By Michelle Engelhardt, owner of Envy Stylz Boutique
There’s a friend you text when you have one quick errand and would rather have company. You both know “quick” leaves room for coffee. This is an errand I’d put on that list.
If you’ve seen an Angel Tree at a store or watched someone shop for a tag online, you might be wondering what happens after you take one. Where do the gifts go? Are you supposed to wrap them? And what if the exact toy on the list is nowhere to be found?
The short answer: Choose a tag through The Salvation Army, shop for new gifts using the wish list, and return them according to the instructions for that tag. Before you head out, check the deadline and drop-off spot. Those two details will save you more time than any clever parking strategy.
What is Angel Tree?
The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program connects holiday donors with children whose families could use help with Christmas gifts. Donors choose a tag with a wish list, shop for new gifts, and return them to the program. The Salvation Army distributes the gifts so parents and caregivers can put them under the tree themselves.
You’ll sometimes hear people say they’re “adopting an Angel.” That means they’re volunteering to shop for a tag.
1. Find an Angel Tree and check the return date
Start with The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree finder. Use the online map to find a local registry by ZIP code, or check the separate map for participating stores and clubs. You can also ask your local Salvation Army what options are available near you.
Before you commit, check three things: when the gifts are due, where to take them, and how the organizer wants them labeled. If you’re shopping with a friend, pick one tag together or take one each if you both want to. Either way, decide who’s doing the drop-off. “I thought you had it” belongs in a story about a borrowed casserole dish.
2. Let the wish list do the shopping
Read the whole tag before you start. If it lists a clothing size, color, or a particular kind of toy, use those details. A warm size 10 coat is a better find than a beautiful coat in the wrong size.
You don’t need a cart full of extras. Check the local organizer’s expectations before choosing a tag, and pick one that works for your budget. If something on the list is hard to find or the size isn’t clear, call the organizer before guessing. They can tell you what substitutions are welcome or whether there’s another way you can help.
Keep a simple private note with the list and what you bought. If you already use our Christmas gift-list method, give this errand its own line and add the drop-off date before you leave the store.
3. Follow the tag’s instructions all the way to drop-off
The Salvation Army’s participating-store campaign asks for gifts unwrapped. For a tag from another local drive, follow that organizer’s instructions about wrapping, bags, labels, and where to return everything. Keep the tag with the gifts as directed so the volunteers can match them to the right recipient.
Put the deadline in your phone and, if you can, do the drop-off on the same trip. Holiday bags have a remarkable ability to move into a car and establish residency.
If you’re suddenly unable to shop or make the deadline, contact the organizer as soon as you know. And if you’ve missed the deadline or there are no tags left, ask the local office what help it still needs.
Make it a little time with a friend
The invitation can be as simple as: “Want to grab coffee and help me shop an Angel Tree tag Saturday?” One of you can read the list while the other tracks down the right size. Then you can catch up on everything you meant to talk about the last three times you said, “We need to catch up.”
If you take a picture, make it a coffee-and-friend picture. Leave the tag, wish list, and any details about the recipient out of the frame. You can tell somebody how to find a tree without telling somebody else’s story.
A few Angel Tree questions
Can I shop for Angel Tree online? Yes, where an online registry is available. Use the official finder to locate your local unit and follow the registry’s delivery instructions.
Do I wrap Angel Tree gifts? The Salvation Army’s participating-store campaign asks for unwrapped gifts. Check the instructions for your specific tag before you reach for the ribbon.
Is there one national drop-off deadline? Check locally. Use the date and location on your tag or confirm them with the organizer before you shop.
From Michelle and the women at Envy Stylz Boutique
I’m Michelle Engelhardt, the owner of Envy Stylz Boutique. The women I work with and I spend a lot of time helping people find a gift that feels right for someone they love. It’s often the smallest detail that makes it personal: a favorite color, the size they actually asked for, or a toy they’ve already pictured playing with. That’s what I like about an Angel Tree wish list. It gives you a little glimpse of what would make somebody’s Christmas morning.
If you have room to take a tag this year, I hope this makes your first trip easier. Bring a friend if you’d like the company, stick to the list, and double-check those drop-off hours before you order your coffee. That’s the one part of this outing I’d actually put on a schedule.
— Michelle Engelhardt, Envy Stylz Boutique
Leave a comment