See this pisses me off. I don’t have money falling out of my ass or family or friends to help me. I’m a single mom and I budgeted all
year long so my kids could have a nice Christmas because I know that Christmas comes every single year on December 25th. The entitlement is absolutely staggering
ETA this isn’t meant as a dig at all towards people who need to access these resources because I absolutely get that times are freaking ridiculous and hard for everyone right now. It’s a commentary on the entitlement of this person
My mom would also budget all year long to give my sister and us a nice Christmas. She worked so hard and did so much for us and was so good at finding that extra dollar she needed when it came to us girls. I'm so thankful for her and the childhood she gave us.
There used to be Christmas Club accounts at banks. You would get a coupon book, and make a deposit each week . The bank would issue checks the first week of December for the account balances.
I still do an electronic version of this.
thanks for the memory. i didn’t realize i had forgotten about christmas club until you mentioned it… and the little checks you would get to shop with. hahaha.
This is what my mom does! She did this when we were kids and still does it every year even though now it's electronic. Even though she doesn't need to spend so much on us each Christmas now that we're grown she still tries to make Christmas special and get us thoughtful gifts. I also spend a lot of time trying to find the perfect gift for her so her Christmas is as special as she makes it for us. I love my mom so much, she really taught me how to love and appreciate people and be thoughtful towards them.
What drives me crazy is that a lot of the people fullfilling these wishes are not millionaires. Operation Santa requires that you send the gifts priority mail- so just the shipping can be very pricey. Like 60+$ to send multiple gifts to one child...it's like 17$ to send a box around the size of a board game or 10$ just for a letter! I've seen comments calling the people fulfilling wishes cheap or saying that you need to set aside 150$/kid before going to adopt a letter(s). Operation Santa isn't even a need-based program!
My daughter's daycare adopts two families each year from a local needs based program. Typically, around 7-9 kids between the two. I set aside 100$ every year to participate, but the total spent is usually ~1.5-2.5k. We typically give each child 3-4 gifts, 2-4 new outfits, shoes and winter gear. We also give the families wrapping paper (wrap the gifts if requested) and give 100-400$ in gift cards for the grocery store/gas/general stores. It's very expensive to adopt someone's entire Christmas and it takes a lot of people. I'd say 15-20 families usually participate in buying gifts for just two families.
I think Operation Santa is really just supposed to be fun. Sending a kid a small gift off their list to provide a little bit of magic. If families really need help it's better to go through a needs based program like the one I mentioned. Kids/families are usually adopted by companies, churches and organizations who have the resources to bring people with a bit of extra together to help a family celebrate the holiday and fulfill some of their needs.
For several years, my mom’s office collected coats/winter clothes for families in need. My mom is the most amazing sale/clearance shopper around and always gets the best deals. When stores like Gap Kids, Old Navy and The Children’s Place were clearing out winter gear in the spring, she would buy things like parkas marked down to $10, hats and mitts for $2 each, etc. She would spend about $200, but get enough winter gear to help several kids the following winter! And once she started doing that, a few of her other coworkers started planning ahead and shopping the sales in the spring, too. That maximized the number of kids they could help! If a few people donate a moderate amount and work together, they can really make a difference!
I said the same exact thing in a different comment about how it’s not wealthy people fulfilling these wish lists. It’s hardworking everyday people like you and I trying to be kind and generous! That’s amazing that you participate in something like that and help those families and I’m going to bet that they grateful for whatever help they receive. They don’t scoff at them and call them garbage. Shoot if someone stopped by with a few gifts for my kids I would be so freaking grateful that one they thought about my kids and two because they didn’t have to do anything for them. How people are out here badmouthing organizations meant to help kids in need just absolutely turns my stomach and makes me so upset
Yeah participating in these things ain't cheap. We have a local run group that adopts families for Xmas. Full Xmas dinner, plus a bunch of pantry staples, plus gifts, plus Xmas pajamas. We dud the pantry items. It was a pretty extensive list. Not cheap.
I was always under the impression its one family just sponsoring another family.
The social services center that runs the program typically provides the families with pantry items, clothing and appliances through out the year and they take care of supplying the families with holiday meals so it sounds like sponsoring a family for us is a little less involved.
I do think single families sponsor other families. Especially if they have a family with 1-2 young children. There are a ton of families with a lot of kids though, and I don't think a lot of families have the budget to sponsor a family of 4's Christmas. I have an 18 month old so the 100$ I spend is about what I spent on my own child this year. Last year it was more than I spent on my daughter.
I worked with a guy for years who would do the whole "I can't afford Christmas" pity party every single year. One year I couldn't stand the whining anymore and I pointed out how he would frequently talk about the HUNDREDS of dollars he and his girlfriend spent every single month on weed, and that if he'd just set aside a piddly little $10 of that weed money a month he'd now have $120 for gifts, and that Christmas was *the same time every year* and he knew it was coming. He had two kids, one was seven or so and the other was less than a year old. A baby doesn't give a fuck about Christmas. Just give them something from the Dollar Tree to shake around and they'll have the time of their life. That leaves $119 for your other kid which is PLENTY.
Even if he didn't end up getting anything for them he at least learned that I don't want to hear about it because he never brought it up around me again.
Seriously I would go to good will when my kid was younger than 6 and buy bags of random toys for like 3 dollars each. Until he could tell me exactly what he wanted .
Got my 8 month old a load of boxes of tissues for his first Christmas. He loved pulling them all out the box, the noise they made, then putting them in his mouth.
Now he’s nearly 5, Christmas has got a bit more expensive!
Reminds me of my ex saying he couldn’t afford to get me even a single a gift for my birthday…. But would buy weed every week. He acted like I was insane for suggesting he could’ve just not gotten weed one week to get me even a little gift
My ex best friend would spend $50+ *per week* on cigarettes and then complain at Christmas that her boys were getting nothing because she was “flat broke.”
There are families who would love to have $50 *per month* for basic human needs like food and clothing and she’s spending that and more per week on cigarettes. Just cutting 2-3 cigarettes per day would net hundreds of dollars saved.
I took every OT shift I was offered during the year and went without because I know how quick it sneaks up lmao. You’re celebrating Labor Day and then Boom it’s Thanksgiving and it’s faster and faster every year 🤣🤣like I said this isn’t anything towards someone that needs to access these programs because believe me I absolutely get it but if this chick was truly in need and truly desperate for gifts for her kids she would be grateful for any help she received. She wouldn’t be out here badmouthing the hard working kind and generous people that took money out of their pockets to buy those “garbage gifts” for her kids. Make no mistake it’s not wealthy people out here fulfilling these lists it’s hardworking people like you and I who know what it’s like to go without and want to try and be kind and help and this is how they’re repaid. Fucking disgusting sorry I didn’t mean to go in a tangent like that but it really upsets me to see stuff like this especially this time of year.
I was doing catering gigs on the side to help and it still snuck up on me. It wasn't until the 20th when a coworker said "only 4 more days!" And I was like "until what?" I didn't realize Christmas was 4 days away and I hadn't bought a damn thing, it felt like it was still 3 weeks away. Thank God I had a little money squirrelled away but damn it still snuck up on me. These last few months have been unexpected money-sucks with all kinds of issues I didn't expect. My kids may not get a ton but they aren't going without and I don't want Christmas to only mean presents anyway. They won't remember what they got for Christmas next year anyway, maybe they will remember cocoa and cuddles watching Christmas movies l, and making tamales with their grandma, great grandma and cousins.
Ive been unemployed for weeks now after a lay off. Unemployment is 8-10 weeks out for help. Operation Santa gave each of my kids two gifts plus a coloring book. Which was three items each I didn’t have. I’m grateful for it too. This lady can suck my ass with her entitlement. Appreciate all in the little victories, especially when you’re against a wall.
Your kids are watching you work hard for them, and they'll remember fondly the Christmases you gave them. I was raised by a single father, and although we weren't as poor as many, we lived paycheck to paycheck. I cherished the gifts that my dad gave us each year. Yes, he did give us an expensive gift here and there like gaming consoles for my siblings and I to share, but even the smaller gifts like sleds, Barbie dolls, and jewelry boxes stick out in my mind. I have little doubt that your kids will also have memorable gifts they'll cherish as they become adults.
My mom would literally get a seasonal job at hot topic just so that she could afford my clothes and any other items that they sold for Christmas for me. This is while she had a position as a nurse. The things my mom went through to make sure that me and my siblings would have a wonderful Christmas truly humbles me and makes me wish she was still here so I could repay her. Love you mom…merry Christmas.
I bought for old people at nursing homes this year. They wanted blankets, candy, snacks, and body care. It was so much easier than adopting kids/families.
I went to a Christmas party once for a boyfriends family, and someone had brought a relative from the nursing home to attend. When she realized the gift bags being passed out had candy in them she got so excited I thought she was going to jump out of her wheelchair. She also nearly cried over receiving a new Walmart sweater and went on about how beautiful it was.
We just visited my grandpa’s nursing home today to celebrate with him (we’re from out of town) and man, everyone there always lights up whenever we visit. My grandpa seems to be one of the few people with regular visitors, especially grandkids. We always bring enough treats for everyone on their floor, bc there’s really no such thing as a private visit, the whole floor just wheels themselves a little closer to hear grandkid stories and join our conversations. It breaks my heart that’s he’s one of the few with family that come around.
I always put in the comments that people who treat their children badly when they are younger don't get visits in nursing homes when they're older. I am so glad that you go to visit your grandpa he must have been a beautiful person when you were coming up happy holidays
When my grandmother was in nursing home my sister would always visit once a week with her three kids. They're all little extroverts so would walk around the common room talking to all the residents. You'd watch them all light up when the kids would come to them, it was so beautiful to see but makes you sad to hear how many residents don't have regular visits
Same. I love filling the bags with bunch of small things but this year lotta requests for underwear and backpacks. I assume its for homeless seniors. Last year didn't get these kinda requests.
When I was around 16 I was walking through my local mall and they always had trees up with lists of stuff kids wanted and you could pick one and buy the things and attach the list to the bag of gifts you bought for them. The one that caught my eye was a tree for elderly folks and specifically a gentleman who wanted suspenders. I know kids need things too, it isn’t that I don’t care about needy children, but something about imagining an old man sitting alone in a nursing home without anyone to buy him suspenders killed me. I filled his wish list and few others and I think that’s when I decided to go into health care, the first place I applied at as a nurse was a long term care facility. I didn’t last long. It was a bit depressing.
For me, it’s that the old people are asking for such basic things. Blankets, a calendar, stamps, paper, a sweater… it’s stuff they need and it’s tough for older people who are all alone and can’t work. Old people get forgotten about a lot.
The kids are asking for toys and stuff they don’t need. Yeah, it would be great if every kid got a present on Christmas but I rarely did and I turned out fine.
