartridge

“Asking questions is the easiest way to avoid the awkwardness of not having something to talk about.”

“Also a good way to have a long, thought provoking conversation.” – MurphyAteIt

“Knew someone like that. I’d call up and they’d spend the entire phone call talking about themselves. Before we stopped talking I can remember quite a few times ‘I’ve heard this before.’” – tmofee

Interruptions without apology.

“Interrupting without apologizing.” – lightningbug24

“I find myself doing this more and more, especially with zoom calls.”

“I just moved to a new part of the country where the pace of speech is so much slower than I’m used to. I feel like the sentence is coming to an end and then the thoughts just keep on rolling.” – Chill_Charro

“I find myself doing this sometimes but to ask questions/try to predict where the story is going as a way to show I’m actually listening instead of staring at my phone and saying ‘that’s crazy’ every 3 seconds.” – LittleMsSparkles

“I have a friend who does this constantly. I’ll be trying to tell her something and she’ll cut me off mid-sentence and start talking about a completely unrelated topic. Drives me insane.” – emshlaf

A “top that” attitude.

“One-upping someone else’s story.” – StructuralSynapse

“Oh man, you know what’s even worse than this? This one time I knew a guy who wouldn’t even let people finish their stories before interrupting them. Way worse.” – tehmlem

“I always worry as I used to tell stories in similar veins, not to one up but to try to show empathy and understanding. But it probably came off as arrogance. Now I just say I understand how that feels due to similar experiences.” – Mueryk

“It helps if you keep your story short and end it with a question about their story, prompting them to say more or continue.” – SmartAlec105

“Even if your story is bigger/louder/better etc. you can still share it, but it helps to circle back to the original story and re-focus on something unique about it.” – whitewallpaper76

Glorifying their struggles.

“People who use mental illness as a personality. I don’t mean people who struggle with mental illness, I mean the people who glorify the struggle as an excuse or quirky trait. I struggle myself, but I’ll be damned if I use it as an excuse to make people feel sorry for me.” – Nobodys_Perfect96

“I grew up with a father who used his depression to make us take pity on him and forgive his abusive behavior. Today I see some of my family did copy him on that (e.g. one of my sisters), and I notice very quickly people doing it. It really pulls me an inner trigger and makes me dislike the person immediately.” – kallyous

“My motto is ‘you should never be ashamed of your mental health issues, but you shouldn’t be proud of them either.’”

“By all means, take pride in the work you’ve done to live with, or overcome your issues, but not the issues themselves. The moment you make it ‘your thing’ you are A. passing the responsibility for dealing with the issue onto everyone else, and B. making it far more difficult for you to ever overcome the issue, as it would mean having to give up a part of yourself.” – trout_a_la_creme

“And people who try to blame their racism, sexism, etc. on their mental disorders! Like… No, Janice, your ADHD did not cause you to call Hua a racial slur!” – everylittlelie

Talking behind people’s backs.

“Talking sh*t about an ex, sibling or parent. As a first impression.” – Icy-Ad-7331

“Sh*t talking or gossiping about anyone in general. If someone is just meeting me for the first time and one of the first things they talk about is something that works to put others in a negative light, then that sets off major alarms to me.” – PianoManGidley

“Alternatively: DO talk about and praise all the cool people you are friends with. Makes you seem nice and those who are friends with interesting people are often pretty interesting themselves.” -MaxDamage1

Being rude as a joke.

“Being rude to service workers or being overfamiliar with me and being rude in the name of jokes. Yeah no f*ck off.” – Guilty_Strawberry247

“People making sh*tty/stupid jokes about me and thinking I’d find it funny (not noticing I don’t). It’s not that I can’t take a joke, but there is a difference about someone you know well making a joke which actually fits you, even if it hurts vs some person you barely know making a joke about you they think is totally you but is just weird.” – LanimationsD

“Sometimes I get nervous I might be too ‘nice’ what do you consider overfamiliar? I tend to respect personal space but what do you think is overfamiliar??” – kindadid

“Oh overfamiliar meaning like I meet you for the first time and you give me a nickname or start making jokes at my expense.” – Guilty_Strawberry247

“How people treat servers is a biggie. I had a first and last date with a guy who ordered a specific brand of beer, got said beer, and began to yell at the server that it was the wrong beer. Think asked for Coors, then yelled because he wanted a Yuengling. I noped the hell out after seeing that.” – Wynterborne

How they treat those around them.

