Gifts for Strangers 2011

[FuakkinSiqhunt]

/watch?v=D1KuRnPW9es For another great give away video, except it's to homeless people :)

[MyMelody5]

@Keira2694

I know right? Toronto has problems but the good far outweighs the bad. The people of Toronto makes the city such a wonderful place to be. It's dynamic, beautiful and just exciting.

[TheTierraval]

Wait a second... at 0:46 ...that backpack.... LOOK OUT!!! THAT GUY IS A NINJA!!!!

[Ekcior]

Nice :)

[Stacy81107]

Why are you saying happy holidays.... That's dumb

[littlemisDana]

@Stacy81107 because they don't know what religion the strangers are, and some people find it offensive. It's just a nice generic thing to say.

[therealcaz]

dude! this made my cry!

[groceryman1974]

every one handing out gifts were female. You think your doing good? What if a guy handed out anything? He would be a pedo. What up with that? Real creapy.

[JCraig545]

0:39 NINJA TURTLE BACKPACK!!!!!

[Gourgandise]

That is a pretty cool initiative, though I guess that those people have had gifts from their friends and family already. It would be even more meaningful if you gave those to homeless families or children in hospital, charities like that where they really need it.

[ImprovInToronto]

@Gourgandise I agree up to a point. There are plenty of great and important initiatives giving to the homeless and needy in communities. But Gifts for Strangers is about spreading kindness to EVERYONE. Because it isn't always obvious who could use a little kindness and love in their life.

[Gourgandise]

@ImprovInToronto : true!

[ginadafox]

@ImprovInToronto awesome, that is such a true statement, there are some people who look totally "normal" yet have serious mental issues such as depression, loss of loved ones. everyone has a story and I love this!!

[TheresasTravels]

I have posted up the video for Gifts For Strangers in Calgary!! Please watch :)

[ImprovInToronto]

@TheresasTravels Awesome job! Make sure to post it as a video response!

[TheTPMovement]

Wonderful. Done : )

[o0Theresa0o]

@toothfareie Why do they NEED to say Merry Christmas? It isn't ONLY Christmas time... Jewish people are celebrating Chanukah, some people celebrate the winter solstice, St. Stephen's Day, Bodhi Day, Ashura, Kwanzaa, etc. Happy Holidays includes ALL of those celebrations, INCLUDING Christmas. Saying Merry Christmas excludes everyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas. It's just kinder to say Happy Holidays and it isn't about "offending" anyone... it's about including everyone.

[hd92122]

Send this to Ellen.

[dblandgore]

at last some real Christmas spirits

[vincevince801]

@dblandgore Stuck in the stone ages ha?

[kidpower2]

Wow that's amazing, you guys put smiles on peoples faces,

are you gonnna do it in Mississauga next year? ;)

[ImprovInToronto]

@kidpower2 It happened in Mississauga this year! And the organizers are planning on doing it again next year!

[318FOXFIRE]

. what kind of gifts did you give out. this is something that i would love to do, but me and my friends were having trouble thinking of what kind of gifts to give out.

[ImprovInToronto]

@318FOXFIRE All sorts of things, we leave it open to the individual participant. But we make some suggestions on our website, linked in the description of the video :)

[armani1326]

I am in currently in Bucharest, Romania for college and I didn't see this happen? :O I would have joined in!

[MrHadukken]

That's a awesome idea, we should make this in my town here in Brazil

[Kaldosh]

Christmas is not about gifts!

it's about holidays!

next time, just throw money; it's more useful.

[ImprovInToronto]

@Kaldosh We agree, it isn't about gifts. In my opinion its about sharing kindness, which is what we're trying to do.

[Gor7ful]

@Kaldosh asshole.

[godmode9]

Are downtown people really the people who need gifts...

[ImprovInToronto]

@godmode9 It isn't about the gifts, so much as the act of giving. We're spreading joy and kindness. And I'd argue everyone can use more of that in their life.

[MisaMisuMajide]

:)

Haha i wanna move to toronto soo bad :) im going to go to university there maybe the city where i live sucks! It seems sooo nice there!

[klevinc]

how come you only give presents to the white people? chinatown is just around the corner...