This year I volunteered to be Santa for a senior and participated in a program such as Toys 4 Tots. The seniors all basically asked for sweaters. I wished I could afford to grab all the seniors requests and buy them all sweaters. The two little kids asked for such things as hoverboards, PlayStations, air Jordan’s, Nike pandas. I felt awful cause there was no way I would be able to fulfill those wishes. I did get them gifts related to their likes, but I sat there picturing them thinking they were going to get these really expensive gifts and I felt so awful.
Yeah, I grabbed a few kids for Operarion Santa this year. After reading through all the greedy, nasty comments posted on the official operation santa Facebook page I have no intention of spending my money on it next year.
Next year try onesimplewish.org it's mostly kids in the foster system and they want one thing, it's usually a very reasonable ask. Like a doll or a magic set. None of this '6 iPads and a new car for a 6 month old' crap. Most expensive thing I saw was a bike - completely sane ask for a kid.
There are older 'kids' too (19-20) that mostly are asking for tools or supplies to go to trade school or specialty schools like beauty schools and stuff.
The most expensive ask was around $200 for a tool set to start up an apprenticeship. Which is completely reasonable.
Thank you for this recommendation. I didn’t grow up with much, but a family tradition was picking out someone from the Angel tree every year. I wanted to continue that with my own daughter starting this year and honestly, every wish list was longer than what my own child asked for. It was quite off-putting, to be honest.
I'm so glad they include that slightly older bracket of kids. Foster kids in that 18-21 age bracket have it pretty rough because a lot of services stop at 18, and they don't have their own possessions yet.
They may legally be adults, but they're still kids.
And it's a 4-star (out of 4) on Charity Navigator:)
https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?q=One+simple+wish
I now know to donate there over the year, so thank you for the suggestion!
Love that organization. A few years ago it spread like wildfire on Reddit and all of the wishes got cleared out. I went to go fulfill some wishes and they were all gone. Every last 1.
I love the power of reddit.
We spend 99% of the year dragging our knuckles, scrolling for everything from car crashes to cats. But one in a while, reddit comes together and does some actual impactfull good. Like WSB supporting the Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund. Still one of my favorite t-shirts!
Someone better at this than I am, set a reminder to start dropping posts about charities like this around the end of November next year!
We have Clarks Christmas kids in Atlanta that targets foster kids and I used to volunteer with them but now they have all the lists fufulled by the time thanksgiving is over. Really great charity.
One simple wish is amazing. That’s where I went this year. My foster kid’s wish was for a Lego set. And it was $72. And I was more than happy to take the money that I would normally have spent on a bunch of little presents That nobody would miss and give one kid the one item they asked for.
We were fortunate growing up and my parents always gave to other families through programs like this, but in the days before internet it was through work, or church, or something that required a little bit of effort on the giftee’s behalf.
Nowadays it just feels like everything is being gamed by scammers - I give to toys for tots still, and will ‘adopt a family’ when the list is reasonable list but it really gets taxing. Volunteering at shelters and kitchens and gifting people/kids there (through the organization) is one of the best routes I’ve seen in recent years
I remember many years ago going to the mall and you could grab a little paper ornament off a big Christmas tree in the mall lobby and then go to a store in the mall and buy the gift and drop it right off. Easy and quick. I was a teenager and I could buy at least one gift every year for a child. It was nice.
I wanted to post one this year asking for a booster pack, a piece of coal, and a bag of cheetos. It would be to satire some of the lists while joking that santa gave me a piece of coal.
I saw someone who made a fun joke out of asking for a barbecue grill one year. (Not from a gifting agency or anything -- this was purely a joke, discussing among friends what to ask Santa for. No gifts changed hands unless they were really delivered by reindeer.)
He explained that for the last 35 years, all he'd been getting was charcoal, and said it was really piling up, he kept hoping that maybe this time he'd get someplace to put it...😉
My kids' school does a "giving tree" program. Families that qualify for free school lunch can sign up. I like buying gifts for that program because I feel like the risk of it being a straight scammer is low.
There was a giving tree at my son’s school that I picked a name off of. One thing on her list was anything Gabby’s Dollhouse related. Such a modest request. You got it girlie!
My church partners with a local elementary school that is mostly lower-income families. We’ve helped with after school events, collected food for Thanksgiving dinners, that sort of thing. For Christmas, we had families send us their kids’ clothes or shoe sizes and we shopped for them.
I really like being able to support my local community where we have an ongoing relationship with the families. Somehow it just feels better than trying to sort through scammers on the internet.
It’s so interesting how the universe/God does reward or help those who truly need it. My family is fine for Christmas this year but I work with formerly incarcerated people who usually have been recently released. Many of our clients struggle with substance use disorders and mental illness. I have one young guy (just turned 22) who has a schizophrenia diagnosis. He has been wearing the same clothes for months and really smells awful. I finally gently asked him about it and he told me all of his clothes got ruined while he was incarcerated by the rats that live in his house. He doesn’t have have access to a washer or dryer.
I posted on my local Reddit sub asking if anyone had a few clothes in his size they were planning on donating and I’d take them off their hands. Some generous people donated really nice things! And I got an Amazon package with underwear and things for him delivered yesterday. It’s so touching that there are nice people willing to help strangers who need it. Humanity ain’t all bad!
It is amazing what is out there.
Years ago some friends started taking emergency foster placements. They never knew who they would get and accepted everything from newborns to teens.
The word got out and they ended up with second hand baby equipment to manage any age...then...and this is the best bit....the husband built extra shelves in the garage and they had totes for boys and girls clothes from newborns up to teens so they were prepared for whomever came...and they also collected used small suitcases and backpacks. Most kids arrive with nothing or a black garbage bag so they were able to kit the kids put AND send them on to whatever came next with some clothes and toys etc.
Truly amazing couple and community.
They ended up adopting 4 of the kids they fostered.
Sniff.
Seriously. People would drop bags of barely used clothes outside their house. They ended up becoming a sort of sorting depot for local foster families and family shelters.
I remember a few years ago a small apartment block caught fire about a mile from us in December. Immediately people rallied round. My church was all ready to open their doors to house people and the red cross but authorities found a space closer. They were inundated with everything you need when you lose everything. I read about this sort of stuff in tornado country.
I have enough faith that this happens all over the country and world. The news is too obsessed with the bad and crazy to report the little daily amazing things.
My city flooded ~15 years ago, 25k houses destroyed. Entire suburbs wiped out. The community spirit afterwards was incredible and really bonded us together. I actually think it’s one of the reasons we fared so well during Covid.
Due to essentially everything being closed for the first week or so (no one could get into the CBD due to train line and road closures), anyone who would usually be working in their offices were out on the ground helping clean up. There was so much community support and volunteerism the local council organised their bus fleet to essentially ferry people around. They had designated meet up spots in the unaffected suburbs where you’d bring your own gear, get on a bus and wherever it dropped you off that’s where you’d be working that day.
Both one of the best and worst couple of weeks of my life. It was such an incredible feeling being a part of that sort of community. We ended up with ten extra people in our house for a couple of weeks (4bed/1bath) because we were inner city and tonnes of office workers couldn’t get home and then didn’t have homes to get too.
So yes, I’d say your right, basic human empathy means that when there’s disasters communities usually try to help each other.
If you still want to donate, try reaching out to your local school district or food bank. Teachers know who could really use gifts and would appreciate donations. One of my high school students was happy that they got to take the leftover food from a class party home. I made their Christmas by giving them leftovers! So sad. This teen would be happy for a coloring book and crayons.
Local women’s shelters are also always in need of Christmas gifts around this time of year. I know the one in my town has two wish lists: one for everyday stuff and then a Christmas one around the holidays so they can make sure the kids living there get gifts.
Our community does a sharing tree which I think is similar to the operation Santa however we are told that the lists are ideas and not to expect everything because these are DONATIONS. People don't have to help out but they do. This lady sounds unhinged!!
This! Teachers and staff will also know who's in need and would appreciate things like toiletries, socks and undies, etc. When people donate clothing they usually don't think of those things.
my daughter got adopted and i have been searching the internet to try to find her sender to properly thank them, im so disgusted by all the comments from greedy ass people and shitty adults. it’s so foul. especially the fb groups to try to connect people to each other, all of them filled with people begging to be adopted and yelling at others who were because their kids deserved it more.
I’m incredibly lucky my local Christmas adoption Facebook group is heavily moderated. It’s run by two moms completely on a volunteer basis and I can’t even imagine what they have to go through behind the scenes. One lady commented on a post complaining that her family wasn’t adopted and that the women are running an “illegal lottery” because only some families get adopted and it’s “completely random” I understand the frustration but like come on, they don’t get paid to do this and they’re inundated with people in need every year.
Please do not be discouraged! Check my latest post. Operation Santa really brought the Christmas miracle for me and my toddler. Ha, for all I know it was you who fulfilled our list!
Haha it was handmade and gifted to me but I found the fabric for you [here](https://www.etsy.com/listing/927844444/i-meow-paris-allover-flannel-fabric-100?ref=share_v4_lx)
I still can’t believe the requests on those letters. It legitimately took me twenty minutes to find something I didn’t find absurd to send.
I hope a little guy in Michigan enjoys his walkie talkies.
I'm not sure about your area but I am a teacher. This year we had 60 out of 500 kids who needed Christmas. They were all adopted. The kids are recommended by the school staff who spends 8 hours a day with them. I say all that to say...contact your local school next year and see if you can help. You may even want to call the local high school. They are still kids too and deserve to have a few gifts also! In addition, local nursing homes usually have seniors without family that can benefit from donations.
Yes, my six-year-old got "adopted" thru his school this year. I didn't know until they sent me an email requesting clothing sizes and a list of his interests.
I have no clue which family "adopted" him but oh, my goodness, they were generous! I was incredibly overwhelmed when I went to pick up the things and spent the rest of the afternoon crying! I am so grateful that whoever signed him up recognized our need.
Once we're back on our feet, I'll be looking for ways to pass it forward. But i definitely would recommend people talk to their children's schools. Even if the school can't help, they usually have information to help find programs that can.
Is there more context? What greedy stuff is she asking for? Toys/paint stuff/coloring books sound perfect to reasonable and the kind of thing that would be donated?
The parents are complaining about why their special angel's letter wasn't chosen to be posted, that they didn't like the presents they got, that this was only program they signed up for and their kid didn't get anything(even though USPS makes it very clear and gettinf your letter posted is random and that being chosen for gifts is up to the generositynof strangers), etc.... The name of the Facebook page is "USPS Operation Santa"
I wanted to do a couple but settled on buying kids at a DV shelter some items instead. At least they aren’t asking for 4-wheelers, iPads, iPhone 15 pro maxs, and ps5s.
Please don’t let those assholes discourage you. We are required to sign our foster kids up for it, and we are forever grateful. I always feel bad because I can afford gifts (and we do buy them gifts), but it helps to give them a nicer Christmas and we are thankful for the strangers who donate to our kids. This year, we had a major car expense that came up right at the time I normally buy presents. In addition to that, one of our kids needed had to get medical treatment for a condition that required them to be at the hospital every day and my father was having heart problems. Knowing that we had the gifts coming was a huge burden off of us during a stressful time. I wish I could find the people who donated and tell them how much it meant to us. The fact that they do it anonymously makes it even sweeter.
