Christmas wish lists have changed from year to year— from Nerf guns to Lego sets to Lululemon jackets and makeup from Sephora. Usually, aging changes these wish lists accordingly, but with the sudden spike of social media during COVID-19, younger audiences have matured faster than they used to.
Instead of the latest toy, such as the newest Lego sets, the latest Pokémon cards, and even board games like Monopoly, lately, younger and younger audiences have been shifting away from that. They want to fit in more with the wants of their eldest sibling or older friends, wanting the newest iPhone, a PS5, the Airpods Max, and shoes that retail for over hundreds of dollars… how different are their wish lists now compared to others when they were their age?
Picking out gifts is hard. Having the money to get certain gifts– even harder. Junior Danee Lambert can attest to this, as she has two younger brothers with ambitious ideas for gifts.
“I don’t know how they want, like, a PS5 [since] they’re only in seventh grade, so, you know, their main priority should be school,” Lambert said. “When I was in seventh, I wanted TikTok to be downloaded for Christmas.”
Even though social media has had a wide range of effect on many younger siblings, junior Aidan Baron’s little sister seems to be invulnerable to this.
“I’m active on games like Roblox or ZEPETO, but I don’t want to get a new iPad or things like that,” Anya Baron said. “I’d like a sketchbook, some more markers, posters and those kinds of stuff.”
Of course, there lies a stereotypical difference between a boy’s Christmas and a girl’s Christmas, boiling down to the gifts.
“Compared to my sister, I would say [her wish list is] a lot more art and creativity based than mine,” Aidan Baron said. “I wanted Lego sets while she wants sketchbooks, pens, and Crunchy Roll subscriptions.”
Pushing differences aside in favor for the holidays, the holiday spirit seems to build up with days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday happening, stocking up on gifts for all ages – no matter what they are.
“I love giving gifts and receiving them,” Lambert said. “I’m just excited for Christmas.”
