The Ho –Ho Holiday Toy Debate

The night before Christmas Eve, toys would dance throughout my dreams. Visions of American Girl Dolls and brand-new barbies made it hard to sleep at night. I remember as a little girl, I would talk to my Elf on the Shelf, Elfie, every night. I would always beg for that one doll that I knew everyone was getting. According to my survey, I am not alone. 66.7% of the students who took my survey said that they asked for some type of doll for Christmas. Most people who took the survey were born in 2004, which means they are 17 years old now. The main holiday toys they asked for when they were younger, were craft stuff, dolls, Legos, and trucks.  Additionally, bikes, sports equipment, and nerf guns were also ranked very popular. In my research, I found that the toys kids are asking for now are not so different from years ago.

After interviewing Rebecca Holzerman, a triplet, I got more insight into what families apart from mine get as holiday presents. Becca is the only girl among two boy siblings, Ben, and Jacob. Her toys tended to be like her brothers to make things easier on her parents. The main items they received were linkin logs, building blocks, trucks, crafts, and dolls. Becca’s absolute favorite present was her American Girl Doll. She even started a collection of them. Over 75% of students who were surveyed said that they had some type of American Girl Doll.  As she got older, she stopped asking for toys, “now I ask for what I need, not what I want”. As a licensed driver, in the past couple of years, Rebecca has asked for cash and gift cards for gas stations. She asked for no toys this year, just clothes and cash. Becca went from being a kid and having dreams about Santa and the toys he will bring her to asking for money to be able to afford gas. She still values each and every toy that her parents got her as a child and misses that feeling of waking up surprised to see what is under the tree on Christmas morning.

Electronics are a huge part of today’s society. Kids as young as 7 years old have phones, iPad, and other electronic devices. As a part of the survey, I asked high school students if any of their childhood presents were electronic, 77.80% replied that they were not electronic. It can be inferred that with the more recent use of technology I would get a different answer. During an interview, with a teacher here at Pennridge, Mrs. Lorenzo, I learned that electronics were not a gift she would be gifting to her youngest daughter. At 6 years old, her daughter asked for a lot of stuff that reminded me of what I would previously ask for. She specifically asked for JoJo Swia bedding, clothes, a JoJo doll, an American Girl Doll, and Legos. To me, it seems like kids are still being kids with the toys they are asking for, “my youngest did not ask for any electronics this year, just JoJo stuff’. The only electronic thing Mrs. Lorenzo has bought her children in the past was a WII. Kids are still kids, and luckily it is reflected in the presents they are receiving for Christmas this year.