Woman tries to do a good deed by buying gifts for a child in need, but the internet labels her a privileged narcissist

A woman named Emy is dealing with intense online scrutiny after she shared the gifts she purchased for a child participating in her church’s Angel Tree program.

This Long Island content creator went viral after detailing the wave of backlash she received, which stemmed mostly from buying off-brand items from Dollar Tree for the donation.

The controversy erupted simply because she chose an off-brand set of colored pencils instead of the name-brand Crayola version. Emy, who goes by @emymcb2 on TikTok, explained that she picked the generic pencils because they included twelve colors, while the popular name-brand set only offered ten. She said she truly “didn’t think anything of it” at the time.

Unfortunately, the internet did think something of it. Commenters quickly piled on, arguing that if a donor can’t afford to “spoil” these children, they shouldn’t participate at all. That is the worst mindset to ever have when it comes to charity. Even the smallest gifts are appreciated, and you should never try to talk someone out of giving because of what little they can give. Ultimately, those who give from their scarcity contribute more than those who give from their abundance.

The internet is really spoiled

One commenter wrote that people should “Please reconsider ever doing Angel Tree again,” adding, “These kids go ALL YEAR with nothing.” Another insisted that the program “is NOT something you do on a budget,” suggesting Emy should let someone else take the tag if she couldn’t splurge.

This is truly awful, considering the fact that Emy spent nearly $65 on the gifts, placing her squarely within the $50 to $80 budget range recommended by her church. This is one of those times where the commenters should really mind their own privilege.

This reminds me of that Daria episode where the kids didn’t want to take any clothing they deemed were bad looking or cheap. This ended up ruining it for the people who needed it. As a former poor kid growing up in a bad neighborhood, I gotta say I wouldn’t care if it was off-brand. I would have just liked to have it. I think the only people who care about the brand are the ones who got spoiled and were privileged.

To get a better picture of the whole donation, let’s look at what she actually bought. Emy certainly didn’t skimp on quality for everything. She started with a popular Winter Candy Apple gift set from Bath and Body Works, which included body wash, body butter, and lotion.

She also added a drawing pad, a paint-by-numbers kit, and a dolphin keychain. She included a few inexpensive face masks, noting that she uses them herself, along with acne patches she thought the recipient might find “fun.” To top it all off, she included a $15 McDonald’s gift card.

Emy explained that she shopped based on what she would have loved to receive when she was that age, noting that her intentions were good. However, many viewers accused her of being privileged and performative, claiming she centered the gifts on herself rather than the child.

Emy pushed back hard against the cruelty, emphasizing that she knew where her heart was during the process. She made it clear that she wouldn’t apologize for her choices, stating, “I will not be apologizing for what I chose to purchase as I know where my heart was and I know my intentions were good.” It’s not really about how much you give; it’s the giving that is good. If you do it with ill intentions, is that really charity?

The criticism she received was “extremely strong,” with some people allegedly telling her to hurt herself. That level of online vitriol over a donation is completely unacceptable. She simply hopes those leaving such hateful comments “can find healing in their hearts.” Ultimately, her main goal was simply to help a child have a wonderful holiday.

My brother actually was in a program very similar to this, and he was very happy to get his gift. If you aren’t familiar with the program, Angel Tree is a wonderful initiative run by various organizations, including the Salvation Army and many churches. The program aims to ensure that children and seniors who are experiencing financial hardship receive gifts at Christmas.

Just in case you truly believe that charity is something that should be gatekept, remember that generosity is measured by the sacrifice involved, not the size of the gift. By that metric, those with less often give the most.