"My Mum's 'Little White Lie' About My Holiday Souvenir Went Viral Back Home"

"My Mum's 'Little White Lie' About My Holiday Souvenir Went Viral Back Home"

So, my family back in Australia has this… let's call it a relaxed approach to the truth sometimes. Especially my mum. Bless her heart, she means well, but her little white lies have a tendency to snowball into epic proportions.
I recently took a backpacking trip through Southeast Asia – Thailand, Vietnam, the works. It was incredible, the kind of experience that changes you. Of course, I brought back souvenirs for everyone. For Mum, I found this beautiful, hand-painted ceramic elephant at a market in Chiang Mai. It was a bit kitschy, maybe, but it was colorful and I thought she’d like it for her mantelpiece.
When I FaceTimed her to show her all my treasures, she gushed over the elephant. "Oh, darling, it's beautiful! Where did you get it?"
Now, here's where the Aussie charm kicks in. Instead of just saying "a market in Thailand," she decided to embellish. "A lovely old man in a tiny village hand-carved it just for you, because he said you had such a kind face," she announced proudly to the rest of the family who were gathered around her phone.
I almost choked on my mango smoothie (I was still in Bangkok at the time). "Mum! It wasn't hand-carved! It was painted!" I mouthed frantically, hoping she’d get the message through the dodgy international connection.
But Mum, in her element, just waved her hand dismissively at the phone. "Oh, you know these little markets, dear. They always have a story." She then proceeded to tell everyone how this "kind old artisan" had spent days meticulously carving the elephant, pouring his heart and soul into the piece just for her wonderful daughter.
The story, of course, spread like wildfire through our extended family and Mum's social circle back home in Epping. Suddenly, I wasn't just the girl who went backpacking; I was the girl who received a bespoke, hand-carved elephant from a sweet old Thai man who was apparently psychic about my kindness.
When I finally got back to Australia, weeks later, the elephant was proudly displayed on the mantelpiece, right next to Nan's porcelain cat collection. Every visitor who came to the house would ask about the "beautifully carved gift" from Thailand, and Mum would beam and retell her slightly… enhanced version of the story.
It got even better (or worse, depending on how you look at it) when Mum posted a picture of the elephant on her Facebook, captioning it with the whole "kind old artisan" story. It got shared by her friends, who added their own heart emojis and comments about the "thoughtful gift."
Now, I'm faced with a dilemma. Do I burst Mum's bubble and reveal the truth about my mass-produced, hand-painted elephant? Or do I just let the charming (albeit completely fabricated) story live on?
On one hand, it feels wrong to let everyone believe this elaborate tale. On the other hand, Mum is so proud of it, and it's brought a lot of smiles to people's faces. Plus, picturing some random Thai vendor being elevated to the status of a dedicated artisan crafting bespoke elephants for kind-faced Aussies is kind of hilarious.
What do you guys think? Should I come clean about the elephant-gate, or let Mum's little white lie continue its viral journey back home? Maybe I should just start agreeing with her and add a few more details about the "artisan's" life story. After all, who doesn't love a good story, even if it's slightly… Australian-ized? 😉