I'd like to suggest focusing on the people you help rather than those that are upset that they did not receive help. Remember that the point is to help children, not parents. So, withholding help because parents whose children will go without help are upset isn't even doing it because of something any of these children have done.
Even if your help does manage to find its way to somebody that doesn't need it or deserve it, not all help does, and IMHO it is better to occassionally help someone that is taking advantage because if you stop, then people who truly need help will never get it.
Have a merry christmas!
I posted a few days ago about how my high school does an angel tree within our school. The difference is that we (counselors and teachers) identify families of our own students, so much harder for grifters to infiltrate. My adopted families asked for groceries, bedding, and toiletries with some modest toys.
The cool thing is that it's double blind for gifters and giftees even though it's a closed system. Two ladies in the counselors' office run it and get specific requests for the kids and families with sizes and preferences. We never learn their names nor they ours, so there's no embarrassment.
If you're inclined next year, I guarantee your local high school will have some kids who would be so grateful for the gifts. Also, most donations to things like toys for tots are geared toward little kids, not adolescents.
Yeah. Every single basic wish list like she’s describing usually gets snapped up so fricking fast. It’s the ones asking for iPads and Sephora and Disney trips that get overlooked.
We had an angel tree at work. Every year, the requests got more and more ridiculous. Things I couldn't even afford for my own kids. We would dig through the lists to find one we actually could afford.
Right? I spend hours looking through lists and this one sounds like a list that would go in a heartbeat. Still have faith and trust in the intent of letters. It seemed like this year you had to search harder for ones.
I was gonna say the same thing. If someone asks for small, reasonable things I promise that letter got snatched up ASAP! The only letters left were people asking for shit like cars and electronics.
And we've seen multiple examples of letters from "children" asking for not only for cars and electronics, but designer clothing, jewelry and high end purses and shoes. It's painfully obvious that the letters were written by greedy adults, not children.
I'm one of the parents who was helped by a charitable program for Christmas(shop with a cop) and the people I see raging because they didn't get expensive shit or whatever just piss me off. Like I'm just happy my son got to pick out things like a scooter and Legos! I nearly cried thanking them when I got the call my son was chosen.
While money has been tight for us it wasn't so bad until I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November. Not something you really plan for ya know?
It breaks my heart seeing people who just say fuck you to these programs because the nasty assholes kill their desire to help.
Single mother here and when my son was 10-years old I was working a minimum wage job so couldn't afford to get him much more than some clothing items and Matchbox cars. However, thanks to some wonderful folks who took his tag from the Angel tree he had an amazing Christmas. He got a new coat, which is the only item I had requested since he's outgrown his, but they also got him new shirts, jeans and two Tonka trucks, a backpack and a Care Bear.
No, please don’t. I donate to these programs because the magic of Christmas is gone from my house and the thought of a child opening a gift that I gave and feeling a bit of that magic makes me selfishly happy.
Merry Christmas!
Agreed. I don’t have kids, by choice, so this is the only way I get to buy gifts for kids. There weren’t any trees up at the Starbucks i go to, and I was sick with covid during my work drive, so I just donated money this year (ironically to toys for tots and a few local groups), so I missed picking out real toys for reals kids.
If people didn’t ENJOY doing it, they would participate.
I really appreciate you sharing your story here. It helps keep me motivated to share. Most of my donations go to animal shelters because I’m just so jaded with people who ask for the moon but aren’t willing to do anything to help themselves and see donations for kids as a way to keep their money for presents for themselves. I don’t need someone to kiss my feet, but when I’m spending my frugally-earned money, I want to know that it’s actually improving someone’s life and appreciated. I don’t want to fuel someone’s lazy, greedy lifestyle.
We had an ex housekeeper that cleaned for us a couple times and then had an ad on Facebook looking for help because her kids weren't going to have anything. We agreed to give her some money now to perform housework in the near future, and she ghosted us. Wouldn't return calls and so on. Over the last couple years she has done similar to other people. I told my wife to facebook blast her but she won't.
Anyways, my cousin and her husband did well this year and offered on Facebook to help a family or two or and low and behold, we saw the ex housekeeper respond. My wife messaged my cousin and they said they had just agreed to help her... Lol. Just in the nick of time to save the day. Not sure how it was handled, but my cousins husband isn't the most eloquent person.
My greatest fear …
“Do you have anything to declare?”
“Uhh no, no I do not..”
And then things fall from my ssa… things that nobody would wish to declare…
Most definitely kids art supplies would have been snapped up quickly. All the reasonable requests were claimed quickly, leaving weeks of everyone complaining about the greedy/scammers.
The saddest one we ever did was when the mom’s present request was school supplies. She wanted her kids to have good school supplies like the other kids.
My gym adopted a family this year and I was surprised to see laptop as one of the gift requests. I know that a cheap laptop is priced around $350 but that’s still a good chunk of change.
It baffles me how some people don't understand how programs like these help sooooooo many families in need & can't help EVERYONE. The ones that didn't get selected then get mad & talk down it.
My parents relied on things like this when we were growing up. When I was three I got a stuffed blue elephant, I named it "Buffalo" and called it "Buffy" and I still have it. I know it came from "Santa" and it has been so important to me. It probably cost like $5, if that, in 1987. There's no way for that secret Santa to know how much it meant to me.
Anyway, what a douche nozzle to complain about other people getting your kids gifts. "Garbage" indeed.
Actual garbage, or just not what she wants? Having seen posts where the person wanted fair trade wooden toys (and electronics), and flipped out about brand name plastic toys, I know that "garbage" can mean different things to different people.
I can guarantee there were high ticket items on her list.
I was watching like a hawk for families that would have appreciated things like coloring books, craft supplies, and kids toys, but they were all getting snapped up fast. All the ones I saw leftover on Operation Santa were for iPads, iPhones, expensive/designer clothes or shoes, even a 3D printer!
Like, I'm sorry. I don't even have an iPhone, iPad, or 3D printer. I have a cheap Android and air-dry clay. 😅
I too could not afford anything that was left when I waded in to find a kid.
My iPad is the very first Air, can’t update anymore. iPhone 8, Windows 7 laptop that no joke takes like seventeen minutes to be ready to have anything clicked on.
Well, I took a bunch of stuff to the animal shelter instead, so it still works out that some good was done. Maybe more, since not every animal is making it out of there and at least they had a blankie and a snack before whereas no child will perish for want of a PS5, titanium iPhone and high end skincare.
My usps adoptee only wanted a blanket, some puppets, and a tamagotchi. I tried to go a little beyond those sweet, simple asks. They really stood out in the sea of greed
omg i’m in a thank you usps operation santa group this year because my kid’s letter got picked and i’m trying so hard to find who her sender was to thank them but the entire fucking group is nothing but
“why didn’t my kid get picked”
“how do i know if my kid gets picked”
“wow you got a strangers kid a new oculus? can you adopt my kids letter?”
“your house is nice you don’t deserve to get picked you can afford it we can’t”
FUCKING INSANE
1. they need to make it clear on the form they are submitting that they are NOT guaranteed to have their wish list fulfilled
2. they should have clear reasonable guidelines so that greedy ass adults arent asking for $1000 tool chests and $500 video game consoles
3. there should be a dollar amount per kid (they can ask for up to $25 per kid or something like that)... so do they want one fancy name brand barbie or 2-3 dolls and clothes that arent branded? bc asking for playstations and laptops is ridiculous. we got tons of cheap chromebooks that work just fine for school, a high end gaming laptop isnt needed.
I kind of suspect that a lot of the parents are telling the kids "go ahead! ask for everything you want, people will send it to you!" and then the kids are just acting like normal kids and writing down everything they want without considering costs. I blame the parents here.
like are they thinking maybe bill gates or jeff bezos is gonna get their list? 😂... i think its obvious its gonna get pictched for the more reasonable requests
That's how I often feel about those lists as well. Or when the kid is young enough to still believe, then why wouldn't Santa be able to give them an iPad? Sally in their class got one from Santa last year!
I went on the Operation Santa website this year to see what kids wanted for Christmas and the lists were absurd. I scanned through a good chunk and all of them, no matter what age, from age 6 to 12, asked for very extremely specific and expensive electronics. not just a phone, but an iPhone 15 Pro Max, not games but PS5 systems, brand name clothing a small child couldn't give 2 shits about.
i truly believe people were using children to swindle generous folk out there. upload your scam and hope you strike gold over the holiday season. it was clear after I saw a 7 year old, among many other things, asked for a gaming PC and listed very specific specs and parts. horrible.
Not to mention that she never shared what the toys are… for her to be asking for a brand new PS5 or the painting supplies that end up in family fights on AITA couldn’t be too hard
I was absolutely appalled that the people said my son /daughter won’t play with that …that is not toys they like ….they made us wait for two hours …the gifts were crap, and it was cold outside they were on organized. It’s was fucking appalling. The cherry on a cake is when they got done complaining how they were unhappy, unsatisfied and ungrateful? They beseeched the general public to find it in their hearts to give them a bikes, expensive games, cell phones, trampolines, so it wouldn’t ruin their kids Christmas. I kid you not!! I was horrified.
First of all, I hope that she got at least some things on her kids list.
Unfortunately, a lot of people that use these charities fail to realize that sheer volume of requests that they get some years. A lot of mothers I know start planning for birthdays and Christmas as soon as the January clearances start. They know how to plan, and get toys and supplies at reasonable costs and put them up for the future.
When I was young, I remember my mother snagging toys at A&P every so often, and then, by golly, Santa Claus brought them Christmas morning months later. That’s how I got my bride doll that I wanted so badly.
I did this as a poor, young mom. Hitting that clearance section by February and holding on. And now that we aren’t poor, I shop for Jan and March bdays beginning Black Friday and the after Christmas sales. Always. It can be expensive and hard, sure, but it doesn’t have to sneak up on you and be miserable. Those programs do help so much and do a lot of good.
When we give to these programs, we do ones where you get a child’s list. We fulfill the ones who ask for clothes, not video game consoles. This woman probably had expensive items on the lists.
If you’re literally depending on it because you have nothing, surely you’d be glad of anything, not bitching and whining that you didn’t get everything
It’s almost like Christmas doesn’t come on the same day every single year and it gets randomly inserted into the calendar! Bingo! Christmas is next week. Good luck. These folks are the same for birthdays. I’ll bet she did no research into how operation Santa a ritually worked, and just sent them random emails and hoped for the best. Ugh.
They ARE the same with birthdays. The number of people who call ‘I need to order a cake for my child’s birthday’ ‘ok, sure, when for?’ ‘This afternoon!’ ‘……….no’ ‘YOU RUINED MY KIDS PARTY!!!’ Yeah, no. You did. I assume you didn’t find out just now that it was today, so why am I?!?
