In today’s world, where Christmas is celebrated by about 90% of Americans, many people believe that shopping for others is hard. What do they like? What do they want? How much should I spend? It can be tough. As picky teenagers, we can be extremely tough to shop for. For those who are 17 and 18 year olds, our minds are all over the place; we may not have the time to write out a “list”. For the younger teens that are between 14 and 16, they may be stuck in the middle between more childish things like toys and more adult things such as clothes.

To start, the prices of presents can be challenging. When it comes to Christmas gifts, teens tend to want fewer, more expensive items. Many teens want technology or electronics; however, new phones, laptops, and cameras are not cheap. If it is not technology, it is expensive clothing, events, or other costly items. Many Ipswich High School boys are asking for tickets to highly anticipated Celtics versus Warriors games. Dagan Winter was hoping for Celtics tickets to the coveted Boston Celtics versus Golden State Warriors game. Winter says, “My parents will do one or two ‘nice’ or expensive gifts, and the rest will be smaller, less expensive things.” This is a common trend that is used by many parents.

On the other hand many students want only smaller or less expensive things. This holds true with Isaac Bergner, a junior at IHS. Isaac is a big music and jazz fan and wants to get some more vinyl records to add to his collection. “I am a huge Miles Davis fan and getting some vinyls of his to add to my collection would be incredible.”

The next point to be made is, what do kids actually want? Most students at this time are focused on the college process. Cam Mallette, an IHS senior, stated, “I haven’t had much time to even think about that.” Many seniors would prefer an admission to their top school over the new iPhone.

The student body was asked what they want for Christmas. The results showed that 64% of students know what they want for Christmas. This is not the case for Cam Mallette, who very bluntly said, “No, I have absolutely no clue what I want for Christmas. I have had so much on my mind; I haven’t had a moment to sit down and think about it.” On the other hand, freshman Nick Rishi has been able to think about what he wants. “I definitely know what I want, some new video games and some new clothes”. When asked if he thinks it becomes harder to choose gifts when you are older, he says “For sure, when your older your interests are more narrowed and there may not be much to buy.”

When talking to teachers, they have a different problem on their hand. They have to buy the gifts. I spoke with Mrs. McShane about what her kids wanted for Christmas. “My boys want dirt bikes and Legos while my daughter is too young to choose.” I also asked her about what she thinks is the hardest part about Christmas shopping “Keeping to your budget” she said, “it’s so easy to go over and not even realize it.”

Overall, many Ipswich High School students have trouble figuring out what they want. Whether it be not knowing what they want or not caring much about it. Teenagers are caught at a crossroad between “kid Christmas” and “adult Christmas” and can’t decide what they want.