It’s angel tree season, which means many gifters are running around to figure out whether they’re buying the right items for kids in need of holiday presents. The initiative, which connects children to an “angel donor,” has gotten a lot of attention lately.
This year, though, has been incredibly controversial for angel trees. From one woman getting in trouble for treating the 30-dollar suggested price for an angel tree order as a “maximum” to other content creators not actually getting the items children want on their lists, it has been a struggle on social media.
That leads to one Long Island woman’s question. Emy, a TikTok content creator and influencer (@Emymcb2), posted a TikTok asking whether the items she picked out for her Angel Tree kid were “enough.”
The video has drawn 3.9 million views, but not because Emy did an amazing job. Instead, commenters pointed out the sparse and generally uninspired way she approached her angel tree shopping, including picking “cheap” and near-unusable items as part of her gift list. Since then, online commenters have sent thousands of messages to Emy. As many pointed out, off-brand crayons can stay at the checkout lane for Angel Tree this year, and if you’re too cheap for Angel Tree, don’t do it.
What is an Angel Tree?
Angel Trees are programs that donate specific Christmas presents to children during the holiday season. Essentially, people can pick up tags that have a wishlist on them. They then shop for those items and donate them to the child so that they have gifts for Christmas.
Salvation Army members Major Charles and Shirley White created the Angel Tree program in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1979. It started in a shopping mall and has since provided children with gifts for 40 years.
The Angel Tree program spread through the Salvation Army’s network at first, but it reached a larger audience in 2021 when the charitable organization introduced angel trees to Walmart stores.
As the Salvation Army’s website states, “Once a child is accepted as an Angel, donors like you can shop and help bring their Christmas wishes to life. Simply pick a tag off the Angel Tree located inside your local Walmart store or shop online using Walmart’s Spark Good Registry. Once the gifts are received, The Salvation Army will distribute them to families in need- allowing parents and caregivers to place the presents under the tree on Christmas morning, preserving dignity, while creating joy.”
Since then, more and more people have become aware of the Angel Tree program. That’s also led some content creators to post their “angel tree hauls” around the holidays to ask for suggestions or ensure that they’re getting the right items for their recipients. But this year has been notorious for awful angel tree selections.
Why are people upset about her Angel Tree purchases?
Emy purchased two face masks, off-brand colored pencils, a few beauty products from Bath and Body Works, a drawing pad, a paint-by-number canvas set, and a McDonald’s gift card for her recipient.
In her video, she directly asked whether she met the “sufficient” requirement for items. But commenters quickly noticed how cheap most of the things she purchased were. For one, she bought mostly off-brand products. There was nothing in her angel tree donation that “sparked joy” or had a magic touch, as some viewers mentioned.
As one viewer pointed out, “Angel tree should feel like Santa magic, not a low-budget donation. Add fun things… Remember these kids have little to nothing and or are going through the worst time of their lives. Don’t do Angel Tree if you can’t be Santa.”
Did Emy ‘misunderstand’ the point of Angel Tree?
According to many commenters, Emy did not understand the point of Angel Tree shopping.
One commenter said, “I’m trying to figure out why Angel Tree is so hard for some of you… If you pick up a tag and your mind instantly goes to saving money, please don’t do angel tree.”
Another added, “I’m glad people are sticking up for this child in the comments. Don’t pick an angel tree kid if you’re not gonna get them the 24 pack of crayola brand pencils AT LEAST.”
Another person quoted Emy’s exact wording, saying, “‘I just want it to be her best christmas ever,’ babe the most expensive thing is the McDonald’s gift card. I know it’s the thought that counts, but the angel tree really isn’t for these type[s] of gifts. This is more for a friend who needs a little help on Facebook.”
@emymcb2 I just want it to be her best Christmas ever #christmas #angeltree ♬ original sound – Riley
Emy posts an update
Her post ended up attracting millions of people, which led her to post an update that was not received well by her new audience.
“For the last 24 hours I have been relentlessly harassed for buying off-brand pencils for an angel tree gift,” said Emy. In her update, she read off a script inside her car, leading many people to question her intentions and overall apology.
Emy clarified that the girl wanted “arts, crafts, skincare and McDonalds,” so she purchased those items. She also mentioned that she went to places that had higher-quality products like Bath and Body Works. But she told her audience that she went to Dollar Tree to get some of her items, something that added further fuel to the fire.
Emy reflected that because of her purchases, she was told to “go [expletive] herself,” or “[unalive] herself,” a concerning message considering her heart was technically in the right place. She also clarified that she spent $65 on her gift, which was within the recommended range of $50 to $80 for gifts.
Emy posts later videos joking about the controversy
In later videos posted to her platform, Emy joked about the recent controversy. She implied that her viewers were blind to the nicer items she purchased for the child. She also joked about the colored pencils she purchased.
The jokes did not pan out well, with more commenters pointing out her lack of accountability.
It took two updates for Emy to finally purchase more items for her recipient. These items also felt disingenuous and cheap to many. She purchased additional items that didn’t address the commenters’ suggestions or feedback. For instance, she said that her participant probably doesn’t need a squishmallow, so she did not purchase one.
Emy further embroiled herself in controversy after commenters realized that she did not purchase many of the items in her “good” haul. Emy apparently has an Amazon link that many outside donors purchased from for her recipient. This finally “filled up” her angel tree.
“I think it’s important to thank those who purchased items off the Amazon wishlist you made,” one commenter said.
Emy posted multiple videos with the squishmallows that other donors purchased. She has not addressed that she did not purchase them in any of her follow-ups.
The Mary Sue has reached out to Emy and the Salvation Army for comment.
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