Son suggests teaming up with dad to cook Christmas dinner—his response is an instant classic

With Christmas festivities in full swing, people are pulling out all the stops to surprise their loved ones and make the season feel extra special. In that same spirit, one man decided to lighten his mom’s holiday workload. But when the caring son, known as @jh3arn on TikTok, reached out to his dad for help with the plan, the father’s blunt and witty response became an unexpected internet sensation. It was clear the dad wasn’t sold on the idea of stepping in to cook Christmas dinner and giving his wife a break.

A widely circulating video showed a text exchange between a son and his father discussing Christmas preparations. "I think we should give Mom a break from Christmas dinner duties this year. Don’t you agree?" the son wrote, hoping for his dad’s help in executing the surprise for his mother. Wanting to share the holiday burden, the son followed up with another message: "You and I could have a right laugh cooking together instead. Thoughts?" The brief exchange, shared on social media, quickly gained attention.

The son expected a typical response from his father, likely agreeing to the suggestion. However, his dad had other plans and decided to turn down the offer with a witty remark. Initially, the father expressed his disapproval by calling the son's idea an “Awful shout.” Instead of flatly rejecting it, the dad responded with a mildly humorous, moderate response that soon became an internet sensation. The dad’s clever retort quickly turned into a catchphrase, with people eager to use it in similar situations.

The father continued to justify his decision with humor and a firm stance, praising his wife’s cooking skills. “A, you don't bench your best player on the biggest game of the f****** season,” he quipped. His reasoning escalated when he invoked a higher power, suggesting that even God would want the Christmas celebrations to remain flawless. “B, Letting you have any involvement whatsoever in making the Christmas dinner would be disrespectful to the birthday boy Jesus Christ himself,” he concluded. His playful yet firm response sparked a range of reactions, with many amused by the father’s reasoning.

In fact, the dad’s “Awful shout” was quickly adopted as a template for a sweet denial when @Iatics shared the text messages on the microblogging platform X. “I will simply respond with ‘Awful shout’ whenever someone sends me something I do not want to hear,” @giaababyyy wrote. “'Awful shout’ is really up there. Added to the list,” @royal_bobby24 remarked. Others lauded it as an “outstanding” way to escape an unwanted conversation. The post has garnered 13.3 million views, with people declaring the dad as the MVP in this light-hearted banter.

You can follow @jh3arn on TikTok for more family-related and funny content.