A home video from 1988 showing an exasperated mom opening Christmas gifts from her family is "timeless," according to TikTok.
"I digitized my family's home videos from the '80s," Jordan Alvillar, 36, captioned a TikTok video with more than 300,000 views. "Here's my mom's soul leaving her body on Christmas Day!"
The video was shot as Susan Alvillar, then 37, opened Christmas gifts with her husband, Jim, their daughters, Jordan, 1, and Leslie, 4, and Susan's stepchild, David, 9, at their Colorado home. That year, the family had rented a camcorder, as they often did for similar occasions.
When Susan opened her present — a KitchenAid mixer she requested for baking — she laughed.
"It's a mixer!" Susan exclaimed sarcastically in the clip. "Boy, oh boy, I can't wait to use that to make my husband a wonderful meal."
She added, "Just think of the tasty treats I can make my family with this mixer."
While Susan is filmed preparing food, she said in a cheerfully deadpan tone:
"Isn't this just a wonderful holiday season! I'm so glad I've been able to cook and clean and just do things like a regular housewife should!"
"A woman's work is never done!" Jim joked to his wife from behind the camera.
"The Alvillars sitting down to a wonderful relaxing meal — as usual," Susan said while her children whined and screamed.
Later, at an emptier table, she said, "This is a peaceful Christmas dinner. You want to know why it's so peaceful? The children are now gone."
When Susan opened another gift — a sensible coffee cup — she cried, "Look! It's a spill-safe mug! ... thank you everybody."
In the next TikTok video, Susan opened a third utilitarian gift: A pair of Isotoner gloves. "Just what I wanted!" she said. "How did you ever know, Leslie?"
Jim had a similar reflection. "(It) was sure great sitting around watching the kids open the toys," he told the camera, with a straight face. "Particularly this morning when they came in and woke us up."
"I thought that was just about typical," answered Susan.
Moms in the comments said the videos are classic.
- "It's like those clips you see on True Crime. 'She seemed like a normal housewife. But she was about to murder them all.'"
- "It's comforting to know my mom's generation didn't have it more together than we do."
- "She's saying all the quiet parts out loud."
- "Your mom was ahead of her time."
- "I am a mom in 2023 and I strongly feel every word she's saying. Exhausted and overwhelmed moms are timeless."
- "As a mom on Christmas, this is very relatable."
- I love how she's so sarcastic but when she looks at her kids, her eyes and smile light up. Motherhood in a nutshell."
- "This is like an SNL skit" with someone else comparing it to Saturday Night Live's "Christmas Morning" video in which a mom, played by Kristen Wiig, receives only a robe under the tree.
Susan tells TODAY.com that she worked in public relations while Jim was a trial lawyer. The couple supported each other; Jim packed Susan’s lunch at 4:30 a.m. and she supervised the home and children while he worked evenings and holidays.
By the time Christmas came, Susan was exhausted and "over it," which might explain why Jim's gifts that year were just as practical: a new car stereo and his very own spill-safe mug.
Susan still owns the big, heavy mixer, which she uses to make mashed potatoes and cookies with her grandson. She plans to buy an attachment to create homemade pasta noodles.
Jordan tells TODAY.com that watching the home videos made her appreciate her mom's comedic timing — and her role in the family.
"People speak generally about the magic of holidays without applying that magic to a specific person," says Jordan. "As an adult, you realize those people are usually moms."