“How they treat people who can’t do anything for them. Especially when they’re rude to the homeless or janitors.” – redboy2122

“I have also seen that in a social context ie people who mistreat those they consider ‘beneath’ them. I’ve seen it a lot from privileged people towards gays, immigrants and women.”– kindadid

“I hate this! Especially disrespecting homeless people simply because they’re homeless. They’re people! The deserve some respect and dignity.” -ChikaDeeJay

Showing a fake life online.

“Show offs, clout chasers or people who feel the need to overhype their life on social when in reality they live kinda boring lives.” – Vast-Dark-2711

“I used to work with a guy that was the epitome of this. Always had to act like he was the one in charge, had to act like the only reason any of the work was getting done was because of him, wanted to run his mouth about how he’d fight anyone and didn’t give a f*ck, always buying expensive sh*t that he couldn’t afford and trying to show it off.”

“It was kinda like, dude, you work at subway, you don’t have that much to be proud of. And yeah, that new truck you bought looks great, I bet it’ll look real good in two months when the repo man hauls it off.”

“I’ve never met a bigger douchebag in my life.” – timmyisserpico

What they do with their mouth.

“Chewing with their mouth open or talking with their mouth full.” – Westsidebill

“Oh my god this. In a similar vein, mouth breathers. The date is over if any of these three things mentioned occur. It’s so off putting.” – VulcanVegan

Invasive questions.

“If you don’t mind me asking (inset sexual question).’” – WrapAdministrative26

“And sexual jokes at the top of their voice for the whole restaurant to hear. So rude.” – Thewhatnow92

“Not like it’s any of my business…but have you tried anal? Just wondering lol. By the way, can you pass me salt, please? Thanks. So as I was saying, anal.” – javier_aeoa

Hopefully you never have to encounter people who do these types of things.

Though, maybe it’s best to know up front what they’re really like instead of who they want you to believe they are.

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People Wax Nostalgic About Their Best Christmas Memory Of All Time

Ebenezer Scrooge is not alone in harkening back to Christmases past.

Many of us reflect on prior holidays.

We enjoy both sharing and hearing about the happy holidays people had.

So a number of Redditors asked:

“What is your best Christmas memory?”

To Grandmother’s House We Go…

“Every Christmas Eve, at Grandma’s house, we’d all have a giant nerf war. We all had our teams of cousins we’d pair up with, and it was awesome!” ~ polysnip

Disbelief

“Not really my ‘best’ but it’s one of my favourites. It was when my dad told me Santa wasn’t real when I was maybe 7 or 8.”

“He was on the road working so it was over the phone, and I immediately hung up and started crying. Then, I called his dad and told him the ‘lie’ my dad just told me.”

“He just laughed… I was so convinced that Santa was real I seriously thought my dad was lying.” ~ jimothy-pickens

A Memory Made Of Memories

“A few years ago, on Christmas Eve we found a box of our baby videos, and we all sat down and watched them for hours.” ~ reammachine

Special Surprise

“Shocking my 16-year-old son with his first car.” ~ Scrappy_Larue

To Be A Kid Again

“The Christmas my parents decided to say we were old enough to not have Santa visit anymore. My brothers and I (6 of us in total) ranged in age from 15 to 26 and we threatened to boycott Christmas if Santa wasn’t part of it.”

“So my parents went out and bought a load of cheap toys for Santa to deliver—water pistols, foam dart guns, swords, shields, dress-up items like Viking hats and crowns and feather boas that could be worn by adults.”

