A husband realised that for the past 10 years, his wife has had an empty Christmas stocking.
In the viral TikTok video, 33-year-old dad Josh Jones filmed a room filled with Christmas stockings - one for him, each of his children, and the family dog - but there was one noticeably empty stocking, his wife Aubree’s.
“Whose is this? Is this an extra one?” Josh asked from behind the camera, to which Aubree replied, “No, that’s mine.”
When Josh asked why Aubree’s stocking was empty, she softly responded, “I don’t know. Santa didn’t come for me.”
She posted the video to her TikTok account (@whataboutaub), writing in the caption, “It took him 10 years to notice it’s been empty this whole time.” In the overlaid text, she wrote, “PSA for husbands everywhere.”
While she initially posted the video as a relatable, “lighthearted thing” to show the struggles mothers go through during the holiday season, she explained to Today, the internet was offended on her behalf. She received an outpour of support in the comment section, with one person writing: “All of us women felt that in our stomach. That hurt.”
“I got a bit teary,” another added. “You can tell there is some pain behind the ‘that’s mine.’”
Someone else pointed out, “This is a good example that mom does all the stuff and nobody notices.”
With all of the viewers up in arms, Aubree told the outlet that she felt overwhelmed by the response and added that she felt as though things had been blown out of proportion.
“I know it looks like I was sad sitting off to the side with no gifts surrounding me, but I wasn’t sad at all,” Aubree clarified. “I was doing what most moms do, which is just enjoying my kids being happy on Christmas morning.”
Some commenters dubbed Josh’s seeming obliviousness as grounds for divorce, but Aubree stood her ground, saying that a lot of the vitriol directed at her husband was “unnecessary.”
Aubree also noted that the video was from 2021, and they had decided to post the clip last month after finding it on her phone. She said that Josh made up for the empty stocking the following year in which she was greeted with a heavy stocking jam-packed with thoughtful little gifts.
“I listened,” Josh told the outlet. “I’m not the best historically with gifts, but it’s one of Aubree’s love languages and I’ve gotten way better.”
Aubree added, “It was a really pleasant surprise, and the morning felt extra special for me.”
The pair are parents to daughters Trendy, 11, Zaylee, nine, Sunny, seven, Truly, five, and one-year-old Journey, and will reportedly be focusing on welcoming their 6th child together within the next week or so.
Amid the backlash, the couple has posted multiple follow-up videos defending their relationship to viewers to no avail. Viewers are still using Josh as an example of what not to look for in a husband, with some content creators even adding that men like Josh are the reason women shouldn’t get married.
“The holiday magic that that woman created for everyone — even down to the fact that the dog had a Christmas stocking — and … no attention was paid to her. No effort. No nothing. She’s just over there watching everybody enjoy everything,” dating coach Shawnda Patterson said in a TikTok stitched video. “Single women are watching married women.”
Mothers tend to take on a lot of responsibilities - especially during the holidays - and while they’re toiling away to make everyone else’s holiday experiences as perfect as can be, psychotherapist Nancy Collier writes that they often feel invisible and unrecognized as a result. Many mothers express longing for appreciation for all their efforts from their children and partners but these often go unheard.
