Angel Tree shopping is trending on TikTok and social media users and content creators explain how this trend is bigger than just generating views.

The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program places trees in local stores and shopping centers with tags containing names, ages, needs, and wants of less fortunate people for donators, called shoppers, to purchase for during the holidays.

Videos of families, individuals, influencers, and content creators engaged in Angel Tree shopping are trending on the social media platform TikTok.

Social media content creators and influencers who responded to a request from Northeast Valley News shared their insight on the viral videos of people Angel Tree shopping and what they told us indicates that posting about giving back is for something other than the accolades.

In the spirit of holiday giving without recognition, some of the respondents did not offer their last names.

Steven, social media handle @btypep, lives in Arizona and is a first-time Angel Tree shopper this holiday season. He told NEVN he had no idea he was hopping on a trend, but talked about why he decided to take to social media about the cause.

“I chose to put it on social media because this is the type of content, messages, actions, and behaviors that I want people to follow. It’s a positive message that will hopefully influence somebody else to want to do the same,” Steven said.

He also talked about what he learned from his followers while live-streaming the shopping experience.

“I probably had 10,000 people in my livestream helping me shop, it was great to have mothers in the livestream that I can ask these questions. ‘I’m like, okay. This is a 2-year-old that wants this type of toy, but we’re not finding any toys that meet that age range’, So a lot of that interaction was great in making decisions about what we would end up purchasing,” Steven said.

Rachel Gomber is a social media content creator based in Scottsdale, Ariz. and she picked an Angel from the tree at Fashion Square Mall.

Gomber talked about where she learned about Angel Trees and what it means to her.

“I remember it being the first experience my mom introduced us to at church to give back, and I remember loving it as a kid, so I continued to do it every year. This year, I was excited to do it because I could bring my son along,” Gomber said.

Gomber contends that the viral videos are working to bring awareness to this form of charitable giving, regardless of how some people react to the content.

“I had a comment like, ‘I’ve never heard of this before, I want to do this,’ I can’t wait to do this. Some people might see my video and be like, ugh, she did this for the accolades but if it even informs even a few people and then people feel called to do it, then it did well,” Gomber said.  “The trend has been good overall, bringing awareness to it, and more and more people are finding out about Angel Trees.”

Liv Reese, a content creator who lives in Boston, Mass. was inspired by an Angel Tree video she encountered on her social media feed.

“I saw Angel Tree all over TikTok this year, and I was like, ‘I wanna do this’, so that’s what made me realize that it was a thing. I want to document and share it too so people that follow me that might not know about it now know that they can,” Reese said.  “I’ve gotten comments on TikTok from people asking where they could do this or where they could sign up their children.”

Northeast Valley News also found Instagram users who took to social media during their journey Angel Tree shopping.

Ryan Steffey, from Louisville Kentucky runs a bourbon barrel sign business.

He told NEVN he always tries to look for different charity opportunities.  This year, his idea was to do a giveaway raffle for a bourbon barrel and then donate all the contributions to the Angel Tree. They were able to raise around $1,500.

“We were able to help eight kids, and the way we divided the money was covering their needs within an $80 to $100 dollar price range; each child is allotted $180. We were able to fill their needs and then have some money left over to either give them more clothes or more toys to really make it an abundant experience, ” Steffey said.

Steffey posted a video to Instagram with clips of himself and friends shopping for their selected angels.

“I wanted to make sure that I documented the shopping experience and gave all the people that donated and contributed the opportunity to feel some of that joy from what we did, from what their money and entry fees went to, ” Steffey said.

Grace Stella Maris lives in New Jersey.  She is a personal life coach who recently posted a video on Instagram titled “Let’s go Angel Tree shopping”.

She described what Angel Tree shopping means to her.

“It’s something very special to connect with the world and connect with others who are in need. As a mother of five, I can understand going through challenging times. I was a teen mother at 18, so being a teen mother, it is difficult to put your resources together and be able to fulfill your children’s dreams and hopes,” Stella Maris said.

She also recognized that many people face difficult times and shared a message.

“We’re going through an economic difficulty. Our government is going through so many difficulties, so for me, that was a way to connect and to feel part of another child’s life so that, at least for that day, they can have a smile and feel the hope of the future… We’re not alone, and we always have the support of God. We are capable of achieving great, powerful things that can shift the energy of this world,” Stella Maris said.

Scott Johnson, the public relations director for the Salvation Army, gave NEVN some insight on the number of Angel applicants and the qualifications to be an Angel.

“Over the course of several years, between staff and volunteer availability and the donor response we typically receive, we can provide Christmas toys to just over 50,000 kids in Arizona annually. That equates to around 8,000 families registering annually, consistent year to year. Families qualify for the Christmas Angel program based on the poverty level. If a family is on ACCESS or SNAP, they qualify,” Johnson said.

Hopefully, social media and awareness has increased the number of angels, hand-picked by shoppers and can help eliminate forgotten angels.