This holiday season, families may be scratching their heads about how to celebrate with their teens — what movies to watch together, what gifts to give or where to celebrate. We did the research, and our survey results reveal how parents with teens can bridge the generation gap and have a holly, jolly holiday together.
What Parents Think Their Teens Want vs. What Teens Really Want as Gifts
Parents’ ideas about what to give their teen are not always in line with what their teen actually wants.
After surveying parents, here are the gifts they think their teen wants: 41.0% said a gaming console (e.g., PlayStation or Xbox), 37.2% said clothing or shoes (e.g., a new jacket, slippers, a tie), 24.7% said the new iPhone, 21.6% said sporting goods (e.g., tennis racquet, bike accessories) and 18.1% said accessories (e.g., jewelry, handbags, backpacks).
But teens have other things in mind for their wish list. Here are the gifts that teens would like to receive: 60.4% said clothing or shoes (e.g., a new jacket, slippers, a tie), 36.8% said sweets (e.g., cookies, candy, chocolate fruitcake), 35.4% said accessories (e.g., jewelry, handbags, scarves), 25.0% said other (popular responses were electronics, video games, money, gift cards) and 22.8% said sporting goods (e.g., bikes, tennis racquet, baseball bat).
Although 60.4% of teens said they would like clothing or shoes for Christmas, many parents wonder if the gifts will last. Teens shared their thoughts about the clothing or shoes they received last year as gifts: 41.1% of teens are already over them and 36.4% of teens are still in love with them.
Top Tech Gifts Your Children/Teens Want
Tech gear is a good choice when thinking about what to give your child or teen. Our survey results reveal which tech gifts they actually want: 45.6% said a laptop or tablet; 33.6% said the new iPhone; 30.8% said a gaming console (e.g., PlayStation or Xbox); 19.2% said a new digital camera, video camera or media player; 16.4% said a Samsung Galaxy smartphone; 12.8% said a drone; 11.8% said a VR headset; and 11.8% said a Fitbit or other wearable fitness device.
The Christmas Families That Adults and Teens Want to Spend Time With
While many families watch Christmas films together, teens and their parents have differing opinions on which Christmas family they would want to spend time with.
When surveyed, adults said they would rather hang out with the following Christmas families: 24.0% said the Griswolds from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation; 12.4% said the Whos from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas; 8.1% said Buddy, Josie and Papa Elf from Elf; 7.7% said the Calvins from The Santa Clause; 7.1% said the Browns from A Charlie Brown Christmas; and 6.9% said the McCallisters from Home Alone.
When asked the same question, teens made different choices about who they would like to spend time with: 18.4% said the Browns from A Charlie Brown Christmas; 16.6% said the Whos from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas; 13.8% said Buddy, Josie and Papa Elf from Elf; 13.0% said the McCallisters from Home Alone; 8.2% said the Griswolds from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation; and 6.0% said the Calvins from The Santa Clause.
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