A program intended to give Christmas gifts to low-income children is sparking a debate on social media, with some donors defending themselves for not buying the gifts their recipients asked for β and some recipients condemning the gifts they received.
The Angel Tree program is made possible by the Salvation Army and helps provide Christmas gifts for children across the country. The program works by allowing donors to select tags with children’s wish lists displayed on trees at participating stores or businesses. Once donors select their tag, they can purchase the listed gifts and return them to a designated drop-off location.
Dozens of influencers have gone viral by sharing their Angel Tree results, but others, like TikTok user @shayshayjay, have sparked controversy by not buying the exact items their recipients requested.
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In one video, a TikTok user says she didn’t buy a $150 backpack her recipient requested because it wasn’t sent to them on time.
“I want to address the people in my comment section who are not happy with the gifts I got for my kid from Angel Tree,” she says in the video, adding, “Time was an issue here. I wouldn’t have had time to send the backpack she asked for.”
She adds that the commentators were also angered by the gift she bought – a Stanley cup.
“Some of you have a real problem with the Stanley I bought her,” she adds in the video, explaining that she got her recipient a smaller mug than the one commenters said she should have bought.
“Does it hold as much water? No, but it’s much more practical,” she says. “I have another Stanley. It’s so big, it’s hard to carry and when I would take it to work, it would literally fall over in my purse and overwhelm my laptop. So I’m just thinking in my head, 10-year-old girl, she doesn’t want that, it’ll spill all over her book bag, ruin her homework.”
She adds that Angel Tree donors aren’t told details about the recipients β “I don’t know her style, I don’t know her favorite color” β so she did the best she could.
“I’ve worked in a nonprofit my whole career … now I have a corporate job, and this was the first year I was able to do the Angel Tree and afford it and do it myself and give back,” she says, adding, “I hope that this will motivate everyone to also go out and make an Angel Tree kiddo.”
Some Angel Tree recipients are also going viral β including one who shared her “frustrating result.”
“I’m not really ungrateful,” the TikTok user said as he showed off the gifts β which included a selection of items including Play-Doh, shoes and a basketball. “I’m a little frustrated though. I’m trying not to cry.”
The original user has since made her account private following the backlash, but subsequent videos of the Angel Tree recipient’s post show that the clothes she received were not the size she was looking for for her children, and many of the items were not on their wish list.
Picture of unwrapped Christmas presents.
Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/image alliance via Getty Images
Another Angel Tree winner said her 16-year-old daughter received “second-hand” gifts including a lunchbox, scarf and beanie, saying: “If you can’t afford to buy a gift, don’t name it an angel tree, because now I don’t I know what I will do for my child.”
In another video, TikTok user @thesandravshow defended moms who criticized their Angel Tree gifts, saying: “A lot of people do is go to the Dollar Tree or somewhere else and get presents. I’m not saying Christmas is a big deal gifts or whatever, but if there’s one place a struggling mom will take her kid to pick out her own toys, it’s the Dollar Tree.. There’s only so much at the Dollar Tree option, so the kids you’re shopping for have probably already picked out the things they like and have them.”
But other TikTokers criticize recipients who don’t like their gifts, with one saying: “These people don’t owe you anything. They bought your kids things for Christmas out of the goodness of their hearts.”
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Another video shared on TikTok shows how volunteers often add to Angel Tree’s donations, ensuring that if a child only got clothes, for example, they can also get a few toys. “That’s what we’re doing to finish off the bag that’s been returned, but it needs a few more toys to make it really complete for Christmas.”
However, not everything is controversial. One recipient took to TikTok to share how “grateful” she was that a donor gave her clothes that her 11-month-old baby can grow into.
“You don’t know how much I appreciate it,” TikTok user @cassbenelliesgarden says through tears in her video.
In the description of the video, she wrote: “I have never been more grateful in my life, this is the first year my family has needed an angel tree and I hope one day I can return the favor to another family.”
TikTok user @katrinahartley8 said in a video sharing her gifts that she was “extremely grateful” for the gifts her son received through Angel Tree.
βHe wouldn’t have much under the pine [without Angel Tree]”, she says. “I know it’s not about gifts, but about teaching him what that day really means.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education