A woman in the United Kingdom is defending a photo she posted of presents piled high around her Christmas tree after people began attacking her on Facebook.
Emma Tapping, a 35-year-old mother of three, posted the photo on Instagram last week. Before that post, Tapping only had 258 followers, she told BuzzFeed News.
Tapping said she didn’t think much of the photo until she was tagged in a Facebook post a few days later.
The post, which included a photo of her tree, read, “It’s nearly time for all the materialistic parents to compete and broadcast how many presents their kids have. Just remember, there are a lot of children who won’t get much.”
Since it was posted, the photo has been shared more than 100,000 times. Many of the comments condemn Tapping, saying she’s missing the point of the holiday by being too materialistic.
One commenter called her kids “spoiled brats” while another said, “That’s disgusting.”
When the photo went viral, Tapping posted a second time, defending herself and her family.
She wrote in part:
“I know this page is going to get busier and I know I am in the papers today so I thought I would set people straight on a few facts.
1. This picture was put on my Instagram along with pictures of homemade decorations I had made with the kids. 1 picture of the tree. It was taken, screenshot and blasted all over facebook without my knowledge. It was not done as a “bragging parent”
In the post, she noted that the presents were for her whole family and not just her children.
Tapping told BuzzFeed News that she wasn’t going to let this photo ruin Christmas for her family.
“I love Christmas and I shop savvy to give [my kids] a good Christmas,” she told BuzzFeed News. “I would happily help anyone find the bargains or give tips on how I save. I think how I spend my money on my children is my choice. You may not agree, but this is three little kids’ Christmas tree being blasted.”