“We spent the day playing like little kids again and it was so much fun. ~ KittikatB

A Very Special Delivery

“I’ll do two. One is the best memory I have that occurred on Christmas, the second is a good (can’t really choose a best) Christmas memory.”

“The first is being surprised three weeks early with the birth of my first child, on Christmas Day. Her birth itself is the absolute best part of the memory, holding her and seeing her for the first time, best present ever. Afterward I failed to even think of checking the nearby Chinese restaurant to see if they were open.”

“My Christmas dinner that year was a bowl of Cheerios sitting in front of the Alastair Sim Christmas Carol before heading back to the hospital for the next two days.”

“A good memory from my childhood (I was probably in Jr. High, if not high school) was the year I decided to stay up all night.”

“After our Christmas Eve festivities, when everyone else went to bed, I set up shop right by the tree, turned on the radio to the all Christmas music channel, grabbed a big mug of cocoa (with mini candy cane dropped in), and spent the night gazing at the tree, reading A Christmas Carol and A Child’s Christmas in Wales, and eventually ending up lying under the tree, where I probably ended up dozing for a bit, but would wake up, see it was still dark, hear the music, and be so happy the night could keep going like that.”

“In the morning, I stoked the fire, grabbed more cocoa, and made our traditional morning pillsbury orange rolls and waited for everyone else to get up. So much fun because it really stretched out my favorite part of Christmas (Eve) and let me enjoy everything with no distractions.” ~ RealPwaully

A Precious Gift

“I’ll do two.”

“Childhood: I was 10, it was Christmas Eve 1996, my dad was dying (it was his last Christmas). He hadn’t lost his voice yet, the cancer hadn’t spread to his throat at this point. We usually did a big Christmas Eve thing with all my mom’s family but this year they left fairly early and we had time as a little family unit to exchange our gifts for each other.”

“I don’t really remember what anyone else got but I do remember that my dad handed me this little box and told me to open it. It was a beautiful white gold charm bracelet with one charm on it, it said my name on one side and the other said Love, Dad Xmas ‘96.”

“He told me he wanted me to fill it with charms from all my travels and adventures. It’s the greatest gift I could ever get. I look at it now and know that my dad loved me. I miss him everyday.”

“Adulthood: I was 30, Christmas 2016. I had started hosting my mom’s side of the family on Christmas Eve a few year before but this was definitely the best. I rearranged my furniture to make sure everyone could fit in our little townhouse. My house was full of delicious smells from cooking all of our family staples for Christmas Eve dinner and the smell of the tree.”

“Everyone showed up on time, there was zero family drama, everyone had an awesome time and left by 10. Christmas Day we went to my husband’s parents’ house and celebrated with his family and his grandparents.”

“It’s also his mom’s birthday that day, she used to make us spend all of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with her which left no time for my family. This was the first year she didn’t have a hissy fit that we weren’t with them Christmas Eve even though we had been doing it that way for a few years already.”

“It was a good memory.” ~ mirandawg

A Mother’s Love

“My fondest memory as a child is when we had Christmas away from home because my mom’s dad was dying. It was maybe a week or so before Christmas and suddenly my mom said we had to go to Arizona because her dad wasn’t doing well.”

“I didn’t see my grandpa often and he didn’t speak English, but he was always kind to me. As a kid, I was bummed that we were not going to be home for Christmas.”

“He passed and mom was very sad. It was hard for me to process the feelings as a child.”

“I remember Christmas Eve was lackluster since it was at my dad’s mom’s house (she was distant and cold to us grandkids.) I was bummed because I thought Santa wasn’t going to find us.”

“Come Christmas morning there were a bunch of presents under the tree. I got a pet robot dog, which had me so happy because my parent’s never let me have a dog despite always asking.”

“Now that I’m older, I appreciate what my mom did. She was going through a very hard time in her life. She lost her mom when she was 3, so losing her dad was a tremendous loss for her.”

