Evan Potwora | Opinion Editor
November 21, 2025
As the holiday season draws near, the magical traditions have returned in full swing. Whether it’s drinking hot cocoa while watching a classic holiday movie, driving around to see all the Christmas lights in the neighborhood, or getting together with family on Christmas Eve, these rituals are truly what make the holiday season special. But the moment that might stand out to many, especially children, is running to peek under the tree for presents, guessing the gift by shaking the box, and finally unwrapping the gift. Junior Jillian Merten reflected that she “always [stays] up, excited with [her] cousins, until [they] all rush down in the morning to open presents together.” However, many are not fortunate enough to have this same holiday cheer, especially in these times of economic instability.
Nevertheless, the Salvation Army created Angel Tree to combat this problem. These trees allow families to submit their child’s wishlist to a nearby tree, enabling individuals, who can spend a little extra time and money during the holidays, to spread the magic of gift-giving. The tradition has gone viral on social media, with posts showing donors buying gifts to raise awareness for the need for donations and the cheer one can spread. However, one post recently took this trend down a slippery slope, causing a sleigh full of anger from many.
When a user named @ItsCookiedoughh posted about Angel Tree, viewers noticed many arrogant undertones and snarky comments from the couple shown on screen. She criticized the “hefty list,” stated she is only going for the $30 minimum, complained about shopping for girls as they are “boy parents,” and dragged on the fact she didn’t know the race of the girl, making it hard for her to choose the race of the doll. Many quickly came to her with criticism, calling her out for her lack of effort by explaining, “you don’t have to do it, it’s optional.” Additionally, viewers found her focus on the “hefty list” and her degrading tone toward the child as cruel, as the child will put down as many options as possible due to a lack of availability for certain toys during Christmas time.
Junior Marlow Saltikov added that, “they shouldn’t be doing the Angel Tree if they’re not going to shop for the kid like it’s their own.” Many kids are not fortunate enough to have guardians who can give them gifts during the holidays; if one is not willing to provide this experience, then why partake? Saltikov additionally explained that “if it’s too much, they could have at least donated toys.” There are many alternatives to Angel Trees during the holiday season, so why aren’t many people, like @ItsCookiedoughh, donating in other ways?
In many ways, it comes back to social media and image. Many take advantage of programs like this to improve their image or go viral during the holiday season. With the Angel Trees, the kids are hoping that when they write this list, they will have a couple presents under the tree, not their entire wishlist. If one is not willing to make that sacrifice and use the opportunity for good, why not let someone who is willing and able to give more take the children under their wing? Since the outrage, @ItsCookiedoughh has taken down her account but is still receiving hate through reposts and parody videos. However, we must remind ourselves that during this holiday season, we can’t always focus on showing holiday magic through the screen; instead, we must focus on those we love and who are in need. These programs have helped make people’s holiday seasons magical and have provided them with essentials that weren’t readily available. In the end, the Angel Tree and other programs have done a great deal of good for communities across the nation; we must not let images on social media cloud the holiday magic that the gifts could bring.
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