Christmas dinner was good but........

[MELSMICE]

We had to eat in an absolutely filthy house!!!!!!!!!

We are in Florida for the holidays at our condo. We were invited to Christmas dinner at my cousins. There were 22 of us. It was the first time we were ever at her house.

Her house was the filthiest house I have ever seen. Not only did we stick to the tile floor.....I stuck to the toilet seat!!!!!!!!!! I would not use the towel to dry my hands.

There was food all over the cupboards, fridge & stove. Her kids have colored on the cupboards & walls. The house was in horrible disrepair & it was brand new about 8 years ago. I was afraid to sit on the furniture.

Her excuse........I just don't have enough time because of owning my dance studio. Any extra time I have I want to spend with my kids. I get that, but hire a cleaning service then.

Not to mention......I also own a dance studio & while it takes a lot of time to run a business that's a poor excuse.

The table was set up & looked beautiful when we walked in but we didn't even eat as family. The food was left on the kitchen table, all covered in foil. We did buffet style, which is fine, but everyone just got their plates ready when they wanted, sat down, ate & got up when they were done. My cousins came in & said grace in the middle of the meal & not everyone was even at the table (well, my entire family was).

I told my mom if we're ever back here for Christmas we will crowd into one of our small condos & enjoy a nice meal in a clean home. It was disgusting!!!!! As crazy as the day is at my IL's for Christmas every year I really missed spending the day with them & sitting down to an enjoyable Christmas dinner.

 

[nmmom95]

Not only did we stick to the tile floor.....I stuck to the toilet seat!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Minnesota!]

This is why I host holidays at my (small) house, too. My brothers house is like this (and his wife is a SAHM...and the 3 kids are in school all day!). And my DH's side - only 2 people have houses decent enough to celebrate in and they are even smaller than mine!

But the buffet/not eating together doesn't bother me - that's how we have always done every holiday...

 

[MELSMICE]

Yeah, everyone else "hovered" after me!

 

[GoofyforDisney3]

I'm not sure I could have eaten the food then. Did she do all of the cooking or did everyone bring a dish? I may have been able to stomach something if everyone brought a dish. By no means am I a germ-a-phobe, but that would have just made my stomach turn.

What did other people say about it?

 

[Gigi22]

Sounds like a buffet Boxing Day (Dec. 26) lunch at my DH's cousin's house a few years back. The house was superficially clean, but I chanced to glance up at the chandelier over her dining room table and saw at least two dead spiders still clinging to it. Ugh!!!

 

[gator75]

I know exactly what you are describing my sisters house is like this , and let me tell you i always refuse to eat there, infact its so bad i won't go to her house anymore i can't stand it. I don't know why but after i read these threads i always feel the need to go and really clean my house even though it is clean

 

[paintnolish]

I don't mind a little clutter, but it has to be sanitary! How about putting the kids to work?!?

 

[Jennasis]

That was my biggest fear hositng yesterday. That somebody (MIL) would think my house was dirty. I cleaned as best I could. I hope she was able to look past the many imperfections and quickie repairs/cleanings and enjoy the delciious food we had (buffet style).

I did have NYE dinner at a dear friend's two years ago. She is about 65, the guardian of her 7 year old bi-polar ADHD grandson, works full-time and another part-time job, and cares for her wheelchair bound double-amuptee overweight diabetic husband. Their house was a disaster area. It smelled of urine. It smelled BAD. Kitchen floor was sticky, or in some places missing. Food on floor or on cabinets. Food left out on counters. Bathroom just unimaginable. We ate. We laughed. We thanked her for a lovely meal (set out in the dining room on real silver and bone china). I'm sure she is aware of the disrepair of her home, but the meal with us was important to her. There is no momey to hire a cleaner.

We got some volunteers together to go over and help her clean up.

 

[luvsJack]

I have often wondered if sometimes a person's house just gets so bad that they don't know where to start in cleaning? Not excusing it at all, but sometimes it really can get overwhelming especially when you have your own business and small children.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

That was my biggest fear hositng yesterday. That somebody (MIL) would think my house was dirty. I cleaned as best I could. I hope she was able to look past the many imperfections and quickie repairs/cleanings and enjoy the delciious food we had (buffet style).

I did have NYE dinner at a dear friend's two years ago. She is about 65, the guardian of her 7 year old bi-polar ADHD grandson, works full-time and another part-time job, and cares for her wheelchair bound double-amuptee overweight diabetic husband. Their house was a disaster area. It smelled of urine. It smelled BAD. Kitchen floor was sticky, or in some places missing. Food on floor or on cabinets. Food left out on counters. Bathroom just unimaginable. We ate. We laughed. We thanked her for a lovely meal (set out in the dining room on real silver and bone china). I'm sure she is aware of the disrepair of her home, but the meal with us was important to her. There is no momey to hire a cleaner.

We got some volunteers together to go over and help her clean up.

I don't always agree with you... but I really enjoy reading your perspective on things!

 

[GeorgeG]

Now you know where not to go for dinner again. A busy schedule can forgive a little bit of dust, maybe even some clutter, but sticking to stuff is a real deal breaker.