[Bberryz]

haah AWSOME! i have a group of friends who are actualyl doing this this xmas eve!! :)

[JRemixing]

her way to make your day. Still "Fake and Gayy"? rephrase your fucking comment and quit being so god damn immature

[JRemixing]

How insecure must you be to comment with such negativity on a video like this, "Fake and Gayyy"? "Fuck Sharing"? Scenario: your house just burnt down three days before Christmas. You lost not only your lifes memoirs and saving but the presents under your tree as well. While your walking down the street you are handed a present and "Happy Holidays" is all they say. Now tell me, would you not be absolutely heart struck in the moment; out of complete no where a stranger just went out of his or he

[Lemonnative]

Canadians be awesome.

[instant95]

taking a huge shit right now..

[nevino11]

fuck political correctness MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS!

[mattJT87]

TORONTO REPRESENT!!!!!!

[tdot06]

Wow i was there i got an ipad 2!!! lol i guess i was lucky

[talibanking]

In afganistan they hand out IEDs

[jamonpancakes]

thanks so much for the new pencilcase, kind strangers :)

[o0Theresa0o]

This actually made me cry. So beautiful! I want to participate!!

[ImprovInToronto]

@o0Theresa0o Next year! Hopefully it will be running in even more cities!

[o0Theresa0o]

@ImprovInToronto Not good enough. I am going out tomorrow and giving out around 75 gifts (that's all we could get with such short notice)!! I will be recording it and posting it up soon!

[TheresasTravels]

@ImprovInToronto The video has been posted up! Please check it out!

[bluecheckeredhat]

My friends and I were in the Annex playing board games at Snakes and Lattes and two people came in and gave us gifts. It totally made our day, and we'll all be participating next year. What a wonderful idea.

[Thehow2fellow]

FAKE AND GAY!!!

[tklokker]

tears, thanks!!

[churchpunk1515]

merry christmas?



[HOBOTZARANDCO]

SEVEN PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING ANY GIFTS!

[TacoWash]

To make you all look less supicious, you could have everyone dress in christmas colors or wear santa or elf costumes next year

[radscorpion8]

the "evolved" form of selfishness. yay!

[Youtubr1989]

HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT

[Brymetheous]

Its a great idea! but unfortunately I can see someone being wary about an unknown package given to them by a stranger

[myfr3ak]

i love all your idea's!!

[SC2Exodia]

very cute video :)

[justaname111111]

u guy should dress like Santa!

[iHaloCinematography]

Nice People + Happy Piano Song = Trending Video?

[alvisc2002]

@iHaloCinematography yep. and now you know.

[boxeman95]

You must feel so good running around the city giving gifts to random people. Wow.

[TheCelestialAce]

How beautiful. The smiles on the faces of those kids were priceless. :)

[chrisjvleung]

This makes me proud to be from Toronto! 

[booglegoog]

perhaps, a glimmer of hope for humanity?

[AngelusDlion]

Christmas cheer, yer doin it rite.

Seriously, I'm a bit misty eyed.

[quelqunketuconaispas]

who wants snow for christmas??

[kwhopper88]

would be even cooler if you wished them a happy Hallowe'en instead, just to mess them up more

[Juliahockey101]

thats so thoughtful! i'm moving to toronto in a few years, so hopefully I can join this cause! :D

[akatsukifan01]

what kinds of things do you guys wrap since you give them to both adults and children?

[bluecheckeredhat]

@akatsukifan01 My friends and I were given two mixed CDs, two used books, and an assortment of chocolates and knick knacks, pencil cases and things. They seemed to know more or less what was in them, so I'm thinking they probably would know which ones are for children so they don't give an adult a colouring book or whatever.

[ritsukahatake]

thats soooooo thankfull i got a asome present thank u improve toronto!!!

[movingforward2015]

Good Job :) Very proud of all of you - giving back to a community can make all the difference

[animestop95]

I wish i was so rich i could do stuff like this every year i mean if i could i would buy enough gifts for over 1000 people just so i could see them smile when the unexpected good gesture comes before them...idk if alot of you people have ever given stuff to people randomly with good intentions just to see their smiling faces but i assure you it's amazing

[7Drifloon7]

@animestop95 Take 5 bucks and go to one of those stores where everything is a dollar and buy toys that most kids would like that won't cause their parent's greif, like bubbles or matchbox cars. Then hand them out. It's such a blast, and even for juts 5 bucks to give toys to 5 random kids is a great feeling.

