Layaway Humbug

   I get the idea of charitable contributions to the needy, especially at Christmas time.  But this Pay Your Layaway scenario seems like a really bad idea.  A well-meaning benefactor surprises someone who has been saving for an extended period of time in order to buy Christmas gifts.  And the benefactor announces that the amount for the purchases has been paid, freeing the "saved money" to be used elsewhere.  I saw one interaction where the Christmas Club member, presumably and apparently needy,  broke into tears after being told her purchases were paid for. She was filled with gratitude.  When asked, she said the amount of her Christmas purchases was $2200.  Of course she was grateful for the financial boon, but really?  Over $2,000 of hard-to-come-by money spent on Christmas presents?
        She and the others would have been better served if they had been given the gift of learning how to budget their money.  NOBODY needs to spend two grand on gifts; that is insane.   Another woman in need was  compensated for 2 (very) large-screen televisions which she said was for her family.  She didn't say whether the family lived in one house or not, but it seemed likely they did.  And since it is very likely they that they already had television sets, the super-sized models fall into the category of luxury items. 
      No wonder people are caught up in poverty, and the encouragement of a Surprise Santa only deepens the problem facing society. The message should be to wake up:  no one is going to give you stuff.   Santa Claus is a myth, so is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, President Obama.  Wait, strike that last one.