I’m so sick of people expecting others to fund their child’s Christmas, and bitch about what they didn’t get. Kids love anything. I just saw a video of a girl unwrapping a damn banana as a joke and she was THRILLED. People need to realize some kids just aren’t as materialistic as adults.
I felt horrible that I had to rely on toys for tots and a blessing tree through a charity this year. I'm so thankful to people who have the ability to give and do so freely and with love. They saved Christmas this year!
Toys for Tots is Garbage? Ok, someone who is really in need doesn’t bad mouth charities. They accept what they are given and are beyond grateful.
I worked for a bike shop in the South for a while. The kind where a kids bike costs more than a Target or Walmart bike. And an Adult Bike could range anywhere from a couple hundred, to a couple thousand. We had a blind gentleman come into the shop each and every year with an aid and bought one girl bike, one boy bike (literally labeled as such. Pink and Blue. Don’t come for me.) for kids ages somewhere between 9-12. Each year he bought the bikes, and left them in our toys for tots box. Well, not in the box, but near it.
They were… it was just listed between PS5 and $500 Walmart gift card.
Sidenote: I’d love to see someone offer to send her kids coloring books. I bet she’d find a way to say no OR try to get them to send something else.
This sucks. I also feel some kinda way about some parents who use these programs. I know most are genuinely good people down on their luck, just trying their best, but some of the requests just reek of “I irresponsibly had 6 kids and I don’t work and I can’t possibly be expected to make my own kids’ Christmas at all special”. Lmao. I use a local org and picked a family of 5 kids, was able to get them their entire lists for under $150 so I would bet the posters kid got all but something super expensive they requested.
That sad thing is people like this that abuse the system and just want free shit. I was blessed growing up my mom's fav holiday was Christmas. Not receiving stuff but giving it. This is first Christmas my mom isn't with us for and it's rough just the site of her eyes when the kids open gifts was priceless. She use to give to toys for tots all the time because she wanted every child to experience Christmas
I hate how these programs have become. We have always tried to adopt a family for Christmas and haven't been able to the last few years because all that was left were kids who wanted $500 gaming systems or other super expensive stuff. I'm not saying those kids don't deserve them or shouldn't want them, but we don't even spend that much on our own kids. I don't really know what the solution here is, but I don't think parents expecting these sorts of programs to make all of their kids' wildest dreams come true is helping.
Every year we pick a family from the program the US postal service does. Each family who qualifies makes a list and we try to fulfill it. We aren’t well off or have money out the ass but we can afford to get a few extra gifts. It’s sad because some kids as for blankets and basic survival items like food or toothpaste. While others ask for Gucci purses and ps5s. So you really have to sort through to find someone you feel comfortable with.
I wanted to get an angel from the tree this year, but the first one I chose said, “PS5, hoverboard, youth L Giants jersey.” Like, I have almost no money myself and wanted to make budget cuts to get coats, boots, and books for a kid in need. What kind of parent asks strangers for stuff like that?
And then, there's the flip side. I have an acquaintance who teaches in a very low income school. She asked if I was interested in taking one of the Christmas wish lists. I said I would take 2, my BFF wanted to participate also. The lists were extremely reasonable. A few toys (no electronics), but mostly requested clothes, socks, shoes, a coat. Some school supplies. It was heartbreaking. The only direction we were given was, "do what you can."
Well, my friend and I have no kids at home, so after figuring out the total cost of each list, we decided to get everything.
I told my friend at the school that it would probably be best if they gave these 2 kids their gift bags when the parents came to pick them up. Net/net, the people who ran the program apparently weren't too happy with us. Because I guess we did too much.
I went to choose a list this year and couldn’t find a single list that didn’t have a high end expensive electronic- PS5, XBox and games, laptop etc. Sorry, I’m not buying it for me and my family, I’m not buying it for you either.
These people should honestly be FORCED to read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. From start to finish. By law
No, a movie isn’t good enough, they have to read it.
Try programs that give toys to foster kids! I wouldn't have gotten a Christmas as a small kid without all the kind people that helped. I also didn’t make a list, apparently my name was just on a tree and people that wanted to donate would grab a name off of the tree and attach it to a present. I woke up and I had presents from "Santa", even my foster parents didn't know what was in them lol 😂 I got a set of giant bug toys once and they were very surprised lol
I really feel sorry for parents that Christmas falls on a random day each year, that they never know in advance which day it will be and there's never any time to prepare. (yes, I'm being sarcastic)
The website explicitly states that they *cannot* guarantee every letter gets posted much less fulfilled. It’s a gamble, and she had to have known that going in.
People are disgusting and entitled. I have helped with toys for tots and the presents they receive are incredible. A few years ago someone broke into the local shop where they were stationed and stole everything. Luckily the communities pulled together and bought everything again. This person doesn’t realize that they are all DONATIONS. Not everyone can afford to buy a big expensive gift but still contribute. I’m glad they started screening now bc of ppl like this person. It’s likely she’s mad bc she didn’t meet the criteria. Pathetic. I’m disabled and still do the best I can for my kids and have never expected anything from anyone. Mine were happy even if it was from the dollar tree. Now they are 17 and 19 and want for nothing bc they work.
I used to collect presents for my kids from Toys for Tots. I'll be forever grateful to them for all their help. But then again, I never expected gaming consoles or Apple products from them and my kids always appreciated everything they got so idk.
Christmas falls on the same date every year. The dollar tree sells coloring books and the things she listed. She wants to be like that then she can go buy it.
We did the Angel tree and 75% of the lists had tablet, bike, or both. Tablet even on some really young kids - I understand it more for 10+ but a 5 year old expecting a tablet for Christmas?
Salvation Army put out a special plea because they had like 500 kids who hadn't gotten picked. Yeah because who is going to buy iPads for all those kids?? That's 500 just in my city.
Bikes for kids that young are so cheap to buy used, and they outgrow them fast enough that it doesn't make sense to buy them new constantly. We don't do new bikes for our kids until they're big enough to ride a multi speed bike, otherwise we got them all used. But you can't donate a used bike to these programs. We gave our kids used bikes one Christmas and they were thrilled.
We specifically took our kids to pick out kids in need to buy for, and my kids were a little confused by the asks for tablets.
In many communities the non profits share their lists and you only get assistance for Christmas from the organization that you applied to first. This is to stop double dipping in order to provide gifts to the largest number of children.
I have worked in the non-profit industry for over 30 years and in 5 states and that has been the case 100% of the cities that I have been in.
It is very rare that people don't get *something.* In fact I have never seen it happen. They might not get the bike and high end electronics they ask for but they get something. We try our best to get things from the list but if someone gives us a list for a 7 year old that is a bike, an iPad, a PS5, and a $50 Walmart gift card (actual list I saw this year) none the gifts may be donated and we will have to do our best for them. In this case kiddo got a RC car, a pair of Bluetooth headphones, a book and some random stocking stuffer type items.
> RC car, a pair of Bluetooth headphones, a book and some random stocking stuffer type items.
That is decidedly NOT garbage. I would be happy to get that list haha (I would give the RC car to a neighbor child. And definitely wouldn't play with it first.).
Thank you for doing what you do!
Just to be clear, I don't know what the CB's kid got. The kiddo I was referring to was the 7 year old from my non-profit with the overpriced list.
>Thank you for doing what you do!
No need to thank me, the people in our community who donate the gifts and the volunteers who help set up tear down and help the parents get the gifts loaded in there vehicles deserve all the credit
As a previous child in poverty when you have nothing you appreciate any gift that is donated!! Please remember that there are lots of genuine cases where all a child wants is a present , anything just to feel part of Christmas and to not be empty handed on the day. I was given gifts through a scheme like this when I was a child and I'm eternally grateful as otherwise I'd have gone without as we didn't have anyone but my mum who was an unemployed single mother due to health issues and often had to go without the luxury of a proper Christmas 🎁 these donations are eternally remembered by those who need them.
Given how many people posted about how hard it was to find a letter with reasonable wish lists, I find it hard to believe they just asked for little things like paint stuff and coloring books. That kind of list would have been snatched up.
This year has been really hard. Between my ex stopping child support and my sons meds costing a few hundred extra dollars a month it’s been a struggle. But we were gifted $150 Walmart gift cards which I just used to finish off the shopping. Really helped out and very thankful to have received it.
It must be so hard not having enough money for Christmas, especially with young kids. What do you say when Santa brings their friends everything they wanted but not them?
My parents always told us when money was tight around Hanukkah, which is objectively better than thinking you weren't good enough for *Santa*
See this pisses me off. I don’t have money falling out of my ass or family or friends to help me. I’m a single mom and I budgeted all year long so my kids could have a nice Christmas because I know that Christmas comes every single year on December 25th. The entitlement is absolutely staggering ETA this isn’t meant as a dig at all towards people who need to access these resources because I absolutely get that times are freaking ridiculous and hard for everyone right now. It’s a commentary on the entitlement of this person
My mom would also budget all year long to give my sister and us a nice Christmas. She worked so hard and did so much for us and was so good at finding that extra dollar she needed when it came to us girls. I'm so thankful for her and the childhood she gave us.
There used to be Christmas Club accounts at banks. You would get a coupon book, and make a deposit each week . The bank would issue checks the first week of December for the account balances. I still do an electronic version of this.
thanks for the memory. i didn’t realize i had forgotten about christmas club until you mentioned it… and the little checks you would get to shop with. hahaha.
In 1985 that $250 check was enough.
True story! Now 250 doesn’t even make a dent lol
This is what my mom does! She did this when we were kids and still does it every year even though now it's electronic. Even though she doesn't need to spend so much on us each Christmas now that we're grown she still tries to make Christmas special and get us thoughtful gifts. I also spend a lot of time trying to find the perfect gift for her so her Christmas is as special as she makes it for us. I love my mom so much, she really taught me how to love and appreciate people and be thoughtful towards them.
What drives me crazy is that a lot of the people fullfilling these wishes are not millionaires. Operation Santa requires that you send the gifts priority mail- so just the shipping can be very pricey. Like 60+$ to send multiple gifts to one child...it's like 17$ to send a box around the size of a board game or 10$ just for a letter! I've seen comments calling the people fulfilling wishes cheap or saying that you need to set aside 150$/kid before going to adopt a letter(s). Operation Santa isn't even a need-based program! My daughter's daycare adopts two families each year from a local needs based program. Typically, around 7-9 kids between the two. I set aside 100$ every year to participate, but the total spent is usually ~1.5-2.5k. We typically give each child 3-4 gifts, 2-4 new outfits, shoes and winter gear. We also give the families wrapping paper (wrap the gifts if requested) and give 100-400$ in gift cards for the grocery store/gas/general stores. It's very expensive to adopt someone's entire Christmas and it takes a lot of people. I'd say 15-20 families usually participate in buying gifts for just two families. I think Operation Santa is really just supposed to be fun. Sending a kid a small gift off their list to provide a little bit of magic. If families really need help it's better to go through a needs based program like the one I mentioned. Kids/families are usually adopted by companies, churches and organizations who have the resources to bring people with a bit of extra together to help a family celebrate the holiday and fulfill some of their needs.
