It’s officially that time of the year when the snow starts falling and every student begins anticipating the long overdue Christmas break, where we get to wake up late and celebrate a festive holiday season with our family and friends. One of the most anticipated elements of the Christmas holiday is not only spending time with family, but also the surprise and excitement of gift exchange. This December, I paced the hallways for two weeks on a mission. What you might ask?  Well, I had one simple question for all the Monarchs-

“What do you want for Christmas?”

I received a wide range of many responses, ranging from clothes, electronics, money, shoes, accessories, and everything in between.  Senior Taylor Jury told me, “I would love to receive a Mac Book this Christmas.” Her response turned out to be one of the most common answers, as many students seemed to want Apple products or other electronics. In fact, this was the 3rd most popular category of the survey, gathering 19% of votes. I definitely expected many students to have this answer, as it’s used almost 24/7 and plays an important role in the lives of everyday people- especially teenagers.

Though there were many students who were very certain about what they wanted for Christmas, there were a few who didn’t really know what to ask for. Freshman Koa Naotala expressed, “To be honest, I don’t even really know what I want for Christmas.”  Nevertheless, I kept pursuing students and continued asking this question to everyone within my sight.

As we grow and become more mature, teenagers feel that they know their own likes and dislikes best. So, for many students, receiving money for Christmas would be the perfect gift, as it gives us the freedom to choose what they would like for themselves. Freshman Chloe Robinson stated, “I personally would be happy if I were to get money this year.”  Money is the 2nd most popular item that students want for Christmas, accounting for 26% of responses.

Eventually, I asked another fellow by the name of Keveon Eley, a Menchville Junior, what he wanted for Christmas, and he responded, “I honestly just want some clothes.”  As I questioned, 29% of the student body responded saying clothes was what they wanted most for Christmas.  In the end, clothing turned out to be the most popular category of gifts that students wanted.

Even though many of the answers that I received were quite common, there were definitely a few students that gave me some fairly interesting responses.  For example Freshman Mckayla Majors said, “This Christmas I really want a camera.” Her unique response ended up being put into my “random things” category along with 11% of other students responses. Sophomore Nykeya Greene affirmed that, “This year I really want a pair of shoes,” and she wasn’t the only one- turns out that 10% of the students interviewed all wanted shoes, as well.  Another student, Freshman Naiya Ford, revealed, “I would enjoy getting some jewelry this Christmas.”  Her response fell into the accessories category, along with 5% of other student responses.

So there you have it- that’s what Monarchs want for Christmas. Thank you to all who participated in the survey and helped contribute to our little Christmas research article here at the Lion’s Roar. Have a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season!

Results:

1. Clothes: 29%
2. Money: 26%
3. Electronics: 19%
4. Random things: 11%
5. Shoes: 10%
6. Accessories: 5%

Laura Madler