AITA for Guessing my Brother’s Christmas Word?
AITA for Guessing My Brother’s Christmas Word Too Fast?
A family Christmas guessing game turned tense when one sibling guessed the answer too fast and upset their brother.
One fast guess during a family Christmas game sparked unexpected tension between siblings—and split opinions on whether it crossed a line.
Let’s break it down
The backstory and early dynamics
After Thanksgiving, one family decided to play a classic holiday guessing game.
Everyone wrote down a Christmas-related word, tossed them into a hat, and taped a random word to their forehead.
Players could only ask yes-or-no questions to figure out what they were.
The mood was light, casual, and meant to be fun.
The narrator played along like everyone else, submitting “The Nice List”, which their uncle later guessed without issue.
The moment things shifted
When it was the narrator’s turn, something stood out almost immediately.
A cousin admitted they didn’t recognize the word at all. That raised a flag.
Then the narrator remembered something important—their brother loves obscure Christmas lore. The deeper and stranger, the better.
Putting two and two together, the narrator casually said:
“I think I have your word.”
The first question only reinforced the suspicion:
“Am I an object you can hold in your hands?”
The answer was no.
An uncle added, “I don’t even know what that is.”
At that point, the narrator felt confident they knew exactly what was written on their forehead.
The final confrontation
On just the second question of the game, the narrator asked:
“Am I the Krampus?”
Correct.
The game ended almost as soon as it began.
Instead of laughter, there was tension. The brother was clearly upset. He had been excited about sneaking the Krampus into the game and felt the fun was cut short before it even started.
The fallout
No shouting. No blowup.
Just an uncomfortable moment that lingered.
The brother felt disappointed.
The narrator felt confused.
After all, the rules were followed exactly as explained. But expectations weren’t the same—and that disconnect made the moment feel bigger than it should have been.
What Reddit Thinks
If this were posted on Reddit, the consensus would likely lean NTA (Not the A-hole)—with some nuanced takes.
Likely responses:
- “NTA. It’s a guessing game. You guessed correctly. That’s literally the point.”
- “NTA. If he wanted mystery, he shouldn’t have chosen such a niche word.”
- “NAH. You played honestly, but he had a different idea of how the game would go.”
Most commenters would agree this wasn’t about rule-breaking—but mismatched expectations.
A Final Thought
Moments like this remind us that even simple games can carry unspoken hopes.
When people bring different expectations into the same moment, how much responsibility do we really have for each other’s enjoyment?
