Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! 2024 is almost over. This year has had many ups and downs, surprises and disappointments. But the holiday season is when days brighten. This magical season calls for quality time spent with friends and family. For places in the northern hemisphere like the United States, it’s the time to bundle up with hot drinks, string up lights, and wrap gifts to put under the Christmas tree. It’s the time when we should be grateful for the things we have, who we are, how far we’ve come, and how it’s never too late for us to go farther. This is the season for giving, however, some of us seem to have forgotten that this season’s foundation is gratitude.

In a YouTube video posted by Lovelyti TV, she brought awareness to some people’s maltreatment of the organization, Angel Tree. According to the Salvation Army’s website, “Angel Tree is a holiday assistance program in which an individual or group sponsors a child ‘Angel’ and purchases new toys, clothing, shoes, or gift cards for children ages 0-12.” This program is essential for families that can’t afford to purchase gifts for their children, thereby providing the children with positive memories. Though some parents are not grateful for the gifts that donors choose to spend their hard-earned money on. It’s one thing to be upset in the privacy of your own home, but to go on TikTok and humiliate many of the well-meaning individuals trying to help? That is just as ungrateful as it is disgusting. There are also some families that try to take advantage of Angel Tree for gifts that are unnecessary and outrageously expensive. One of the videos Lovelyti reacts to mentions that a donor received a wish list asking for the latest gaming console, flat screen TVs, etc.

Angel Tree is a donation-based organization. A good portion of the donations received are from regular, everyday people. They must pay bills and provide for their own families. They don’t have to, but they choose to spend what extra they have to make another child’s holiday worthwhile. As such, these donors should not be shamed just because the parents didn’t like what they received for their children. Yes, the children and/or parents write what they specifically want down, and they have some right to be upset when they don’t receive what they need (e.g., receiving the wrong size, items unusable for the family’s circumstances, etc.), but that should not be social media’s business. Ungrateful, entitled, and frankly degrading videos such as the ones Lovelyti showed in her video only increases the number of donors not bothering to donate again. It also deters those who contemplated giving this season, leading them to not consider it in the now or in the future. If you have an issue with what others have given you out of the kindness of their hearts, then it’s best to work for things that meet your specific needs and standards. The last thing the world needs is people growing more cynical and indifferent to those who genuinely need a helping hand.

We should be more grateful for what we have and what others do for us. After the world halted during the pandemic, it became evident that nothing is certain, and life is short. It costs nothing to be kinder to others, especially those who help us because they are not entitled to.