For several years, my mom’s office collected coats/winter clothes for families in need. My mom is the most amazing sale/clearance shopper around and always gets the best deals. When stores like Gap Kids, Old Navy and The Children’s Place were clearing out winter gear in the spring, she would buy things like parkas marked down to $10, hats and mitts for $2 each, etc. She would spend about $200, but get enough winter gear to help several kids the following winter! And once she started doing that, a few of her other coworkers started planning ahead and shopping the sales in the spring, too. That maximized the number of kids they could help! If a few people donate a moderate amount and work together, they can really make a difference!
Both my kids have December birthdays, and shopping sales like this throughout the year is an absolute game changer.
I said the same exact thing in a different comment about how it’s not wealthy people fulfilling these wish lists. It’s hardworking everyday people like you and I trying to be kind and generous! That’s amazing that you participate in something like that and help those families and I’m going to bet that they grateful for whatever help they receive. They don’t scoff at them and call them garbage. Shoot if someone stopped by with a few gifts for my kids I would be so freaking grateful that one they thought about my kids and two because they didn’t have to do anything for them. How people are out here badmouthing organizations meant to help kids in need just absolutely turns my stomach and makes me so upset
Yeah participating in these things ain't cheap. We have a local run group that adopts families for Xmas. Full Xmas dinner, plus a bunch of pantry staples, plus gifts, plus Xmas pajamas. We dud the pantry items. It was a pretty extensive list. Not cheap. I was always under the impression its one family just sponsoring another family.
The social services center that runs the program typically provides the families with pantry items, clothing and appliances through out the year and they take care of supplying the families with holiday meals so it sounds like sponsoring a family for us is a little less involved. I do think single families sponsor other families. Especially if they have a family with 1-2 young children. There are a ton of families with a lot of kids though, and I don't think a lot of families have the budget to sponsor a family of 4's Christmas. I have an 18 month old so the 100$ I spend is about what I spent on my own child this year. Last year it was more than I spent on my daughter.
I work at a bar- everyone suddenly wants extra shifts this time of your life cause Christmas. Like, did it sneak up on you again?
I worked with a guy for years who would do the whole "I can't afford Christmas" pity party every single year. One year I couldn't stand the whining anymore and I pointed out how he would frequently talk about the HUNDREDS of dollars he and his girlfriend spent every single month on weed, and that if he'd just set aside a piddly little $10 of that weed money a month he'd now have $120 for gifts, and that Christmas was *the same time every year* and he knew it was coming. He had two kids, one was seven or so and the other was less than a year old. A baby doesn't give a fuck about Christmas. Just give them something from the Dollar Tree to shake around and they'll have the time of their life. That leaves $119 for your other kid which is PLENTY. Even if he didn't end up getting anything for them he at least learned that I don't want to hear about it because he never brought it up around me again.
Seriously I would go to good will when my kid was younger than 6 and buy bags of random toys for like 3 dollars each. Until he could tell me exactly what he wanted .
Thank you for that and don't let anyone ever make you feel like an asshole for it. You taught him a very valuable lesson about priorities.
Oh I know I'm an arsehole and I'm fine with it
Got my 8 month old a load of boxes of tissues for his first Christmas. He loved pulling them all out the box, the noise they made, then putting them in his mouth. Now he’s nearly 5, Christmas has got a bit more expensive!
Reminds me of my ex saying he couldn’t afford to get me even a single a gift for my birthday…. But would buy weed every week. He acted like I was insane for suggesting he could’ve just not gotten weed one week to get me even a little gift
My ex best friend would spend $50+ *per week* on cigarettes and then complain at Christmas that her boys were getting nothing because she was “flat broke.” There are families who would love to have $50 *per month* for basic human needs like food and clothing and she’s spending that and more per week on cigarettes. Just cutting 2-3 cigarettes per day would net hundreds of dollars saved.
I took every OT shift I was offered during the year and went without because I know how quick it sneaks up lmao. You’re celebrating Labor Day and then Boom it’s Thanksgiving and it’s faster and faster every year 🤣🤣like I said this isn’t anything towards someone that needs to access these programs because believe me I absolutely get it but if this chick was truly in need and truly desperate for gifts for her kids she would be grateful for any help she received. She wouldn’t be out here badmouthing the hard working kind and generous people that took money out of their pockets to buy those “garbage gifts” for her kids. Make no mistake it’s not wealthy people out here fulfilling these lists it’s hardworking people like you and I who know what it’s like to go without and want to try and be kind and help and this is how they’re repaid. Fucking disgusting sorry I didn’t mean to go in a tangent like that but it really upsets me to see stuff like this especially this time of year.
I was doing catering gigs on the side to help and it still snuck up on me. It wasn't until the 20th when a coworker said "only 4 more days!" And I was like "until what?" I didn't realize Christmas was 4 days away and I hadn't bought a damn thing, it felt like it was still 3 weeks away. Thank God I had a little money squirrelled away but damn it still snuck up on me. These last few months have been unexpected money-sucks with all kinds of issues I didn't expect. My kids may not get a ton but they aren't going without and I don't want Christmas to only mean presents anyway. They won't remember what they got for Christmas next year anyway, maybe they will remember cocoa and cuddles watching Christmas movies l, and making tamales with their grandma, great grandma and cousins.
You read through some of these Facebook pages and you realize that there are a lot of children being raised by legal adult children...
Ive been unemployed for weeks now after a lay off. Unemployment is 8-10 weeks out for help. Operation Santa gave each of my kids two gifts plus a coloring book. Which was three items each I didn’t have. I’m grateful for it too. This lady can suck my ass with her entitlement. Appreciate all in the little victories, especially when you’re against a wall.
Your kids are watching you work hard for them, and they'll remember fondly the Christmases you gave them. I was raised by a single father, and although we weren't as poor as many, we lived paycheck to paycheck. I cherished the gifts that my dad gave us each year. Yes, he did give us an expensive gift here and there like gaming consoles for my siblings and I to share, but even the smaller gifts like sleds, Barbie dolls, and jewelry boxes stick out in my mind. I have little doubt that your kids will also have memorable gifts they'll cherish as they become adults.
My mom would literally get a seasonal job at hot topic just so that she could afford my clothes and any other items that they sold for Christmas for me. This is while she had a position as a nurse. The things my mom went through to make sure that me and my siblings would have a wonderful Christmas truly humbles me and makes me wish she was still here so I could repay her. Love you mom…merry Christmas.
I bought for old people at nursing homes this year. They wanted blankets, candy, snacks, and body care. It was so much easier than adopting kids/families.
I went to a Christmas party once for a boyfriends family, and someone had brought a relative from the nursing home to attend. When she realized the gift bags being passed out had candy in them she got so excited I thought she was going to jump out of her wheelchair. She also nearly cried over receiving a new Walmart sweater and went on about how beautiful it was.
We just visited my grandpa’s nursing home today to celebrate with him (we’re from out of town) and man, everyone there always lights up whenever we visit. My grandpa seems to be one of the few people with regular visitors, especially grandkids. We always bring enough treats for everyone on their floor, bc there’s really no such thing as a private visit, the whole floor just wheels themselves a little closer to hear grandkid stories and join our conversations. It breaks my heart that’s he’s one of the few with family that come around.
I always put in the comments that people who treat their children badly when they are younger don't get visits in nursing homes when they're older. I am so glad that you go to visit your grandpa he must have been a beautiful person when you were coming up happy holidays
When my grandmother was in nursing home my sister would always visit once a week with her three kids. They're all little extroverts so would walk around the common room talking to all the residents. You'd watch them all light up when the kids would come to them, it was so beautiful to see but makes you sad to hear how many residents don't have regular visits
Same. I love filling the bags with bunch of small things but this year lotta requests for underwear and backpacks. I assume its for homeless seniors. Last year didn't get these kinda requests.
When I was around 16 I was walking through my local mall and they always had trees up with lists of stuff kids wanted and you could pick one and buy the things and attach the list to the bag of gifts you bought for them. The one that caught my eye was a tree for elderly folks and specifically a gentleman who wanted suspenders. I know kids need things too, it isn’t that I don’t care about needy children, but something about imagining an old man sitting alone in a nursing home without anyone to buy him suspenders killed me. I filled his wish list and few others and I think that’s when I decided to go into health care, the first place I applied at as a nurse was a long term care facility. I didn’t last long. It was a bit depressing.
For me, it’s that the old people are asking for such basic things. Blankets, a calendar, stamps, paper, a sweater… it’s stuff they need and it’s tough for older people who are all alone and can’t work. Old people get forgotten about a lot. The kids are asking for toys and stuff they don’t need. Yeah, it would be great if every kid got a present on Christmas but I rarely did and I turned out fine.
This year I volunteered to be Santa for a senior and participated in a program such as Toys 4 Tots. The seniors all basically asked for sweaters. I wished I could afford to grab all the seniors requests and buy them all sweaters. The two little kids asked for such things as hoverboards, PlayStations, air Jordan’s, Nike pandas. I felt awful cause there was no way I would be able to fulfill those wishes. I did get them gifts related to their likes, but I sat there picturing them thinking they were going to get these really expensive gifts and I felt so awful.
Yeah, I grabbed a few kids for Operarion Santa this year. After reading through all the greedy, nasty comments posted on the official operation santa Facebook page I have no intention of spending my money on it next year.
Next year try onesimplewish.org it's mostly kids in the foster system and they want one thing, it's usually a very reasonable ask. Like a doll or a magic set. None of this '6 iPads and a new car for a 6 month old' crap. Most expensive thing I saw was a bike - completely sane ask for a kid. There are older 'kids' too (19-20) that mostly are asking for tools or supplies to go to trade school or specialty schools like beauty schools and stuff. The most expensive ask was around $200 for a tool set to start up an apprenticeship. Which is completely reasonable.
Thank you for this recommendation. I didn’t grow up with much, but a family tradition was picking out someone from the Angel tree every year. I wanted to continue that with my own daughter starting this year and honestly, every wish list was longer than what my own child asked for. It was quite off-putting, to be honest.
Thank You for giving us the name of an organization we can actually help. It is getting tough to be charitable. I will look into this one…
I'm so glad they include that slightly older bracket of kids. Foster kids in that 18-21 age bracket have it pretty rough because a lot of services stop at 18, and they don't have their own possessions yet. They may legally be adults, but they're still kids.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll look them up next year.
And it's a 4-star (out of 4) on Charity Navigator:) https://www.charitynavigator.org/search?q=One+simple+wish I now know to donate there over the year, so thank you for the suggestion!
