‘He’s basically part of the family now’: Woman keeps inviting ‘uncle’ to family functions, until he actually shows up and she gets a surprise

Anyone from a large family knows that it’s honestly hard to keep track of all the various uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, evil twin locked up in the attic ETC that you may have. Even so, most of us would probably be able to tell the difference between our actual uncle and a straight-up stranger. Especially after five full years.

Alas, that wasn’t the case for TikTok user @vietacollins, who thankfully shared her hilarious tale of familial farce to brighten up our days. Vieta explained that a whole half a decade ago she befriended her uncle on Facebook and she would always invite him to whatever special occasion, shindig, or hootenanny her family happened to be throwing.

One time, Vieta did her usual thing and extended an invitation to her uncle to her sister’s graduation party and he messaged back apologizing that he couldn’t make it. The weird thing was that Vieta ended up bumping into her uncle at said party and brought up their Facebook conversation. This is how she learned that the guy she had been inviting to family functions for the past five years was “NOT MY UNCLE and just a random man that has the same name.”

Vieta’s story has touched the hearts and tickled the funny bones of everyone who’s seen it. The bottom line? Her fake uncle is a treasure, and she should keep on treating him like a member of the family. “This is funny but also how polite of him to let you know he can’t make it,” gushed one commenter. “Naww. please don’t lose contact with him and continue inviting him to family functions,” pleaded another. “He’s basically part of the family now,” admitted another, while someone else summarized: “He’s your unc now, my friend.”

Another TikToker took the opportunity to share their own old-school, pre-internet story of a similar nature. “When I was a kid, I kept calling a number I thought was my dad’s,” the commenter recalled. “The guy talked to me every time & never once told me it wasn’t my dad. My mom happened to pick up the other line (90s kid) & noticed.”

We talk a lot about the division that social media brews, but there is a more wholesome side to it that still thrives in the quiet and away from the headlines. One poll found that 64% of people have made new friends online (78% women vs. 52% of men), after all. Only Vieta, however, can claim to have made a new uncle online.