Revenge, even the pettiest kind, usually takes patience. But when it comes to it, there are some people who simply manage to take it to a whole other level. 

One Redditor shares a story about how his mom kept up her little petty revenge game against her husband for 30 years because he was too stubborn to admit that the notorious Christmas tree fire supposedly caused by the lights was really him falling asleep with a stove on. Scroll down to read the full story!

More info: Reddit

Some people may go to extreme lengths for some petty revenge, but it’s still rare to hear a story of someone committing to it for 30 years

Image credits: NastyaSensei (not the actual photo)

Growing up, the poster’s parents would always tell him a cautionary tale of how their Christmas tree once caught on fire because of the decorative lights

Image credits: Element5 Digital (not the actual photo) 

When he grew up, his mom told him the fire was actually caused by his dad, who fell asleep with the stove turned on and blamed the lights to cover it up

Image credits: Gary Barnes (not the actual photo) 

The mom knew the truth when she found the burnt pan in the kitchen trash bin but decided to pretend to be none the wiser and play along

Image credits: Muhammed Furkan Birogul (not the actual photo) 

Even though the dad loved Christmas lights, he was stubborn as an ox and firmly held on to his lie

Image credits: u/1pinksquirrel1skotch

30 years later, when the dad’s cancer made it apparent it may be his last Christmas, the mom told him she knew, and they had a great laugh about it

The OP begins the story by saying that when he was growing up, their family wouldn’t put up lights on their Christmas tree due to a cautionary, supposedly real story of how their house almost burned down once due to a tree that caught on fire.

The way the parents told it, one evening, the dad fell asleep on the couch and woke up to a room filled with smoke. He heroically got the mother and the dog out of the house, only to go back and bring out the tree wrapped in a blanket, saying it caught fire from the lights.

As the years went by, the kid would always get the same story, and the family’s Christmas tree would always be lightless. But once, when the OP was already counting his adult years, his mother decided to tell him the actual story of the incident that happened that famous night.

It turned out that the smoke that filled the room didn’t come from the tree. Instead, it was due to a pan left on a hot burner that the dad forgot about when he decided to make a late-night snack but fell asleep.

The man didn’t want to take a lashing about the ruined pan, so he decided to come up with a cover-up story. He later brought back the tree, saying it must’ve not burned so badly, but where he really slipped up was throwing out the burnt pan right into the kitchen’s trash bin.

The mom never cared much for the lights on the tree. But the dad loved them. So when she found out, she decided to keep his story running to see how far he would take it.

About 3 decades went by, but the man was stubborn as an ox. When he developed cancer, and it became apparent this may be his last Christmas, the woman told him she knew the truth all along.

He had a great laugh about it. But when his wife gave him an option to put the lights on the tree that year, he refused. It turned out that over such a long time, the man got so used to the Christmas tree being lightless that he grew to prefer it that way.

The ending caught the commenters by surprise. People were laughing, crying, praising the OP’s mom for such commitment, and offering their condolences for his dad’s passing. Together, they all agreed that the story was incredibly beautiful and wholesome.

Image credits: Gustavo Fring (not the actual photo) 

But despite what the real story behind this fire hazard tale was, from time to time, we’re likely to hear another story or two about Christmas lights causing disasters. To find out more about the dangers of the little colorful things, we decided to look into an article by CNET.

It turns out that approximately 770 fires each year are indeed caused by Christmas lights. However, there is a very simple yet very good explanation for them, which does not make all of these pretty decorations evil.

Most, if not all, of these accidents happen due to people choosing to save time and/or money at the cost of safety. So, if you want to avoid unnecessary house redecoration expenses or worse but still want to have Christmas lights, this article lists a few great tips that are worth keeping in mind when decorating:

• Check your lights for broken or missing bulbs.
• Make sure to repair broken light strings.
• Don’t combine the lights with metal ladders or metal trees.
• Pick lights that are certified for the kind of usage that you want them for.
• Use a cord that is made to be used in a way that you intend to, and keep it dry.
• Make sure nobody will trip over the lights or the wires.
• Opt for a short-term use of the lights, not all year round.
• Pick the outlet with a failsafe like a ground fault circuit interrupter.
• Connect no more than 3 strands of lights at the same time.
• Avoid putting cords through walls and windows.
• Never use anything that can pierce the strands to hang up the lights.
• Let the lights rest overnight.
• Be extremely careful when decorating cars or living things.

Of course, these tips are quite general, and there are always some things that might differ depending on the situation. But as long as you hold safety first, use common sense and, before doing something, stop to think it through, the chances are definitely in your favor. Just make sure you don’t forget anything else, like a running stove.

What are your thoughts on this story? Do you know someone yourself who’s as committed to pettiness as the OP’s mom? Come down and share!

The wholesome conclusion of the story surprised the commenters and filled them with happy emotions

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