Many people see the holidays as a time of giving, sometimes even to people they don’t know.

Take this redditor, for instance. Out of the kindness of her heart, she decided to help a woman who was looking for gifts for her children in a local moms’ group. The OP helped her for two years in a row, but after the second holiday season, she learned something about the woman that made her feel like a total fool and consider never helping a stranger again. Scroll down to find the full story in the OP’s own words below.

The holidays can be a difficult time for struggling families

Image credits: gin akyurt/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

This woman decided to help a mom in need by buying gifts for her children

Image credits: Aninge Fetzer/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Image credits: poppurplepuff

Many people tend to help others and engage in acts of kindness during the holiday season

Image credits: Roxana Zerni/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Some say that no good deed goes unpunished, which many people, including the OP, have experienced firsthand; while hers didn’t result in a punishment per se, the experience of feeling foolish is not something to relish, either. Unsurprisingly, such situations can deter people from doing something nice for others ever again, and understandably so.

But for many people, the holiday season is a time of giving back and helping those around them. A survey carried out by Upgraded Points found that in 2024, many Americans were planning on spreading the holiday cheer beyond their homes. One of the ways to do that, donations, were expected to reach a national average of close to $100 US dollars per person.

Despite the inflation and economic uncertainty, close to half of respondents were planning to donate a similar amount as they did last year. Just over half of them, though, were not looking to support someone with money, as they preferred donating tangible items instead.

According to the survey, nearly one-in-four respondents tend to donate more during the holiday season, compared to the rest of the year. The main motivating forces behind that – the spirit of the holidays, followed by a personal connection to a certain cause.

Acts of kindness can have a positive effect on both the good-doer and the person on the receiving end

Image credits:Kateryna Hliznitsova/Unsplash (not the actual photo)

While acts of kindness, such as donations, can make the recipient’s life just a little bit better or easier, they can also have a positive effect on the good-doer themselves. According to the Mayo Clinic, showing kindness to others can increase a person’s level of self-esteem, empathy, and compassion, as well as improve their mood. It is also believed to decrease blood pressure and levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.

In addition to that, acts of kindness tend to build a sense of connectivity, decrease loneliness, and improve relationships, as well as boost one’s levels of serotonin and dopamine – also known as the happiness hormones. Being kind to others can also lead to a release of endorphins – the body’s natural painkillers.

The benefits of being kind to others are evident; yet even with that in mind, people might not be eager to engage in good-doing, if they’ve been mistreated or taken advantage of. The OP, too, shared that seeing the lifestyle the mom asking for help was leading made her reevaluate her decisions regarding helping others. But fellow netizens in the comments encouraged her not to stop spreading kindness, and some even used their personal stories to tell her why.

The woman provided fellow netizens with more information on the situation

People shared their thoughts and suggestions in the comments

Quite a few netizens seemed to have gone through a similar situation themselves

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