Managing The Christmas Gift Crisis

When kids stop writing Christmas letters ─complete with Christmas lists─ to Santa, parents lose their easy-access into their child’s mind when it comes to the gifts they hope to see under the tree. This leaves parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles with a question that looms over them when holiday season approaches: what gifts do teens want for Christmas?

As the countdown to December 25th begins, lists of trending items online are one place family members can look for gift ideas for their teens. Currently, the Nintendo Switch is the 2nd most wished for item in the video game department, and the Xbox One X console is the 8th. Both of these would make great gifts for any game-playing teen, and if they are outside of the price range, then trending games like Call of Duty: WWII or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild would be hot gifts to find under the tree as well. New iPhones have also been a consistent top seller, with Apple reporting 78.4 million iPhone sales between last October and December and this year’s sales set to follow suit, so picking up a new iPhone 8 or iPhone X would be a guaranteed hit with any kid.

Of course though, the best place to find out what teens want is to ask teens. Bryndon Campbell a senior at Clackamas high, suggested some practical gift ideas parents could get their kids, listing a heated blanket, Ray-Ban sunglasses, cameras, or computer accessories as good presents from parents who want to make sure their gifts actually get used. Bryndon also said that if all else fails, “You can never go wrong with cash or gift cards” and listed those as what his friends want most, also listing gift cards as the gift he’s heard about the most online.  His position was confirmed by Rex Putnam sophomore Shay Dewald, who said “Black Rock and Dutch gift cards, that’s what every teen wants.” Shay said that for bigger gifts “everyone just wants cars and phones.” For most teens, Christmas is an opportunity to get their first car or a new phone upgrade. Getting that first set of keys would be a gift bound to excite any teen who drives.

Parents could also find additional gift ideas by asking their child’s friends or siblings. Going with a safe gift like cash is always a welcome surprise to find on Christmas, especially for extended family like grandparents or aunts and uncles. No matter what gift lies under the tree, as long as a family knows their teen and are armed with some great gift ideas, the perfect gift is sure to be there come December 25th.