 

[MELSMICE]

I'm not sure I could have eaten the food then. Did she do all of the cooking or did everyone bring a dish? I may have been able to stomach something if everyone brought a dish. By no means am I a germ-a-phobe, but that would have just made my stomach turn.

What did other people say about it?

Everyone brought something to pass, but she did make a few things also. Thank goodness, everything I enjoy was brought by myself or my mom!

I don't mind a little clutter, but it has to be sanitary! How about putting the kids to work?!?

Her kids are of the age that they could begin to help. They are 9 & 6, so not old enough to be scrubbing floors & walls, but old enough to pick up clutter & clean up after themselves, IMO.

I have often wondered if sometimes a person's house just gets so bad that they don't know where to start in cleaning? Not excusing it at all, but sometimes it really can get overwhelming especially when you have your own business and small children.

I was wondering this too. I think they are just used to living that way. The venetian blinds in their bedroom going to the patio were torn, broken & hanging crooked.

The only other house I've seen worse than this one was the first home that DH & I bought for a steal because it was filthy & in disrepair. It was a great house, more than we could afford, but a filthy mess. That's what my cousin's house reminded me of.

We were invited for leftovers today. We declined, saying we had plans, plus my 2 sisters are flying in today & we'll be picking them up at the airport......thank goodness!

 

[kelleyrn2000]

We had Christmas breakfast at DFIL's house. They keep it clean except it reeks of animal urine from the carpets. They really tried to cover it up by cleaning the carpets, but it doesn't help nearly enough. It's not very appetizing but we tried to ignore the smell best we could. I know they can't afford to replace carpets right now. Then we notice FIL feeding one of the dogs from the table, letting the dog eat off his own fork !! When DH said something, FIL said oh we do that all the time!! One time last year, FIL's gf made a tossed salad. She had a few too many drinks while preparing dinner, and the salad got dropped on the floor. She reached down, gathered up the salad on the floor, and proceed to put it back in the bowl without even rinsing, and served the salad.

 

[Tink888]

As gross as that all sounds......I gotta say that if you truly love and enjoy the people you're (general) with, you can overlook that stuff and remember the time that was spent together.

If you don't love or enjoy the company, then why even bother spending the time with them at all?

Maybe for Christmas next year you could give them a gift certificate to a cleaning service.

 

[SpecialK]

As gross as that all sounds......I gotta say that if you truly love and enjoy the people you're (general) with, you can overlook that stuff and remember the time that was spent together.

If you don't love or enjoy the company, then why even bother spending the time with them at all?

Maybe for Christmas next year you could give them a gift certificate to a cleaning service.

I would agree if food wasn't involved. I could go for a visit, enjoy their company...but the minute you want me to eat there, it becomes an issue for me.

 

[Minnesota!]

Everyone brought something to pass, but she did make a few things also. Thank goodness, everything I enjoy was brought by myself or my mom!


Her kids are of the age that they could begin to help. They are 9 & 6, so not old enough to be scrubbing floors & walls, but old enough to pick up clutter & clean up after themselves, IMO.


I was wondering this too. I think they are just used to living that way. The venetian blinds in their bedroom going to the patio were torn, broken & hanging crooked.

The only other house I've seen worse than this one was the first home that DH & I bought for a steal because it was filthy & in disrepair. It was a great house, more than we could afford, but a filthy mess. That's what my cousin's house reminded me of.

We were invited for leftovers today. We declined, saying we had plans, plus my 2 sisters are flying in today & we'll be picking them up at the airport......thank goodness!

Their kids are more than old enough to help! My boys are 6 and 3 and they sweep and mop, vaccum, dust, wash the walls, and scrub the baseboards. They also tend to their own messes, as well.

There are a few members of the family that I refuse to eat food from. So I always make sure I make enough of the meal that I am full afterwards...

Blah. My stomach turns just thinking about what the conditions are in the houses of some of these people...

 

[disykat]

As gross as that all sounds......I gotta say that if you truly love and enjoy the people you're (general) with, you can overlook that stuff and remember the time that was spent together.

I totally disagree. I think it's possible to truly love someone and be grossed out by their housekeeping skills. There have been times I've avoided my own siblings homes, (like my brother's during his college years) it doesn't mean I didn't love them.

I know someone else who is well loved, but it's pretty well known that people won't go to her house because of the filth.

Enjoy your time with them, sure, but not at their house!

 

[Pigeon]

I have relatives like that. The house is beyond disgusting, and my standards aren't high. She was a SAHM for all the time her kids were in school, and it was still completely disgusting. The kicker for me is that the husband is a physician. Guess he missed those classes on germ theory. They can't get a cleaning service to come back a second time.

You can't see out the windows. The carpets are encrusted with gunk. All manner of things like cabinet doors are broken. The furniture has huge holes all over and is covered in yechhh.

They love to entertain and are nice people. But everything is filthy. It's so bad that we sometimes sneak out and walk to the end of their street to use the gas station bathroom because theirs is so bad.

 

[daisyduck123]

....you just never know how sanitary they are.