“Despite all this, she made sure that we had a good Christmas with presents. I remember being in disbelief that Santa found us, and she told me that she let Santa know where we would be so he can bring our presents.” ~ FoxPaws26

Magical Morning

“When I was in kindergarten, my parents used to decorate the entire house for Christmas overnight while I was sleeping unawares. I remember going to sleep as usual, with the home as usual, and then waking up into what only could be described in my little mind then as magic.”

“I remember running back and forth to the pretty candles and runner on the side table, to admiring the garlands along the staircase rails—giddy with excitement.” ~ Reddit

The Joy Of Giving

“When I was in high school the history teachers all did a toy and food drive for Christmas. They had a friendly competition of whose class would donate the most.”

“I told my Mom about it and for some reason she decided to go all out. We went to the Walmart toy department and filled up a whole cart. Then we went to the grocery store and did the same.”

“When I came to school the next day I felt like Santa Claus himself with my sacks full of toys and food. I got there early so my classmates wouldn’t see but my teacher happened to be there early too. The look on his face was priceless.”

“Needless to say we won!” ~ Badw0IfGirl

The Best Meal He Ever Ate

“Christmas was on a Sunday. My brother is a pastor, and for our families, Sunday meant church. We decided to have our Christmas celebration (presents, the big dinner, etc) on Monday.”

“For Sunday dinner, I was making a huge lasagna (Monday’s feast would be the traditional turkey with all the fixings). We were staying in the area for a short time before relocating for my husband’s military assignment, so we didn’t know many people.”

“My brother called me and told me that a sick elderly woman named Jean (who used to attend the church and whom he frequently visited) was at home, very near death, and her husband (Al) was keeping vigil by her side, with the hospice nurse coming by daily to administer pain meds. The woman had been a faithful church member when she was younger, before the cancer, but her husband was known to be a cantankerous old grump who had never darkened the door of the church.”

“My brother asked if, since I was making this big lasagna, would I make a smaller pan for Al. Of course. My husband and I started planning, and I called Al to arrange to stop by and drop the lasagna off on our way to church. This was all quite sudden; it was Christmas Eve early afternoon.”

“Al answered the phone, and I introduced myself as his wife’s pastor’s sister. My brother had told Al to expect our call and told Al that we were new to the area, and that my husband was in the Navy, just as a sort of introduction. I told Al that I was making a lasagna and would like to bring it by in the morning.”

“Well, Al exploded. ‘You’re making a what?’, he yelled. ‘A lasagna’, I repeated. ‘An Italian pasta dish with meat and sauce and cheese’.”

“Al shouted and I held the phone away from my ear. ‘I thought that preacher guy said your husband was in the Navy. Is he a Nazi? I don’t want any %($)@ Mexican food. It’s Christmas, for (@(#’s sake. Why are you asking to make me Mexican Nazi food?’”

“I was stunned. Mexican? Nazi? That’s quite a stretch from lasagna. I didn’t know what to say.”

“Then Al spoke, sternly, spitting out every word. ‘I want a turkey dinner. And gravy. And it better have NO LUMPS. And cranberry sauce. The kind with NO LUMPS. And carrots. The ones cut into round shapes, cooked nice and soft. [my husband silently mouthed to me ‘with NO LUMPS’ and I almost lost it at that point]. And mashed potatoes. With NO LUMPS. You can come at 9 tomorrow morning. GOOD BYE!’ and he slammed the phone down.”

“I looked at my husband, my red-haired Navy husband, and just said ‘Mexican? Nazi? No lumps? A whole turkey dinner? What did we just get into?’ It was now 3 pm Christmas eve.”

“We ran to the car and drove to the supermarket which was closing at 5 pm. There were no turkeys. None. We frantically scanned aisles, and at one point we considered buying frozen tv dinners and re-constructing them to pretend they were homemade.”

“But we couldn’t bring ourselves to do that. This would be Al’s last Christmas, last dinner with his wife of almost 60 years.”

