Frequently Asked Questions for 2024

[u/laffinalltheway]

• Q: How do I use this subreddit?

• A: This subreddit is specifically designed to help children between the ages of 3 months to 17 during the Christmas season. To make a request, please read the guidelines or your post will not show up. We cannot guarantee you the help of a Santa (or gifter) but if you follow the rules and have redditquette, your post will appear on our subreddit and hopefully a Santa will come along to assist you this year!

• Q: I need some help, what do I do?

• A: Read the rest of this, and our 2024 Rules.

• Q: How do I make a post?

• A: See How to post a Request

• Q: Is there a format in which I should post my request?

• A: Yes. In the Title of the post, please include: number of kids, ages, names, and city/state. Example: 1/3/Lilly/NY,NY

• Q: Someone played Santa for my family in need! What do I do in return?

• A: First, please report the gifts you received here. We use these reports to keep the gift tallies straight. In the instance your requested wish list items, or the entire wish list itself, are filled– you MUST create a [THANK YOU] post IN THIS SUBREDDIT, preferably right after Christmas, to express gratitude to the kind stranger helping you and your family. Please refer to the 2024 Rules post for any clarification of any thank you post requirements. Failure to do so is real life bad karma and will also result in a ban from this subreddit. The BEST way to say thank you is wait until your child unwraps their gifts, and post a “thank you photo” in the subreddit for your Santa! Please remember to tag your Santa(s) so they will get the notification. Those who say thank you publicly will forever have good real life karma. These photos keep requesters coming and Santa's keep on giving! We do track who says thank you and who does not!

• Q: My post is deleted, can you fix it?

• A: We have a spam bot we kindly refer to as the Grinch. Let us know if you cannot find your post. Messaging the mods with the subject line as "The Grinch Ate My Post" will grab our attention! If you did not follow the guidelines, your post will remain in spam until you follow the guidelines.

• Q: Can I repost my link again, no one gave me anything the first time?

• A: Any child who is ungifted or who hasn’t reached our 5-gift cap, will be featured in our Megathread of Ungifted/undergifted children, which we post about two weeks before we close out registrations. The megathread is pinned to the top of the sub, making it easier and quicker for Santas to find any children who haven’t been gifted yet. No reposts needed.

• Q: What happens if I delete my post?

• A: DO NOT DELETE YOUR POST. EVER. This is a bannable offense.

• Q: I do not want a photo of my child on the internet. How can I get registered without one?

• A: If you do not wish to post a photo of your child on your requesting post on the RAOC thread itself, you may submit it to the mods directly via the registration form. The registration photo MUST include you and your child/children holding up a piece of paper with your Reddit username and the date. You may opt to use a different photo or no photo at all in your request post. The best way to get a Santa however, is honesty- and people love to see the kids!

• Q: I do not own a camera. How do I get registered without one?

• A: Try to borrow one! Ask a friend, neighbor, coworker or use a cell phone with a camera on it, etc. We do not register requesting users without a picture with a username and date, in order to keep out scammers. If you try to use someone else’s photo or fake a photo, you will be found out, and you will be banned from all charitable subreddits.

• Q: So-and-so user never sent the gift they promised?

• A: Sometimes UPS, FedEx and USPS have lost packages in the past, it has happened to all of us. Do NOT harass a Santa for not receiving a gift. This is a bannable offense. If you cannot track the package or do not receive it, please do not take it personally, but please send us a modmail, and we will follow up with the Santa to see if delivery has gone awry.

• Q: Can just anyone post in here?

• A: If you have children in your home or family, bask in holiday cheer, or want to play Santa to someone in need, you are welcome to join us! Please keep in mind that new users with required Registration+ accounts are the most intensive to verify. Our moderation team researches and approves each registration manually and in a queue format. We will try our best, but new user registrations closer to Christmas may not be verified and approved in time to post a request.

• Q: What do you do to register users?

• A: Registration entails filling out a registration form and giving the moderators personal information, which they will then review and accept (possibly after requesting further information). Disclaimer: All being ‘registered’ means is that the user has filled out our registration form giving us their personal information and photo with username and date shown in the picture. Registered Plus (registered+) users have completed our second tier process with additional questions. Proceed in gifting at your own discretion.

• Q: Do those making Offers or playing Santa need to register too?

