Does the money given help the poor? Yes? Then it's charity. Why it's given is irrelevant. As for your other comment, there's nothing stopping a Muslim from don

Does the money given help the poor? Yes? Then it's charity. Why it's given is irrelevant. As for your other comment, there's nothing stopping a Muslim from donating to charity during the rest of the year. Also, there's another important act of giving called zakat which depends on your current assets - usually 2.5% every year.