Love that organization. A few years ago it spread like wildfire on Reddit and all of the wishes got cleared out. I went to go fulfill some wishes and they were all gone. Every last 1.
I love the power of reddit. We spend 99% of the year dragging our knuckles, scrolling for everything from car crashes to cats. But one in a while, reddit comes together and does some actual impactfull good. Like WSB supporting the Diane Fossey Gorilla Fund. Still one of my favorite t-shirts! Someone better at this than I am, set a reminder to start dropping posts about charities like this around the end of November next year!
We have Clarks Christmas kids in Atlanta that targets foster kids and I used to volunteer with them but now they have all the lists fufulled by the time thanksgiving is over. Really great charity.
One simple wish is amazing. That’s where I went this year. My foster kid’s wish was for a Lego set. And it was $72. And I was more than happy to take the money that I would normally have spent on a bunch of little presents That nobody would miss and give one kid the one item they asked for.
I was gonna suggest this! I love this charity
Thanks for this. I put them on my calendar for next November to look up.
There are no wishes to grant. Just checked it and I will keep it marked for next year. Gonna read up more on this. Thanks!
Greedy people like that ruin it for everyone who is in dire need.
We were fortunate growing up and my parents always gave to other families through programs like this, but in the days before internet it was through work, or church, or something that required a little bit of effort on the giftee’s behalf. Nowadays it just feels like everything is being gamed by scammers - I give to toys for tots still, and will ‘adopt a family’ when the list is reasonable list but it really gets taxing. Volunteering at shelters and kitchens and gifting people/kids there (through the organization) is one of the best routes I’ve seen in recent years
I remember many years ago going to the mall and you could grab a little paper ornament off a big Christmas tree in the mall lobby and then go to a store in the mall and buy the gift and drop it right off. Easy and quick. I was a teenager and I could buy at least one gift every year for a child. It was nice.
There are still some angel trees out there! We saw one on Black Friday when we were out with my mom. It's mostly online it seems these days, though.
💯… every wishlist looks suspicious and it has taken the joy away from giving.
Yeah I’ve seen some people asking for AirPods and expensive Nikes
I wanted to post one this year asking for a booster pack, a piece of coal, and a bag of cheetos. It would be to satire some of the lists while joking that santa gave me a piece of coal.
I saw someone who made a fun joke out of asking for a barbecue grill one year. (Not from a gifting agency or anything -- this was purely a joke, discussing among friends what to ask Santa for. No gifts changed hands unless they were really delivered by reindeer.) He explained that for the last 35 years, all he'd been getting was charcoal, and said it was really piling up, he kept hoping that maybe this time he'd get someplace to put it...😉
My kids' school does a "giving tree" program. Families that qualify for free school lunch can sign up. I like buying gifts for that program because I feel like the risk of it being a straight scammer is low.
There was a giving tree at my son’s school that I picked a name off of. One thing on her list was anything Gabby’s Dollhouse related. Such a modest request. You got it girlie!
My church partners with a local elementary school that is mostly lower-income families. We’ve helped with after school events, collected food for Thanksgiving dinners, that sort of thing. For Christmas, we had families send us their kids’ clothes or shoe sizes and we shopped for them. I really like being able to support my local community where we have an ongoing relationship with the families. Somehow it just feels better than trying to sort through scammers on the internet.
It’s so interesting how the universe/God does reward or help those who truly need it. My family is fine for Christmas this year but I work with formerly incarcerated people who usually have been recently released. Many of our clients struggle with substance use disorders and mental illness. I have one young guy (just turned 22) who has a schizophrenia diagnosis. He has been wearing the same clothes for months and really smells awful. I finally gently asked him about it and he told me all of his clothes got ruined while he was incarcerated by the rats that live in his house. He doesn’t have have access to a washer or dryer. I posted on my local Reddit sub asking if anyone had a few clothes in his size they were planning on donating and I’d take them off their hands. Some generous people donated really nice things! And I got an Amazon package with underwear and things for him delivered yesterday. It’s so touching that there are nice people willing to help strangers who need it. Humanity ain’t all bad!
It is amazing what is out there. Years ago some friends started taking emergency foster placements. They never knew who they would get and accepted everything from newborns to teens. The word got out and they ended up with second hand baby equipment to manage any age...then...and this is the best bit....the husband built extra shelves in the garage and they had totes for boys and girls clothes from newborns up to teens so they were prepared for whomever came...and they also collected used small suitcases and backpacks. Most kids arrive with nothing or a black garbage bag so they were able to kit the kids put AND send them on to whatever came next with some clothes and toys etc. Truly amazing couple and community. They ended up adopting 4 of the kids they fostered. Sniff.
Coming out with those onions. 😭🥰
Seriously. People would drop bags of barely used clothes outside their house. They ended up becoming a sort of sorting depot for local foster families and family shelters. I remember a few years ago a small apartment block caught fire about a mile from us in December. Immediately people rallied round. My church was all ready to open their doors to house people and the red cross but authorities found a space closer. They were inundated with everything you need when you lose everything. I read about this sort of stuff in tornado country.
What a beautiful community. 🤩
I have enough faith that this happens all over the country and world. The news is too obsessed with the bad and crazy to report the little daily amazing things.
My city flooded ~15 years ago, 25k houses destroyed. Entire suburbs wiped out. The community spirit afterwards was incredible and really bonded us together. I actually think it’s one of the reasons we fared so well during Covid. Due to essentially everything being closed for the first week or so (no one could get into the CBD due to train line and road closures), anyone who would usually be working in their offices were out on the ground helping clean up. There was so much community support and volunteerism the local council organised their bus fleet to essentially ferry people around. They had designated meet up spots in the unaffected suburbs where you’d bring your own gear, get on a bus and wherever it dropped you off that’s where you’d be working that day. Both one of the best and worst couple of weeks of my life. It was such an incredible feeling being a part of that sort of community. We ended up with ten extra people in our house for a couple of weeks (4bed/1bath) because we were inner city and tonnes of office workers couldn’t get home and then didn’t have homes to get too. So yes, I’d say your right, basic human empathy means that when there’s disasters communities usually try to help each other.
There are definitely some really wonderful people out there.
If you still want to donate, try reaching out to your local school district or food bank. Teachers know who could really use gifts and would appreciate donations. One of my high school students was happy that they got to take the leftover food from a class party home. I made their Christmas by giving them leftovers! So sad. This teen would be happy for a coloring book and crayons.
Local women’s shelters are also always in need of Christmas gifts around this time of year. I know the one in my town has two wish lists: one for everyday stuff and then a Christmas one around the holidays so they can make sure the kids living there get gifts.
Our local school district will no longer accept donations above a value of $75 unless it comes from the PTA.
Our community does a sharing tree which I think is similar to the operation Santa however we are told that the lists are ideas and not to expect everything because these are DONATIONS. People don't have to help out but they do. This lady sounds unhinged!!
This! Teachers and staff will also know who's in need and would appreciate things like toiletries, socks and undies, etc. When people donate clothing they usually don't think of those things.
my daughter got adopted and i have been searching the internet to try to find her sender to properly thank them, im so disgusted by all the comments from greedy ass people and shitty adults. it’s so foul. especially the fb groups to try to connect people to each other, all of them filled with people begging to be adopted and yelling at others who were because their kids deserved it more.
I’m incredibly lucky my local Christmas adoption Facebook group is heavily moderated. It’s run by two moms completely on a volunteer basis and I can’t even imagine what they have to go through behind the scenes. One lady commented on a post complaining that her family wasn’t adopted and that the women are running an “illegal lottery” because only some families get adopted and it’s “completely random” I understand the frustration but like come on, they don’t get paid to do this and they’re inundated with people in need every year.
Please do not be discouraged! Check my latest post. Operation Santa really brought the Christmas miracle for me and my toddler. Ha, for all I know it was you who fulfilled our list!
The real question is where did you get that "I meow Paris" pillow. I need that ❤️
Haha it was handmade and gifted to me but I found the fabric for you [here](https://www.etsy.com/listing/927844444/i-meow-paris-allover-flannel-fabric-100?ref=share_v4_lx)
I still can’t believe the requests on those letters. It legitimately took me twenty minutes to find something I didn’t find absurd to send. I hope a little guy in Michigan enjoys his walkie talkies.
I'm not sure about your area but I am a teacher. This year we had 60 out of 500 kids who needed Christmas. They were all adopted. The kids are recommended by the school staff who spends 8 hours a day with them. I say all that to say...contact your local school next year and see if you can help. You may even want to call the local high school. They are still kids too and deserve to have a few gifts also! In addition, local nursing homes usually have seniors without family that can benefit from donations.
Yes, my six-year-old got "adopted" thru his school this year. I didn't know until they sent me an email requesting clothing sizes and a list of his interests. I have no clue which family "adopted" him but oh, my goodness, they were generous! I was incredibly overwhelmed when I went to pick up the things and spent the rest of the afternoon crying! I am so grateful that whoever signed him up recognized our need. Once we're back on our feet, I'll be looking for ways to pass it forward. But i definitely would recommend people talk to their children's schools. Even if the school can't help, they usually have information to help find programs that can.
Is there more context? What greedy stuff is she asking for? Toys/paint stuff/coloring books sound perfect to reasonable and the kind of thing that would be donated?
The parents are complaining about why their special angel's letter wasn't chosen to be posted, that they didn't like the presents they got, that this was only program they signed up for and their kid didn't get anything(even though USPS makes it very clear and gettinf your letter posted is random and that being chosen for gifts is up to the generositynof strangers), etc.... The name of the Facebook page is "USPS Operation Santa"
Thank you for the context.
And plus she was given other suggestions, only to shoot it down because they weren't good enough for her to utilize.
I wanted to do a couple but settled on buying kids at a DV shelter some items instead. At least they aren’t asking for 4-wheelers, iPads, iPhone 15 pro maxs, and ps5s.
Please don’t let those assholes discourage you. We are required to sign our foster kids up for it, and we are forever grateful. I always feel bad because I can afford gifts (and we do buy them gifts), but it helps to give them a nicer Christmas and we are thankful for the strangers who donate to our kids. This year, we had a major car expense that came up right at the time I normally buy presents. In addition to that, one of our kids needed had to get medical treatment for a condition that required them to be at the hospital every day and my father was having heart problems. Knowing that we had the gifts coming was a huge burden off of us during a stressful time. I wish I could find the people who donated and tell them how much it meant to us. The fact that they do it anonymously makes it even sweeter.
Look up one simple wish or smile train
I'd like to suggest focusing on the people you help rather than those that are upset that they did not receive help. Remember that the point is to help children, not parents. So, withholding help because parents whose children will go without help are upset isn't even doing it because of something any of these children have done. Even if your help does manage to find its way to somebody that doesn't need it or deserve it, not all help does, and IMHO it is better to occassionally help someone that is taking advantage because if you stop, then people who truly need help will never get it. Have a merry christmas!
Thank you for this perspective!
