Around the holidays, many individuals participate in a giving program known as ‘Angel Tree.’ This program allows people to choose tags from a Christmas tree and buy clothing, toys, and other items that children and families have requested. It’s a great way to help those in need during the holiday season. Unfortunately, a Georgia family that chose two kids from an Angel Tree didn’t take their job seriously. As a result, she was slammed by viewers on TikTok and has since retracted her video.
User ConspiraTea (@recoveredmom1) shared the original video, which was posted by Anna (@itscookiedoughh) but has since been deleted. In the video, Anna shares that she picked two names from an Angel Tree. She wanted to help purchase Christmas gifts for children. Anna explained that the minimum spend limit for each individual child was $30. However, people in Anna’s comments were unhappy because she had decided to spend the bare minimum. In her own words, she “chose to make $30 the budget.” On top of that, the picky way she decided what to buy for the children was giving her audience bad vibes.
For instance, Anna complained that it wasn’t easy to shop for the little girl because the things she wanted on her list were too specific. She asked for Baby Alive brand things, a specific Barbie doll, and an aerial toy. Anna discovered that the Baby Alive dolls cost as much as the $30 budget. Instead of buying her the doll and possibly throwing in something else on the girl’s list, she decided to buy an off-brand doll and some other items the little girl didn’t really ask for. Her TikTok audience rightfully thought she was being kind of cheap with her picks. And why even take a name off an Angel Tree if you don’t want to follow through?
At one point, Anna’s husband uses Google to find the Baby Alive doll the girl wants. He discovers that the doll is their minimum spend budget, but thinks she’ll like that doll better. He keeps telling her he thinks they should get the doll she wants instead of the off-brand doll. Anna ignorantly says to him in a demeaning tone, “Alright, that’s it. She’s gonna get one present to open on Christmas.”
When commenters called Anna out in the comments to the initial video, she (unsurprisingly) fought back with them. She defended herself by telling people to “brush up” on the meaning of Christmas and claimed that people have to be thankful for what they get. Other commenters didn’t like that she used some of the time on her Angel Tree video to talk about what she would be buying her own children for Christmas. It’s giving privileged, and it’s a little icky. Anna has since deleted her entire TikTok because, apparently, she couldn’t take the heat.
In the comments to ConspiraTea’s video, commenters shared how the video made them feel. One said, “Donate to Toys for Tots or something instead.” That would definitely take out any expectations, and Anna wouldn’t have to then be responsible for delivering on promises she can’t keep. Another pointed out, “Hey, on the bright side, her whole video has brought a lot of attention to a program I didn’t know about and now my husband and I’s date night is going to be doing an Angel Tree!! Silver linings.” This shows that people still have big hearts when it comes to providing for children in need.
