It’s the most wonderful time of the year, which also means it’s time to get back on Angel Tree TikTok. For context, the Angel Tree is a program run by the Salvation Army in which participants can shop for a child or senior who can’t afford to have a full Christmas on their own. If you weren’t on Angel Tree-Tok in the last few years, creators have made it a trend to film themselves selecting a tag off a tree — which reveals a recipient’s name, age, wish list, and other information. Then they show the process of selecting brand-new gifts, all the way to checkout with a lengthy receipt. It’s been a feel-good social media moment in recent years.
This year, though, Angel Tree-Tok has been the source of some major drama. It all started when one TikToker (whose original username was @itscookiedoughh, but who has seemingly since gone off the grid) posted a video of herself and her husband shopping at Target for two Angel Tree children, one girl and one boy. In the video, the creator says that the Angel Tree program’s required spend of at least $30 would be their budget for the shopping trip, which immediately drew criticism for being the bare minimum. As the video continues, the creator complains about the Angel Tree girl’s wish list, saying the items she asked for were too specific and hard to find.
The video has since been deleted, but viewers are still talking about the drama in their own videos about the incident, as well as in the comment sections of screen recordings of the original video. “Put the ticket back so someone else can get that little girl something nice,” one user wrote in a comment on a reposted video. “The little girl wrote to Santa and got the Grinch,” said another.Â
Since then, the original creator has made a response video under the new username @bethechange_you_wish2see (which has also since been taken down), saying that people “jump to conclusions” on TikTok and showed she had bought more than what viewers saw in her first video. “At the end of the day, they’re gonna be grateful for whatever they have,” she said of the Angel Tree recipients. “And if they’re not, that’s on them and their upbringing.” She then posted another video (which has also been taken down), saying that it was her husband’s idea to do the Angel Tree, not hers, and that the money made from the videos would go to a charity of her choice, which would be an organization for animals.
Following all this, people have been quick to make response videos of their own. TikTokers especially brought up their concern for the children, worried they wouldn’t get the presents they asked for. (That’s because once a child is picked off an Angel Tree, they can’t be picked by another person.) As one creator said in her own video, “If you aren’t willing to be or can’t afford to be generous, don’t do the Angel Tree.”
Luckily, one creator is giving everyone some holiday hope! On Nov. 14, creator @cohousewife posted a video saying she would shop for the Angel Tree girl if she could. “Somebody who had nothing growing up but knew what they wanted — like, that girl is my girl.” In a follow-up video, she revealed she’s taking action. “I was able to get into contact with the person who is in charge of Angel Tree there, and we spoke,” she said. “The gifts have not been turned in yet, but they will be in two weeks. So as soon as they’re turned in, [she] and I are going to be in contact and anything that was not received off of that girl’s list, I will be personally fulfilling it.”Â
In light of the recent videos, others have taken to the app to show how they do an Angel Tree, showing massive hauls for their Angel Tree kids, and keeping the holiday spirit alive.