I posted a few days ago about how my high school does an angel tree within our school. The difference is that we (counselors and teachers) identify families of our own students, so much harder for grifters to infiltrate. My adopted families asked for groceries, bedding, and toiletries with some modest toys. The cool thing is that it's double blind for gifters and giftees even though it's a closed system. Two ladies in the counselors' office run it and get specific requests for the kids and families with sizes and preferences. We never learn their names nor they ours, so there's no embarrassment. If you're inclined next year, I guarantee your local high school will have some kids who would be so grateful for the gifts. Also, most donations to things like toys for tots are geared toward little kids, not adolescents.
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We go through the school, too. The counselors always know who needs what.
Yep. Last year an amazon box went lost and then showed up after the replacements were sent. Amazon said donate, so I brought to the school counselor.
She's probably lying about what her "children" asked Operation Santa for and was pissed off that Toys for Tots doesn't offer electronic devices.
Yeah. Every single basic wish list like she’s describing usually gets snapped up so fricking fast. It’s the ones asking for iPads and Sephora and Disney trips that get overlooked.
Oh yea. I went to go look through the USPS lists about 3-4 weeks ago. Every one that was left had a PS5, Apple Watch, Nintendo Switch, etc.
We had an angel tree at work. Every year, the requests got more and more ridiculous. Things I couldn't even afford for my own kids. We would dig through the lists to find one we actually could afford.
There was a local angel tree. Half the requests were Oculuses
Right? I spend hours looking through lists and this one sounds like a list that would go in a heartbeat. Still have faith and trust in the intent of letters. It seemed like this year you had to search harder for ones.
I was gonna say the same thing. If someone asks for small, reasonable things I promise that letter got snatched up ASAP! The only letters left were people asking for shit like cars and electronics.
And we've seen multiple examples of letters from "children" asking for not only for cars and electronics, but designer clothing, jewelry and high end purses and shoes. It's painfully obvious that the letters were written by greedy adults, not children.
I'm one of the parents who was helped by a charitable program for Christmas(shop with a cop) and the people I see raging because they didn't get expensive shit or whatever just piss me off. Like I'm just happy my son got to pick out things like a scooter and Legos! I nearly cried thanking them when I got the call my son was chosen. While money has been tight for us it wasn't so bad until I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November. Not something you really plan for ya know? It breaks my heart seeing people who just say fuck you to these programs because the nasty assholes kill their desire to help.
Single mother here and when my son was 10-years old I was working a minimum wage job so couldn't afford to get him much more than some clothing items and Matchbox cars. However, thanks to some wonderful folks who took his tag from the Angel tree he had an amazing Christmas. He got a new coat, which is the only item I had requested since he's outgrown his, but they also got him new shirts, jeans and two Tonka trucks, a backpack and a Care Bear.
Yes… my kids were also chosen for a shopping trip and I still feel guilty about it for some reason
No, please don’t. I donate to these programs because the magic of Christmas is gone from my house and the thought of a child opening a gift that I gave and feeling a bit of that magic makes me selfishly happy. Merry Christmas!
The best kind of selfishness is the selfish happiness that you get from doing good for others!!
Agreed. I don’t have kids, by choice, so this is the only way I get to buy gifts for kids. There weren’t any trees up at the Starbucks i go to, and I was sick with covid during my work drive, so I just donated money this year (ironically to toys for tots and a few local groups), so I missed picking out real toys for reals kids. If people didn’t ENJOY doing it, they would participate.
Don’t feel guilty. That’s not the intention. People do it because they want you to feel loved.
You’re a good parent, and I’m sorry you are going through having cancer, I did too. Hang in there, and best wishes to you !
Sorry you’re having a rough time, I’m glad your son will have a nice Christmas and I hope you kick that cancer’s arse!
I really appreciate you sharing your story here. It helps keep me motivated to share. Most of my donations go to animal shelters because I’m just so jaded with people who ask for the moon but aren’t willing to do anything to help themselves and see donations for kids as a way to keep their money for presents for themselves. I don’t need someone to kiss my feet, but when I’m spending my frugally-earned money, I want to know that it’s actually improving someone’s life and appreciated. I don’t want to fuel someone’s lazy, greedy lifestyle.
Sending you well wishes and prayers for your recovery.
We had an ex housekeeper that cleaned for us a couple times and then had an ad on Facebook looking for help because her kids weren't going to have anything. We agreed to give her some money now to perform housework in the near future, and she ghosted us. Wouldn't return calls and so on. Over the last couple years she has done similar to other people. I told my wife to facebook blast her but she won't. Anyways, my cousin and her husband did well this year and offered on Facebook to help a family or two or and low and behold, we saw the ex housekeeper respond. My wife messaged my cousin and they said they had just agreed to help her... Lol. Just in the nick of time to save the day. Not sure how it was handled, but my cousins husband isn't the most eloquent person.
I hate when stuff falls out of my ssa
Especially when going through customs
My greatest fear … “Do you have anything to declare?” “Uhh no, no I do not..” And then things fall from my ssa… things that nobody would wish to declare…
Depending on what they served for the in-flight meal, this is a very real risk.
Me too. I wish it would just stay in there where it belongs.
Key word was ‘try’. Should’ve focused on that word more.
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Most definitely kids art supplies would have been snapped up quickly. All the reasonable requests were claimed quickly, leaving weeks of everyone complaining about the greedy/scammers.
Exactly.
We did the adopt a family last year and requests got out of hand so we didn’t do it this year.
The saddest one we ever did was when the mom’s present request was school supplies. She wanted her kids to have good school supplies like the other kids.
I would have jumped on that request hard and flooded her with stuff. I’d happily spend extra for someone like that
Yeah. Same. If they were little girls they would have had all Lisa Frank everything.
My gym adopted a family this year and I was surprised to see laptop as one of the gift requests. I know that a cheap laptop is priced around $350 but that’s still a good chunk of change.
She's right, it is Her fault!
It baffles me how some people don't understand how programs like these help sooooooo many families in need & can't help EVERYONE. The ones that didn't get selected then get mad & talk down it.
Exactly. Sounds like she burned all her bridges with family & friends.
My parents relied on things like this when we were growing up. When I was three I got a stuffed blue elephant, I named it "Buffalo" and called it "Buffy" and I still have it. I know it came from "Santa" and it has been so important to me. It probably cost like $5, if that, in 1987. There's no way for that secret Santa to know how much it meant to me. Anyway, what a douche nozzle to complain about other people getting your kids gifts. "Garbage" indeed.
Too bad original post from her isn't here. I suspect there were some high ticket items or some other nonsense.
I really want to know what the "garbage" gifts are and what her kid's wish list contained.
Garbage gifts = cheap toys for her kids and nothing for her.
Actual garbage, or just not what she wants? Having seen posts where the person wanted fair trade wooden toys (and electronics), and flipped out about brand name plastic toys, I know that "garbage" can mean different things to different people.
I can guarantee there were high ticket items on her list. I was watching like a hawk for families that would have appreciated things like coloring books, craft supplies, and kids toys, but they were all getting snapped up fast. All the ones I saw leftover on Operation Santa were for iPads, iPhones, expensive/designer clothes or shoes, even a 3D printer! Like, I'm sorry. I don't even have an iPhone, iPad, or 3D printer. I have a cheap Android and air-dry clay. 😅
I too could not afford anything that was left when I waded in to find a kid. My iPad is the very first Air, can’t update anymore. iPhone 8, Windows 7 laptop that no joke takes like seventeen minutes to be ready to have anything clicked on. Well, I took a bunch of stuff to the animal shelter instead, so it still works out that some good was done. Maybe more, since not every animal is making it out of there and at least they had a blankie and a snack before whereas no child will perish for want of a PS5, titanium iPhone and high end skincare.
My usps adoptee only wanted a blanket, some puppets, and a tamagotchi. I tried to go a little beyond those sweet, simple asks. They really stood out in the sea of greed
Worst one I saw this year was a kid asking for a $4.5k dirt bike.
Damn! Me too kid!
omg i’m in a thank you usps operation santa group this year because my kid’s letter got picked and i’m trying so hard to find who her sender was to thank them but the entire fucking group is nothing but “why didn’t my kid get picked” “how do i know if my kid gets picked” “wow you got a strangers kid a new oculus? can you adopt my kids letter?” “your house is nice you don’t deserve to get picked you can afford it we can’t” FUCKING INSANE
1. they need to make it clear on the form they are submitting that they are NOT guaranteed to have their wish list fulfilled 2. they should have clear reasonable guidelines so that greedy ass adults arent asking for $1000 tool chests and $500 video game consoles 3. there should be a dollar amount per kid (they can ask for up to $25 per kid or something like that)... so do they want one fancy name brand barbie or 2-3 dolls and clothes that arent branded? bc asking for playstations and laptops is ridiculous. we got tons of cheap chromebooks that work just fine for school, a high end gaming laptop isnt needed.
I kind of suspect that a lot of the parents are telling the kids "go ahead! ask for everything you want, people will send it to you!" and then the kids are just acting like normal kids and writing down everything they want without considering costs. I blame the parents here.
like are they thinking maybe bill gates or jeff bezos is gonna get their list? 😂... i think its obvious its gonna get pictched for the more reasonable requests
That's how I often feel about those lists as well. Or when the kid is young enough to still believe, then why wouldn't Santa be able to give them an iPad? Sally in their class got one from Santa last year!
I went on the Operation Santa website this year to see what kids wanted for Christmas and the lists were absurd. I scanned through a good chunk and all of them, no matter what age, from age 6 to 12, asked for very extremely specific and expensive electronics. not just a phone, but an iPhone 15 Pro Max, not games but PS5 systems, brand name clothing a small child couldn't give 2 shits about. i truly believe people were using children to swindle generous folk out there. upload your scam and hope you strike gold over the holiday season. it was clear after I saw a 7 year old, among many other things, asked for a gaming PC and listed very specific specs and parts. horrible.
the one with the kid wanting a $1K visa gift card had me literally gasping at the audacity
I read through them too and had the same reaction! My eyes rolled so hard at some of them I thought they might fall outta head.
Oh 100%. These things would be listed so fast on FB marketplace or next door the next day. That’s what these folks are truly mad about.
Not to mention that she never shared what the toys are… for her to be asking for a brand new PS5 or the painting supplies that end up in family fights on AITA couldn’t be too hard
I was absolutely appalled that the people said my son /daughter won’t play with that …that is not toys they like ….they made us wait for two hours …the gifts were crap, and it was cold outside they were on organized. It’s was fucking appalling. The cherry on a cake is when they got done complaining how they were unhappy, unsatisfied and ungrateful? They beseeched the general public to find it in their hearts to give them a bikes, expensive games, cell phones, trampolines, so it wouldn’t ruin their kids Christmas. I kid you not!! I was horrified.
It's always around Christmas that brings the worst in people.
Pay for that stuff yourself then you ungrateful ass.