“Then, in the corner of the meat department, I saw a little package among the beef roasts. Could it be a turkey? It had that familiar yellow packaging. Someone must have picked it up, then set it down far from the poultry.”

“It was as if an angel was guarding it. It was a fresh, not frozen, 3 pound hotel-cut turkey breast! I grabbed it like it was a fumbled football that I had to pounce on.”

“A quick run around the store like we were in a race followed, and we soon had potatoes, carrots, jellied cranberry sauce, and sadly, a jar of gravy which we would ordinarily never use, but as my husband kept hissing into my ear every ten seconds ‘no lumps!’ we settled for jarred gravy.”

“The two of us were giggling like fools. We found a nice silver-colored plastic serving tray, and some inexpensive serving bowls that didn’t look like cheap plastic storage tubs, and a pretty little votive candle. Then we raced home to cook.”

“At 9 the next morning, we showed up to Al and Jean’s home, with a tray bearing a beautiful roasted turkey breast, a dish of gravy (LUMP-FREE), mashed potatoes (NO LUMPS), nicely sliced cranberry sauce, perfectly sliced carrots cooked soft and drizzled with butter, a Christmas cookie, and the candle.”

“Al glanced at everything and said not one single word, not even ‘hello’. I asked if I could see Jean, and he nodded. Jean was laying in a rented hospital bed, seemingly unaware of everything, breathing quietly. I set the votive candle (unlit, but in a pretty container) next to her bed and whispered ‘merry Christmas Jean’ and quietly left.”

“Al said nothing. His expression was mean and sneering. He stared at my husband, and I’m sure he was wondering how this handsome man in a United States Navy uniform somehow thought that Mexican Nazi food would be appropriate for Christmas.”

“Al’s eyes narrowed as he suspiciously looked us both over. We told him goodbye and left in fear before he could inspect the meal for lumps. Al had not muttered one single syllable.”

“We heard nothing more, as shortly after that we moved to another Navy base. But about three months later, I got a phone call from a lady who attended the church.”

“She told me ‘I just had the strangest thing happen. I ran into Al at the hardware store. What a mean man he is. But I felt sorry for him and I greeted him’.”

“‘I don’t know if you heard, but Jean died shortly after midnight on Christmas, and Al has been a recluse in the house since then. But he had an errand to do, and when I expressed my condolences, he told me the strangest story. He said that “that preacher” (my brother) asked someone to make him a Christmas dinner’.”

“He said the preacher told him it was his sister, but she’s married to some Mexican and that the dinner was going to be some kind of Nazi food. I thought Al was crazy, but then he described the meal that he got’.”

“‘He remembered everything—the perfect turkey, the smooth gravy and potatoes, the sliced carrots just the way he liked them. And then, his face softened and the mean ugly sneer disappeared’.”

“‘And quietly, without a single curse word, he leaned over and whispered to me: “it was the best meal I ever had, and I ate it beside Jean’s bed and I told her how everything tasted. And I sat there until she died. I don’t know who made it, but that preacher said it was his sister. He’s a liar. But it was the best dinner I ever ate”‘.”

“The woman continued ‘I know you and your husband made the meal, because at the funeral, your brother told me that you had brought a meal to Al the day Jean died. I have no idea where he got the idea you’re married to a Mexican Nazi, but I thought you’d want to know that it was the best Christmas meal ever’.” ~ eb04

May this year bring the happiest of holiday memories for you and yours.

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People Break Down The Most Savage Backhanded Compliments They’ve Ever Heard

We are, to our knowledge, the only species on earth that uses complex language and as such the only species on the planet that uses insults.

Can’t really go around just insulting everyone who gets on our nerves though, so we developed a work-around that saves face while also taunting someone else.

According to Idioms.online people have been using backhanded (or left-handed) compliments since the late 1800’s.

Good to know we’re a consistent species.

Some people just want to use a compliment to get past the defenses we naturally erect around ourselves. Others just want to be mean.

Of course, not every suspect compliment comes from a negative place—often it’s just a matter of poor word choice or bad timing.

