Woman defends struggling 70-year-old who was ridiculed for adding their wishlist to an angel tree

Gift-giving is one of the great joys of the Christmas season. But somehow there exists this preconceived notion that kids are the only ones who deserve gifts. Receiving gifts should not be restricted to children alone. TikTok user Amy Jackson (@amyjackson9213) recently shared a video involving an incident when she went to get a few names from an angel tree. The video has become quite popular, gaining over 883.2k views and 843 comments. It is captioned, "Broke my whole heart. Everyone deserves Christmas gifts. No matter how young or old."

The video begins with the woman showcasing the tree and a text overlay reading, "We went to pick some names off the angel tree when I heard this couple making fun of a tag." The people making fun of the tag said it was "ridiculous" and questioned why the person on the tag would need anything. Curious to know who wrote on the tag, the woman went up to examine it. She found out that it was filled out by a 70-year-old woman who wanted some socks and a gift card to the popular Ohio restaurant, Mehlman's. 

Jackson found this very bittersweet and decided to give the lady the gifts she wanted. The woman's video concluded with a text overlay that reads, "I'm getting you everything you want and then some. You'll be able to eat all the Mehlman's you want!" Jackson gave some more information about the incident in a follow-up video she shared on the platform. She revealed that the couple who took offense to the tag was "probably in their mid-to-late-50s" and that "they were mad about" the elderly woman's wishlist.

"I heard them say, 'That's ridiculous,' and, 'Why would they need anything?' I think people forget that a lot of the elderly people are on fixed incomes. Like, they don’t have a lot of extra money, and she’s literally asking for food and socks... basic human necessities in life."

"If anything, that should make you happy that somebody is willing to be like, 'Hey, I don't have much. I would like a little bit of help this Christmas because it's a hard time for everybody," she added. Jackson purchased various pairs of socks—including compression socks and fuzzy socks—for the woman as well as three $100 gift cards to the restaurant. "I want to make sure she has everything she needs and has a nice Christmas, from our family to hers," she shared. "We care about her. She's family now."

Individuals on the platform appreciated the woman's gesture and shared their own thoughts in the comments. @heyy.its.cc said, "I had no idea seniors could participate in the angel tree program - but I'm SO glad they can! I will be on the lookout for a tag on my local Walmart!"

Some people, however, take gift-giving much more seriously. Jenna Lu (@itsjennalu) decided to take a more proactive approach when it came to letting her parents know what she wanted. The girl decided to make a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation to make them understand what gifts she wanted for Christmas. The video begins with Lu telling her parents that they failed to meet her expectations the previous year. 

Before stating her actual demands for the gifts, she provided reasons for them to gift her. She said, "First of all, I'm the only one who knows how to reset the Wi-Fi. And yeah, that's a threat." Alternatively, she claimed she would find a "sugar daddy" to get the gifts she wanted if her family didn't step up. If that also did not work, she said she would resort to selling pictures of her feet on the internet.

Lu gave her parents a 3-tier system for getting her gifts. The first level would be one that would force her to get therapy which her parents would have to pay for. The second level was equivalent to someone wishing her happy birthday through a text. The final one is the most effective and is reached if her parents were to give her over 25 gifts. She adds how they had missed the mark the previous year, getting her only 23 gifts. The video concludes with Lu motivating her family to pull it off and informing them that she already shared a slide deck with them via email.