[sarfios]

WHOAH HOAH, what it is? what it is.. it's a note book, noooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Killzslayz]

all of you are amazing <3

[WuBr94]

This is such a nice gesture. We recently had a speaker come in to my school to talk about bullying and related matter. We always talked about the value of a smile, a pat on the back, a hug, etc. Small gestures with huge results. Not to sound morbid, especially before the holidays, but a man jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge when nobody smiled at him on his walk there (he walked quite a distance from his apartment). I know you guys realize this already, and it warms my heart. Happy holidays!

[CapturePlay]

I see a ninja turtle!!

[SuperGreenSmartie]

Happy holidays everyone. I hope we all have a great time this year, no matter who you are!

[AwesomeMiddleVidz]

Hey badrabbit. Stfu.

[SuperGreenSmartie]

@AwesomeMiddleVidz Happy Holidays to you too!!! :D

[badrabbit0077]

@AwesomeMiddleVidz No need to be rude. Not sure why you felt the need to reply to me in this manner.

[badrabbit0077]

It's groups like yours that make the world better and revives my faith in humanity. It's the little things like springing into song or dance in the middle of nowhere just to brighten up the day of a group of strangers who happen to be around to see it, and for those of us who watch.

Thank you, this definitely brightened up my day.

Happy Holidays.

[SuperGreenSmartie]

@badrabbit0077 You're right, this proves the world hasn't gone down the toilet yet. It's the best kind of feeling, knowing people out there still care.

[mollusk7]

0:47 ninja turtle backpack FTW!!!!

[voldemortrules101]

Oh Wow- Do you take teens? If my mom lets me, I'd love to do this next year.... ESPECIALLY if I get to sing X-Mas songs.... = D

[Shortstuffyan]

@voldemortrules101 there were people as young as 4-5 years old there handing out presents ;) age doesn't matter!

[SleppingSunShine]

Live*

[SleppingSunShine]

Theese kind of things make me so happy to love in Toronto and to be a Canadian :)

[ajcarter16]

i love this so much! its so cool what you guys do! love from the states!

[gangstergirl554]

0:46 TURTLE BACKPACK!!!!!!

[AlienFreak69]

;.)

megusta.jpg

[BlutigClown]

quiero cagar :$

[plamenxyzpenchev]

Such a beautiful quotation.. :) <33

[snoopsnoop5]

5 people wanted Xbox for xmas. Well, thumb down Santa not this video!!!

[Spiritgirl13]

Heartwarming, absolutely amazing!

[YouGot4Shotted]

Toronto! WOO HOOO!!

[Gobln15]

the 5 people that dislike this are sad

just sad

[youtoobe135]

Dammit, why am I still studying for finals in Montreal, I could have been getting gifts from strangers.

[denidzo]

It was amazing to take part in this again this year! Drove two hours, froze, but it was so worth it. Congrats again to Improv in Toronto for helping people smile :)

[megafuncoco]

I was there with my children and the feelings that they got from giving to others was priceless. We will definitley be there again next year! xo

[f3wbs]

Thx guys. THIS is the true meaning of being a Canadian

[purfikt]

Awesomeness!

[PureLoser101]

Oh my god this is so amazing and beautiful and I liked how everyone played their part. Such amazing things shall never be forgotten :)

[igniz92]

You don't know how envy I am when I see this.. I haven't received a present for a long time..

[jwdesign336]

kindness is contagious.

[jesserobles]

Happy Holidays :') <3

[Gnomy94CAFC]

Ha ha, this is gonna mess up children who's parents say "Don't take toys from strangers" LOL :)

[Mataphan]

i would love to do this... but i got some cheap ass friends haha

[msmomo11]

At 0:57 is that girl not wearing pants or shoes!?!?

[megafuncoco]

@msmomo11 they were coming out of the opera so she had on a short coctail dress. cold that day...

[Misheequa]

Woah 2 Australians came? Jeez dedication. I like it! GO AUSTRALIA!