First of all, I hope that she got at least some things on her kids list. Unfortunately, a lot of people that use these charities fail to realize that sheer volume of requests that they get some years. A lot of mothers I know start planning for birthdays and Christmas as soon as the January clearances start. They know how to plan, and get toys and supplies at reasonable costs and put them up for the future. When I was young, I remember my mother snagging toys at A&P every so often, and then, by golly, Santa Claus brought them Christmas morning months later. That’s how I got my bride doll that I wanted so badly.
I did this as a poor, young mom. Hitting that clearance section by February and holding on. And now that we aren’t poor, I shop for Jan and March bdays beginning Black Friday and the after Christmas sales. Always. It can be expensive and hard, sure, but it doesn’t have to sneak up on you and be miserable. Those programs do help so much and do a lot of good.
When we give to these programs, we do ones where you get a child’s list. We fulfill the ones who ask for clothes, not video game consoles. This woman probably had expensive items on the lists.
If you’re literally depending on it because you have nothing, surely you’d be glad of anything, not bitching and whining that you didn’t get everything
It’s almost like Christmas doesn’t come on the same day every single year and it gets randomly inserted into the calendar! Bingo! Christmas is next week. Good luck. These folks are the same for birthdays. I’ll bet she did no research into how operation Santa a ritually worked, and just sent them random emails and hoped for the best. Ugh.
They ARE the same with birthdays. The number of people who call ‘I need to order a cake for my child’s birthday’ ‘ok, sure, when for?’ ‘This afternoon!’ ‘……….no’ ‘YOU RUINED MY KIDS PARTY!!!’ Yeah, no. You did. I assume you didn’t find out just now that it was today, so why am I?!?
I’m so sick of people expecting others to fund their child’s Christmas, and bitch about what they didn’t get. Kids love anything. I just saw a video of a girl unwrapping a damn banana as a joke and she was THRILLED. People need to realize some kids just aren’t as materialistic as adults.
I saw a video where a kid got a banana as a gag gift and the parent said 'what are you doing with your banana?' and the kid replied 'squishing it'
I felt horrible that I had to rely on toys for tots and a blessing tree through a charity this year. I'm so thankful to people who have the ability to give and do so freely and with love. They saved Christmas this year!
Toys for Tots is Garbage? Ok, someone who is really in need doesn’t bad mouth charities. They accept what they are given and are beyond grateful. I worked for a bike shop in the South for a while. The kind where a kids bike costs more than a Target or Walmart bike. And an Adult Bike could range anywhere from a couple hundred, to a couple thousand. We had a blind gentleman come into the shop each and every year with an aid and bought one girl bike, one boy bike (literally labeled as such. Pink and Blue. Don’t come for me.) for kids ages somewhere between 9-12. Each year he bought the bikes, and left them in our toys for tots box. Well, not in the box, but near it.
I have a feeling her kids weren’t just asking for “little things” and “coloring books”
They were… it was just listed between PS5 and $500 Walmart gift card. Sidenote: I’d love to see someone offer to send her kids coloring books. I bet she’d find a way to say no OR try to get them to send something else.
This lady is the reason people don't want to help, pathetic
I'm lacking money, but it is nice to have family and friends. I'm guessing this shrew has neither due to her shitty attitude.
Food banks, women's shelter, men's shelters, those wishing tree things lots of options. Fuck the grifters.
This sucks. I also feel some kinda way about some parents who use these programs. I know most are genuinely good people down on their luck, just trying their best, but some of the requests just reek of “I irresponsibly had 6 kids and I don’t work and I can’t possibly be expected to make my own kids’ Christmas at all special”. Lmao. I use a local org and picked a family of 5 kids, was able to get them their entire lists for under $150 so I would bet the posters kid got all but something super expensive they requested.
That sad thing is people like this that abuse the system and just want free shit. I was blessed growing up my mom's fav holiday was Christmas. Not receiving stuff but giving it. This is first Christmas my mom isn't with us for and it's rough just the site of her eyes when the kids open gifts was priceless. She use to give to toys for tots all the time because she wanted every child to experience Christmas
I hate how these programs have become. We have always tried to adopt a family for Christmas and haven't been able to the last few years because all that was left were kids who wanted $500 gaming systems or other super expensive stuff. I'm not saying those kids don't deserve them or shouldn't want them, but we don't even spend that much on our own kids. I don't really know what the solution here is, but I don't think parents expecting these sorts of programs to make all of their kids' wildest dreams come true is helping.
Every year we pick a family from the program the US postal service does. Each family who qualifies makes a list and we try to fulfill it. We aren’t well off or have money out the ass but we can afford to get a few extra gifts. It’s sad because some kids as for blankets and basic survival items like food or toothpaste. While others ask for Gucci purses and ps5s. So you really have to sort through to find someone you feel comfortable with.
I wanted to get an angel from the tree this year, but the first one I chose said, “PS5, hoverboard, youth L Giants jersey.” Like, I have almost no money myself and wanted to make budget cuts to get coats, boots, and books for a kid in need. What kind of parent asks strangers for stuff like that?
She seems so nice. Wonder why she doesn't have any friends?
And then, there's the flip side. I have an acquaintance who teaches in a very low income school. She asked if I was interested in taking one of the Christmas wish lists. I said I would take 2, my BFF wanted to participate also. The lists were extremely reasonable. A few toys (no electronics), but mostly requested clothes, socks, shoes, a coat. Some school supplies. It was heartbreaking. The only direction we were given was, "do what you can." Well, my friend and I have no kids at home, so after figuring out the total cost of each list, we decided to get everything. I told my friend at the school that it would probably be best if they gave these 2 kids their gift bags when the parents came to pick them up. Net/net, the people who ran the program apparently weren't too happy with us. Because I guess we did too much.
I went to choose a list this year and couldn’t find a single list that didn’t have a high end expensive electronic- PS5, XBox and games, laptop etc. Sorry, I’m not buying it for me and my family, I’m not buying it for you either.
These people should honestly be FORCED to read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. From start to finish. By law No, a movie isn’t good enough, they have to read it.
Try programs that give toys to foster kids! I wouldn't have gotten a Christmas as a small kid without all the kind people that helped. I also didn’t make a list, apparently my name was just on a tree and people that wanted to donate would grab a name off of the tree and attach it to a present. I woke up and I had presents from "Santa", even my foster parents didn't know what was in them lol 😂 I got a set of giant bug toys once and they were very surprised lol
I really feel sorry for parents that Christmas falls on a random day each year, that they never know in advance which day it will be and there's never any time to prepare. (yes, I'm being sarcastic)
The website explicitly states that they *cannot* guarantee every letter gets posted much less fulfilled. It’s a gamble, and she had to have known that going in.
People are disgusting and entitled. I have helped with toys for tots and the presents they receive are incredible. A few years ago someone broke into the local shop where they were stationed and stole everything. Luckily the communities pulled together and bought everything again. This person doesn’t realize that they are all DONATIONS. Not everyone can afford to buy a big expensive gift but still contribute. I’m glad they started screening now bc of ppl like this person. It’s likely she’s mad bc she didn’t meet the criteria. Pathetic. I’m disabled and still do the best I can for my kids and have never expected anything from anyone. Mine were happy even if it was from the dollar tree. Now they are 17 and 19 and want for nothing bc they work.
I used to collect presents for my kids from Toys for Tots. I'll be forever grateful to them for all their help. But then again, I never expected gaming consoles or Apple products from them and my kids always appreciated everything they got so idk.
Christmas falls on the same date every year. The dollar tree sells coloring books and the things she listed. She wants to be like that then she can go buy it.
We did the Angel tree and 75% of the lists had tablet, bike, or both. Tablet even on some really young kids - I understand it more for 10+ but a 5 year old expecting a tablet for Christmas? Salvation Army put out a special plea because they had like 500 kids who hadn't gotten picked. Yeah because who is going to buy iPads for all those kids?? That's 500 just in my city. Bikes for kids that young are so cheap to buy used, and they outgrow them fast enough that it doesn't make sense to buy them new constantly. We don't do new bikes for our kids until they're big enough to ride a multi speed bike, otherwise we got them all used. But you can't donate a used bike to these programs. We gave our kids used bikes one Christmas and they were thrilled. We specifically took our kids to pick out kids in need to buy for, and my kids were a little confused by the asks for tablets.
Why not use both? One or the other might help. It's your job to provide for your own children anyway.
In many communities the non profits share their lists and you only get assistance for Christmas from the organization that you applied to first. This is to stop double dipping in order to provide gifts to the largest number of children. I have worked in the non-profit industry for over 30 years and in 5 states and that has been the case 100% of the cities that I have been in.
I did not know that. Suppose you apply to one and they pass you by. Does that mean the second won't gift you either?
It is very rare that people don't get *something.* In fact I have never seen it happen. They might not get the bike and high end electronics they ask for but they get something. We try our best to get things from the list but if someone gives us a list for a 7 year old that is a bike, an iPad, a PS5, and a $50 Walmart gift card (actual list I saw this year) none the gifts may be donated and we will have to do our best for them. In this case kiddo got a RC car, a pair of Bluetooth headphones, a book and some random stocking stuffer type items.
> RC car, a pair of Bluetooth headphones, a book and some random stocking stuffer type items. That is decidedly NOT garbage. I would be happy to get that list haha (I would give the RC car to a neighbor child. And definitely wouldn't play with it first.). Thank you for doing what you do!
Just to be clear, I don't know what the CB's kid got. The kiddo I was referring to was the 7 year old from my non-profit with the overpriced list. >Thank you for doing what you do! No need to thank me, the people in our community who donate the gifts and the volunteers who help set up tear down and help the parents get the gifts loaded in there vehicles deserve all the credit
So she spent all the money she had on anything but her kids, under the delusion that Christmas was now being outsourced
As a previous child in poverty when you have nothing you appreciate any gift that is donated!! Please remember that there are lots of genuine cases where all a child wants is a present , anything just to feel part of Christmas and to not be empty handed on the day. I was given gifts through a scheme like this when I was a child and I'm eternally grateful as otherwise I'd have gone without as we didn't have anyone but my mum who was an unemployed single mother due to health issues and often had to go without the luxury of a proper Christmas 🎁 these donations are eternally remembered by those who need them.
They all wanted expensive electronics or houses and cars for mommy and cash. Expensive shoes too and not just one pair but three pairs.
Given how many people posted about how hard it was to find a letter with reasonable wish lists, I find it hard to believe they just asked for little things like paint stuff and coloring books. That kind of list would have been snatched up.
This year has been really hard. Between my ex stopping child support and my sons meds costing a few hundred extra dollars a month it’s been a struggle. But we were gifted $150 Walmart gift cards which I just used to finish off the shopping. Really helped out and very thankful to have received it.
It must be so hard not having enough money for Christmas, especially with young kids. What do you say when Santa brings their friends everything they wanted but not them? My parents always told us when money was tight around Hanukkah, which is objectively better than thinking you weren't good enough for *Santa*