My MIL Would Secretly Give Me Porcelain Dolls Every Christmas — I Was Shocked to Find Out Their True Purpose

Lina, Monica’s mother-in-law, has had a tradition of gifting her porcelain dolls as Christmas presents for many and many years. Since Mon had always believed that they were nothing more than antiques, she concealed them in her wardrobe. However, Andy, her husband, is the one who notices them and discloses their reasoning.
To commemorate the fact that I have been married to my husband for the previous five years, my mother-in-law used to present me with porcelain dolls on an annual basis. At first, I thought it was cute because they appeared to be antiques, and she usually delivered them to me in a box when there was no one else around us. I felt it was a nice gesture.

I simply was under the impression that they were part of her collection, and she did not want the rest of the family to be aware of this.

But I was completely wrong.

Due to the fact that I am not a fan of dolls, there was never a requirement for us to show them anyplace in our house. Instead of doing anything else with them, I continued to tuck them away at the back of my closet since I had no idea what else to do with them. I considered taking them over for the children who were living in the orphanage in the neighbourhood; however, I was concerned about what they would do with fragile porcelain dolls that were not really meant to be played with.

My husband made a promise to me that he would give me a new wardrobe for Christmas this year. As a result, right before Christmas, we were putting away all of my things in preparation for the carpenter to transform the wardrobe into a one-of-a-kind construction.

In any case, I was crouching down and plucking out the dolls when Andy, my husband, became pale.
He asked, pointing to the first doll, “Where are those from?” that was the question.

Since the beginning of time, they have been my Christmas presents, and they have come from your mother,” I remarked.

What, five years? To be honest, Monica?

“What?”

He yelled out, “Come with me,” as he grabbed them and hurriedly exited our bedroom.
“Where are you going?” While following him, I inquired.
During the time that we were dating, Andy’s car was stolen, and I had not seen him that fired up since then. I went with him to the living room, where he dumped all of the dolls into the fireplace and started a fire. I followed him there. Considering that it was the middle of winter, the fireplace was utilised on a consistent basis. The dolls were licked by the flames in a short amount of time after they were discovered.

As I sat on the couch, I asked, “Would you kindly explain the reason behind your recent actions?”

All Andy did was gaze at me in utter disbelief.

“Mon,” he questioned. “You know that our cultures are very different, right?”

I gave a slight nod. Without a doubt, I was aware that I was still gaining knowledge about Andy’s culture.
“Honey, these dolls are meant to purify the homes that they are placed in after they are released. All of the negative energy is eliminated by them. At the same time, they are responsible for absorbing energy and protecting the house.

“That sounds good,” I remarked, expressing my interest in this tale. On the other hand, I was a little bit frightened because Lina, my mother-in-law, had never brought it up.

“Yes and no,” Andy responded. According to the folklore, the dolls eventually reach a point where they are unable to take in any more negative energy. It’s almost as if they take in everything they can, and then when they reach a point where they can’t contain themselves any more, they start to contaminate the air around them. Saturating the home with infectious diseases. Some people believe that they can physically make the air hazardous.

“What?” In a state of bewilderment, I exclaimed. How are we going to fix this? It’s been years since they’ve been here!
“Well, I am aware that burning them is a means to symbolically get rid of all the energy that was received. In light of this, I decided to set them ablaze. Normally, you are required to make an offering that includes incense and possibly flowers, and you must do so outside; nevertheless, for the time being, this should be acceptable.
“You’re being serious about all of this?” was my response.

Andy gave a slight nod.

I was aware that Andy would not have reacted in such a manner for no reason, but this was just ridiculous. He ought to have informed me, Lina.

“It’s just tradition, but I didn’t know that this was what Mom gave you every year.”

Later on, when Andy had gathered all of the ashes and taken them to the park in the neighbourhood to get rid of them, I called my mother-in-law to let her know what had happened. I simply required some explanations as to why she did not inform me about the dolls and the purpose for which they were put.
The phone was answered by Lina, who remained silent while she listened to me.

She told Monica, “It is your responsibility to take care of it.” “It is imperative that you become familiar with the customs that our family observes. Particularly if you and Andy have the intention of having children in the future. Never accept a gift without first gaining an understanding of its intended use.
I’ll be the first to say that the entire event left me feeling rattled. But I came to the realisation that there was more to our cultural differences than I had previously believed.

Andy and I made the decision to be more open about our family customs at that particular Christmas, regardless of how weird they may appear to be. At the end of the day, it turned out to be a revelation that brought us closer together and added a new depth of comprehension to our partnership.
Due to the fact that my family is not particularly cultural, Andy and I now discuss all of the strange and lovely superstitions that are associated with his culture. In addition, I prepare foods that date back to the time of my great-grandmother.

Whatever it is that I am trying to convey is that if you are in a relationship with someone who comes from a foreign culture, you should learn as much as you can about them, especially if dolls are involved!
What would your response have been given this situation?

I have another story for you to read while you are trying to avoid the porcelain dolls that are living in your house: When you exchange gifts with your loved ones, it helps bring smiles to their faces, whether it’s during the holiday season or during one of those months when you have to attend a friend’s wedding followed by several birthdays. Unless the present is so bad that it leaves them with unanswered questions, however, exchanging gifts helps bring smiles to the faces of your loved ones.