[91fisher]

like and favorite :)

[misterpickles1000]

:D good work guys :D

[TacoCat666]

That was really nice =)

[TheCrazedvideos]

I love that you guys are doing this..but come on your giving gifts at lease say Merry Christmas. Hahaha

[megafuncoco]

@TheCrazedvideos a lot of us did say Merry Christmas... I know I did. it was fun!

[Gus15]

Yeah! Drug dealers giving free gifts!

[keeshaja]

i love this!

[Crushermegaman]

I filled the cup.

[Lootie141]

this is magical i would love this to be a tradition and everyone gives to eachother!!

[ImprovInToronto]

@Lootie141 It is! We'll be running it again next year, and we're hoping for even more cities to join us! Thanks for the kind words, and happy holidays!

[Greatounet]

Nice !

[Sydneythekid]

Just by reading the intro, I knew I would love that video and that's why I pressed the like button. Keep your great job guys.

One love from Montreal.

[AntonioVenomous]

*opens present* Rick Roll CD!?

[AntonioVenomous]

Faith in humanity restored

[DIECASTER]

I think this is a Communist conspiracy....

[1kwuboy]

@DIECASTER lol?

[divineagent]

Happy Holidays? Don't you mean Merry Christmas?

[Shaylob]

This puts a smile on my face. <3 Love your channel and all the participants. =D

[xOliviaXDx]

This is so great, you guys are amazing. Keep it up!!

[dahosta1]

kid:hey what is this mister :O

Giver:shhh its a bomb... :)

[Storage1129]

What did you get, Billy?

Anthrax!!!

[jmdude411]

I wanna join in my city toronto hell yeah I love this place

[Conundric]

Only 6 out of the 23 cities were in the US, while Canada has 10 cities. Canadians so nice.

[MrRawritsAlex]

It was heartwarming to see a video like this :). I'm positive you guys made some people happy in the video.

[itzkolpi]

Perhaps, there still is hope left in the world

[chinkyyness69]

you guys give me hope for the world <3

[Kar3n4u]

D: I wanted to join this event so badly~ Too bad I had a dinner that night D:

NEXT YEAR!

[FriedOaf]

now instead of pretty, young students... a large, disheveled man gives you a wrapped package... what do?

[Cvollmar2011]

Jesus would be proud of those people. Giving is better than receiving!

[wonju911]

Loved the video and what you were doing out there. You made some people really happy. I hope you guys have a Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Other. (Side note: Do you pronounce it like improvin Toronto, or Improv in Toronto?

[ImprovInToronto]

@wonju911 That is our grand mystery haha, both apply to what we do! And Happy Holidays to you too! Thanks for taking the time to comment :)

[ImprovInToronto]

@wonju911 I guess I should actually answer the question, haha. TECHNICALLY, we're called Improv in Toronto. But we like them both!

[HdramaTran]

Love you guys!

[EpicRandomify]

I just thinking about this video today and wondering when it would be up :) I love seeing this video knowing that there are still people who care about others :)

[rjensen264]

I'm part of the one from Brighton Colorado!!!!!!!!

[SammelxD]

naww you guys :) Improvintoronto <3

[nazykid]

STOP doing that 1st bullshit

[Selim2nd]

FIRST CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENT

Great job guys, and nice appropriate quote at the start

[lyjacknt]

I love Toronto. ^__^ Im glad to live here.

[Vanillanesque]

EEYYYAAAAAYYYYYYyyyy...... You're all such cool people. :D

[rjensen264]

whoo! Were doing this in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, December 20th!!!!!!!

[crazychilidog]

Random acts of kindness.

You guys really do give hope in this world!

[theking3002]

wouldn't it have been better to give to the needy rather than most the strangers you gave to who looked like they could prob afford the gifts?

[ImprovInToronto]

@theking3002 Big question, totally understand where you're coming from. The reason we give to everyone is because it isn't always obvious who is in need of a hug or smile in their life, or in this case a gift from a stranger. With that said we encourage participants to target whoever they like. And many people do give gifts specifically to the needy or homeless.

[ZedNassah]

@ImprovInToronto Damn, so you guys can look into peoples souls?

[abbeyLAPD]

@theking3002 we did :) there was alot more footage that didn't get put in

[Selim2nd]

Probably 5th by now..