I have 2 small children

A boy who is 10 and a daughter who is 5

Because of my limited income, they have 2 special days per year on which they receive the gift(s) they've wanted all year: their respective birthday and Christmas

They never ask for much, but admittedly, what they do ask for is out of my limited budget to give them on a regular basis. I look forward to giving them this special token at the end of each year and of course the joy of Christmas is a hallmark of childhood.

I recently learned, just as the rest of the world did, about what happened with Mike Brown in St. Louis; Eric Garner in NYC; and the young man in NC who was shot down while trying to ask the police for help after a car accident. I am outraged and disgusted about each incident in addition to the countless others. Police Brutality IS an epidemic that disproportionately affects our community and I want to get involved. So much so that after the Mike Brown incident, I donated 5% of my last paycheck to the Brown family through a fundraiser that my local APWU supported.

The killing of unarmed black children/men by police needs to stop. I'm not unwilling to participate in causes that directly affect this end.

But why should I punish my children by canceling their Christmas?
How are their Christmas gifts tied to police brutality?
How does a boycott of retailers affect policing change?
What do I tell my children about why they won't get Christmas gifts this year?
How does me canceling Christmas save the lives of my children more on that day or any other day?

If I don't buy them Christmas gifts, but take advantage of all of the New Year sales to get their gifts, do I still have an impact?