Complimenting someone’s hair just after they failed to get it the way they wanted it can hit a bad nerve real fast. No, we don’t speak from experience, why would you think that?

There are times, though, when a compliment working double-duty as an insult is the only way to get someone’s attention—to call attention to poor behavior for example.

Redditor cybersans wanted to see the best ones, so he asked Reddit:

“What’s a compliment but an insult at the same time?”

Age comes for us all?

“You must have been beautiful when you were young” ~905marianne

“You look good for your age.” ~ superspud0408

Judging people by their looks is always complimentary, right?

“You’re actually not as dumb as you might appear” ~ TrumpHairedHarambe

“You’re beautiful in your own way.” ~ CIoud_Wolf

“You’re much prettier in person.” ~ plutoforprez

And…

“You move well for someone of your size. ~ ReesieVA

“You don’t sweat much for a fat lass.” ~ Novack_and_good

Also…

“Wow you’re so brave going out in public like that! I would’t be able to do that if Iooked like that, I am not strong like you!” ~ oursider

Not wrong.

“You clearly don’t care about what the haters say” ~ Helpful-Meringue-735

“A girl I used to work with looked at me one day and said, ‘I love how you’re not embarrassed by your laugh’.” ~ Redditor

Timing is everything.

“This happened to me! I’m very slim.”

“One day I was about to hook up with a guy and we were getting undressed when he started giving me tips on what I should eat to put on weight.”

“When he saw my reaction, he tried to dig himself out of the hole by saying ‘don’t worry, I like you for your personality’.”

“He was so surprised when I put my clothes back on and asked him to leave!”

“He later texted me he was just trying to be nice and wanted to give me advice about my diet because he works as a fitness trainer and knows a lot about nutrition ?.”

“He also said I was too sensitive ?” ~ Economy-Vanilla-967

Nothing beats the south for polite insults.

” ‘Bless your heart’.”

“The ultimate Southern compliment and insult in one package.”~ GALINDO_Karl1

There’s nothing wrong with comfort.

“Your clothes look comfortable.” ~ observantpariah

Some people got into the meaning behind the “compliment.” 

“I just got a Master’s degree in Physics.”

“I wear makeup when I go out and dress cute girly.”

“A lot of people tell me that they couldn’t believe I was doing physics. ‘Oh, you’ve got beauty and brains’ They basically mean two things:”

“People who do STEM subjects are supposed to look bland and unattractive.”

“They assumed I must be dumb just because I look girly/feminine.”

“Ugh!” ~sriracha_97

Others were confused. 

“ ‘You look so pretty for a lesbian!’ ”

“The f*ck is that supposed to mean?“~introverted_lesbian

Sometimes, it’s not the words but the context.

“‘Ohh, you’re/she’s/he’s very pretty’ when someone is doing/saying something stupid” ~ Impenetrabletoad

Fashion is the highest form of bravery.

“You’re brave for wearing that.” ~ Big-Ambitions-8258

What would a compliment be without casual racism?

” ‘you’re pretty for a black girl’ “ ~ chivalrousninjaz

I guess she’s supposed to say thank you?

“You know, you aren’t the type of girl I usually go for”~ Kritisk_

“Wow, you really clean up nice.” ~ cactusbishh

Subverting expectations often leads to some poor word choices. 

“Lol, this reminds me of a conversation with a coworker I once had.”

“He’s a real muscle-head and is always hitting the gym, whereas I’m the opposite.”

“I’m average height and was just under 300lbs(at that time).”

“Somehow we got to talking about weight, can’t remember what his was but he was shocked at mine!”

“His words after hearing I was close to 300lbs….”B*llsh*t! I’ve never seen a 300 pound person move like that!”. I couldn’t help but laugh.”

“The thing is, he’d seen me casually hop off 4-5 foot high loading decks with ease.”

“And I never had much issues keeping up with him.”

“Since then I’ve started working on my weight (totally unrelated to this exchange) and have lost about 50 lbs. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.” ~ RedBeardedMex

It would’ve been fine if they’d just stopped talking.