• A: No. Registration is just to help maintain honesty of the requesters as best we can.

• Q: How do I make a wishlist on Amazon?

• A: Please see our Amazon tutorial post. Please explore Amazon.Com and create an account and wishlist. You will copy/paste in the link to your wishlist in to your request post. If you are requesting for multiple children, we ask that you make separate wishlists for each child. Please refer to the 2024 Rules for any clarification of wishlist requirements.

• Q: Will Amazon publish my address for others to see?

• A: No. Your Santa will see your name and city/state and that is it. Your address is hidden from the public and the person purchasing from it!

• Q: What happens if a requestor deletes a gift from their Wish List after it is purchased?

• A: If you are a requestor, and you delete items that were purchased from your wish list, especially in hopes to appear as if you were not gifted, you will be banned from this subreddit. Honesty is key. If you are playing Santa and send someone a gift, completing our Gift report form, including the Amazon order number if possible, and letting the mods will know about it will prevent any requestors denying they were helped.

• Q: I'm playing Santa. What am I required to do?

• A: When you gift a child, please make a comment in the request post with the name of the child(ren) you're buying gifts for and the gift you're sending.

Example: Lilly - Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy.

Additionally, please fill out our Gift report form so we’re able to keep track of where gifts are going and make sure cheer is evenly spread. Note: Before you hit the checkout button on the Amazon website, please remove your name from the gift receipt and replace it with your username or Secret Santa, if you wish to remain anonymous. You don't want to accidently doxx yourself!

• Q: Can I ask for money or food on RandomActsofChristmas?

• A: No. This is for Christmas toys and items only. Gift-cards are also not allowed. If you are looking for non-Christmas related or cash assistance, please visit /r/Assistance.

• Q: I am playing Santa this year! I want to help someone out, but how do I handle someone asking for expensive gifts?

• A: We ask that gifts are kept below $40. You can always ask the requestor if there is anything they may need within your budget, or browse around the subreddit as many others are also making requests.

• Q: I have several kiddos that need some gifts this year. How should I make sure they all get gifts?

• A: Make a wishlist for each child on Amazon. Please remember, there is a maximum of 10 gift options per child/wishlist (5 under $20 and 5 under $40).

• Q: I played Santa! Now will the mods know if I sent something?

• A: You have to tell us! If you gifted someone something, please please please let us know. Please see How to play Santa!

• Q: What is the best way to investigate a requestor?

• A: User history, google image search, googling their username, and always feel free to message the mods if you like! We have data on all registered users and run automatic reverse image searches on all registered users. If the user you are considering helping does not have a ‘registered’ stamp to the right of their username, do NOT gift to them until this appears. Do ask questions!

• Q: I want to give something away, what is the best way to do a 'contest'?

• A: To be as fair as possible, most of our giveaways are done by drawings or some sort of random election. You are welcome to get creative, but we discourage picking favorites!

• Q: Can we offer Christmas cards, candy, and other things Christmas related other than just gifts?

• A: YES, please do! Many people are in need of decorations or wrapping paper, etc. The Christmas cards are always a HUGE hit and thousands are sent all over the world every year here. These are tallied but do not count against children.

• Q: A user is scamming... and I know it! Can you do something about it?

• A: Please report this to the mods via modmail with your suspicions. Let us know, but please give evidence! Do not publicly call out a user. Doxxing is not allowed and is a bannable offense.

• Q: I am being harassed by a particular user, how do I deal with it?

• A: First of all, if you decide to respond… do it with grace and compassion. Do not feed the trolls, do not spray lighter fluid on the fire. We advise against public drama. You may always message the mods for additional help. You can also hit the report button on any harassment you’re receiving. We do keep track of all incidents. Harassing another user, Santa, or moderator is a bannable offense.

• Q: I see another user around being rude about this subreddit, users here, and moderators here. How should I handle this?

• A: Send us a quick message via modmail for us to look into it. Don't get worked up over it.

• Q: Is there a limit on a number of gifts sent to each child here?

• A: Our goal is 5 gifts per child. There is a public link of gift tally for each child in our sidebar as a resource to help spread gifts evenly. If you complain or harass a user for 'gifting too much' or 'receiving too much' you will get a private message to be stopped. If you continue to police this subreddit harassing others, you will be banned. If you are not a mod, please don't assume the role of one.