The Angel Tree Christmas haul that a lady received is causing a lot of controversy on the internet, with many people doubting whether or not she really met the child’s requests.
Shay Jackson, an event planner who uses the handle @shayjay on social media, showcases the goods that she purchased for her Angel Tree kid in a video that she posted on TikTok. During the Christmas season, the Angel Tree program, which is managed by the Salvation Army, gives donors the opportunity to register and provide new clothes or gifts to children who come from families that are struggling financially.
In the video, Jackson reveals that her Angel Tree kid is a young lady called Ivanna who is ten years old. Ivanna’s Christmas list featured a variety of gifts, including several articles of clothing, a Stanley cup, a Sprayground backpack that cost $150, and pho. However, once she posted what she had purchased on TikTok, which included a carton of pho soup, apparel from Target, and a bag that cost twenty dollars, the video went viral, accumulating more than nine and a half million views and seven thousand comments.
PEOPLE has an exclusive interview with Jackson, who is 27 years old. “I got a lot of mixed reviews on the Stanley and the soup,” Jackson says. “Folks said I should have bought the large-sized Stanley with the handle, and others said she meant to say ‘phone,’ not ‘pho.'”
“I still stand by both of my decisions because the Stanley I purchased is leak-proof, and I would never buy a 10-year-old a phone without permission from their parents,” the resident of West Palm Beach, Fla., further states. “At the end of the day, I tried my best given very vague information, and I am okay with that.”
During an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Jackson admits that when she initially took out her Angel Tree tag, she was a little perplexed by some of the girl’s demands. For example, she was not familiar with the concept of a Sprayground backpack, and she was confused of what the youngster meant when they referred to “pho.”
On the other hand, she made the decision to proceed with the purchases because she did not want the ten-year-old to be left unchosen and end up with nothing.
“I did not have as long to get her gifts as I would have hoped,” Jackson explains to reporters. When I went shopping for her, my boyfriend and my roommate accompanied me, and they assisted me in selecting a significant number of the products. Approximately one hundred fifty dollars was spent at Target on her clothing, accessories, and footwear.
“I realized the items she ‘needed’ were the most important, so I spent the majority of my time and resources on the clothing items,” she says in her statement. “I made this my biggest investment and put a lot of thought into it, hoping she could create several different outfits with the pieces I purchased.”
“For her wishes, I wanted to make sure I got everything I could, but there was limited time given the deadline,” she continues to explain. “As a result, I placed an order on Amazon for the Stanley, the backpack, and the pho, which cost me around $45 in total (and fortunately, they arrived quite promptly). For me, the whole cost was around $200.
She used to work for a charitable organization, and Jackson considers giving gifts to be her love language. According to her, she takes a great deal of pleasure in going shopping for other people and selecting the ideal gifts. In the beginning, she believed that creating a video for TikTok that included a haul would be an effective method to inspire other people to participate in charitable volunteer work.
“There are so many ways to give back and it can be such a fun thing to do,” she explains further. “Identify a cause that is near and dear to your heart, and then investigate the ways in which you may help them! You may, if you do not have the financial means, donate your time instead. Additionally, if you do not have a lot of spare time, you may show your support for them by spreading the word about their purpose to other people and by using social media!
However, after publishing and becoming aware of all of the harsh comments, she was taken aback and made the decision to release an apologetic video. This video also went viral, accumulating 7.9 million views and 2,400 comments.
Jackson acknowledges, “I had no idea that this video would become so popular on the internet.” Honestly, I was hoping that I would get two hundred views and a response from my mother. As soon as it began to get traction, I had a great deal of concern since, at first, the remarks were not all constructive and pleasant.
She goes on to say, “I was afraid that my video had been uploaded to the incorrect section of TikTok, and I was receiving so much criticism that I had to stop checking my notifications.” On the other hand, I made an effort to take advantage of this circumstance in order to inspire other people to give back throughout the Christmas season, particularly if they did not agree with the manner in which I did it. They were instructed to take this as a source of inspiration to go out and do even better than I did.
In retrospect, Jackson asserts that she is certain that she did the best that she could, despite the scant facts and the short amount of time that she had. On the other hand, if she could go back in time, she would have purchased two Stanley cups so that she would have in her possession both the fashionable one and one that would be suitable for school.
“Please remember that spending your time, effort, and money on a child in need is an incredible thing to do, especially around the holidays when life can get pretty expensive,” she explains further. “Avoid excessive overthinking, and don’t look at comments on the internet,” the speaker said. Your actions are having a positive impact on the life of a kid, and that is quite remarkable!
“I will not let the negative comments deter me from giving back in any way I can,” she said in her statement. “If everyone commenting something negative on my TikTok would donate to a local nonprofit, we could’ve raised thousands.”
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@shayshayjay can we make angel tree hauls a thing?! tis the season to spread some love 🎁♥️ ty for being my one stop shop @target !! #angeltreeshopping #angeltreehaul #targethaul #childrensclothes #westpalmbeachflorida ♬ original sound – shayjay