“An old ‘friend’ once said to me ‘your hair looks nice…for once’ “

“I cut her out a few months later for being a shitty person” ~ theginger_buffalo

“You’re really cool. Not at all how I thought you’d be when I first met you.” ~ leese216

Several Redditors even provided a handy template.

“Anything that goes by the standard:”

“You are [insert compliment] but you are also [insert insult]. Should do the trick” ~ YikesMaAssFellOff

“You’re *insert a compliment* for a *insert race*” ~ BastardousHuman

“Phrases like ‘with all due respect’.” ~ Prestigious_Skill_20

Backhanded compliments are often a way for people to save face while also putting another person down.

Of course, the compliment isn’t always meant as a sly insult, sometimes the words just come out wrong, or the meaning gets lost along the way.

Always be aware of what you’re saying to the people you care about, but also be mindful of the way in which you say it.

Compliments can do wonders for someone’s self-image or as a way to pick up their day – but a misspoken word or some hesitation in the wrong place can do just as much damage.

A turn of a phrase can move someone to excitement or dash their hopes.

The proper phrasing can ease someone’s mind or cause them to panic.

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People Explain Which Items Used To Be Cheap But Are Now Wildly Expensive

A full set of nails used to cost $25—$15 if you were a student.

I regularly see them priced from $80 – $125 now and feel like I missed some major shift in the nail art world.

How did this happen? Inflation is one thing but this is … a lot.

Are nail brushes now made of ethically-sourced unicorn eyelashes? Is there a nail-art-world equivalent of the whole blackest black v. pinkest pink thing? Is there a nail-art villain behind this price hike?

Reddit user MKSteamy asked: 

“What used to be cheap, but is ridiculously expensive now?” 

You know my answer, but Reddit has so much more to say about it.

Let’s Start With The Obvious

“Everything.”

“The cost of living has gone up 1,544% since 1940. And that number was from an article written in 2012.”

– dixie5oh

“Being alive.”

– InsomniusEyes

Real Estate Went Real Bad

“Houses.”

“Sad time to be buying in the UK, but congratulations to all those who bought a house for like 3 grand 50 years ago, especially in London lol”

– whysomaditonlygame

“It’s actually pretty evil what is happening. They’re being bought by corporations with deep pockets who don’t care how much over asking they need to pay.”

“Partly greed, partly trying to destabilize foreign economies, partly investment strategies… it’s modern warfare.”

“If you made a rule that only citizens can buy property and there is a 2 property limit per person… housing prices wouldn’t be in the millions for sub-standard homes.”

– visionsofcry

“Used to be like $20k for a 2 story, 4 bedroom home with 2 bathrooms, 2000 sq. ft. and a 2 car garage… now you’d be lucky to find a house with those stats for under $500k.”

– ELPwork

This Is Literally Killing People

“Insulin.”

– rpjut5ha

“This needs to be more widely known.”

“The inventor gave the formula away to save lives, but now companies are pricing it so high that diabetics can’t afford it.” 

“There’s a reason it’s so expensive and their greed is literally killing people.” 

– Evening_Rose_619

Taking The Bus Used To Be The Cheap Option

“Bus fare.”

“I had to get a bus from the city centre to the train centre less than five minutes up a big hill and it cost me £2.60!”

“When I first started secondary school it cost less than half that for a thirty minute trip.”

– ValenciaHadley

“Same.”

“I live in a small village in Romania close to a pretty big city. Like ‘hop on the bus and travel 6 minutes’ kind of close.”

“It used to be affordable, but fares basically tripled once the company that connects that route ensured itself to be the only one serving that line.”

– XauMankib

Ocean Roaches

“Seafood was for the poor.”

– Renoir_Trident

“They used to feed lobster to prisoners because they were considered the cockroaches of the ocean.”

– ELPwork

“People hear this fact now and think ‘oh man I’d love to eat lobster every day!’ but what you’re missing is the context of how it was prepared.” 

“They would grind the entire lobster up into a slurry paste, shell and all, and feed them that. We’re not talking about grilled with butter and lemon.” 

“Some places had to pass laws declaring the lobster slurry ‘cruel’ to feed to prisoners more than once or twice a week.” 

– [Reddit]

Til Hipsters Discovered BBQ

“Brisket was cheap until hipsters discovered BBQ.”

– valeyard89

“In a similar vein, the ‘trash’ cuts of meat.”

“Osso Bucco, Lamb’s Fry (liver), ox tail, and lamb shanks, for example.”

“They became trendy at some point and the prices sky rocketed.”

– orcwordlaugh

“Same with chicken wings, thighs and drumsticks.”

“Used to be that wings were cheap bar food, drumsticks and thighs were for frying. But then people discovered that they are awesome, and now are priced at a premium.”

– squats_and_sugars

“I noticed this with marrow bones in the last few years. About a decade ago they would basically be given away, and I’d grab some to give to my dogs as a treat. Now they are like $10 a pound.”

– Throwaway47321

Custom Computer Crunch

“Computer parts.”

“Around 10 years ago custom purpose built computers were exploding in popularity. The technology was advancing fast and it was getting cheaper.”

“It made a lot of sense that if you didn’t need a portable computer and you needed a specialized machine for work or entertainment, it was actually better to build one yourself and upgrade it every few years.”

“It would still come out cheaper than getting a laptop or a tablet which were only getting more expensive and upgrading meant total replacement.”

“But we all know how that’s been going the past few years. I myself have not upgraded my computer in 6 years despite wanting to.”

“The costs are ridiculous across the board for computer parts, laptops, cellphones etc; which doesn’t make sense but it doesn’t have to make sense because it’s being done on purpose.”

“Functional obsolescence makes you buy more stuff. Also, all this expensive tech is less and less reliable.”

– PckMan

Everyone’s Favorite Addiction

“Long time ago there was a coffee shortage. Prices went through the roof.”

“A cup of coffee at a diner went from 10 cents to a dollar and ground coffee tripled or more in price.”

“Everyone suspected it was not real, just the coffee industry trying to jack up the price.”

“People stopped buying ground coffee and the price quickly went back to normal, but diner coffee stayed at a dollar and never went back down.”

– JackNuner

An Expensive Habit

“In the UK its gotta be cigarettes.”

“Back when I started you could get a 10 pack for £2 now its like £11 for 20 and you cant get 10 packs.”

“It went from a 10£ a week habit to a £77 a week habit real quick.”

“I still smoke, but I buy pouches of Tobacco and roll what we call ‘Rollies’ in the UK.”

“50g cost about £25 and last me 8/9 days. Still a £75 quid a month habit but a lot cheaper than £11 a day.”

– stevemate

“In Australia a pack of 40 costs $65+ now. If you’re in a pub or an airport they can be $80.”

“It’s all legislated tax increases, the actual price for the manufacturers hasn’t changed nearly that much.”

“It’s a weird situation now, because the extreme and endlessly increasing taxes were passed on the basis of all smoking revenue being directed straight to healthcare to offset the burdens caused by smokers.”

“However, they’ve hit a point where they’re so expensive that now they’ve gone past offsetting costs and ended up in a place where they are a net profit for the government. This sucks because I believe the original plan was to eventually ban them outright, and now they’re a moneymaker so they never will.”

“Meanwhile, smokers being statistically more likely to be from lower socio-economic areas means that the government is effectively milking the poorer end of town for a metric f*ck-tonne of money whilst doing nothing to actually force people to quit – whilst claiming that what they’re doing is the best way to help.”

– ohimjustagirl

“I remember having co-workers who kept saying they would quite smoking if cigarettes ever went up to a dollar a pack.”

“They never did quit.”

– JackNuner

Now that you’ve heard what Reddit has to say, take a look at your world. What used to be affordable that now seems astronomical?

Let us know.