It’s that time of the year when just about everyone is feeling festive and merry, where kids act on their best behavior so they’ll be visited by jolly Saint Nick, and when we all collectively think about what we truly want for Christmas.
Kids here at Mount Vernon are no different, that childhood wonder for what lies beneath the Christmas tree still flourishes despite what others may think. A survey was sent out to the entire student body, from freshman to senior, asking them to list one thing they wanted for the holidays. Now that the answers have settled in, why don’t we take a peek at what the general Mount Vernon school population wants for the holidays?

#5 – Honorable Mentions
Throughout the 30 responses, there was an honorable five-way tie between self-care items, travel, crafts, electronics, and… Education? If we’re to go into specifics, the responses are a blanket, a vacation to an island, new paints, a new phone, and an ACT prep book.
“The ACT is fast approaching in February”, Freshman Edith Dawson says in her quote regarding her choice, “and I find it important to be prepared. A nice, glossy, 1st edition ACT prep book is just the gift I need to succeed.” An interesting choice indeed, considering most kids aren’t too focused on education when they’re out and about visiting family and friends for the holidays. Those who also tied with this answer provided quotes as well.
“Because I love painting,” Junior Carly Sebastian replies in response for new paints.
“My phone doesn’t work well and is running out of storage,” Freshman Jaelynn Williams complains about the quality of their current phone.
“Cold,” Sophomore Katherine Bauer comments on the chilly weather outside around this time whilst wishing on a comfortable blanket.
“I love to travel, but it’s expensive. So I think it would be a good Christmas present,” Freshman Macie Stoops dreams big for their island escape for a tropical holiday vacation. Either way, no matter how big or small the wish, let’s hope these individuals experience a Christmas miracle!

#4 – Rather Be Prepared than Sorry
As the year draws on from January to December, you’re bound to run out of a certain supply of something whether it be your current school computer breaking down or the batteries in your house are dead. With a solid 10% of responses, Senior Sydney Benn stuck out with a request for Copic markers.
“I need more markers for my art, and I also need more colors in my collection,” she responds, being all too familiar with the fact that markers come and go as the months and years pass on.
Perhaps she speaks on behalf of all art enthusiasts here in Mount Vernon, perhaps not. Nevertheless, this holiday season goes to those who would rather have the supplies they need now rather than later. May your stock remain full and your consumption steadies at a snail’s pace!

#3 – The Weather Outside is Frightful, but These Threads are So Delightful!
When you were a child around this time of the year, were you ever disappointed with receiving socks or underwear or a variety of clothes instead of that thing you wanted oh so badly? Turns out, as you get older, you grow fond of wanting equally stylish and comfy clothes for any time of the year according to 20% of the responses.
If we’re to go into specifics, the clothes that kids wanted most this year are running shoes, jeans, sweatshirts/hoodies, and socks. Can you believe that kids nowadays are happy to receive socks?!
“I want socks for Christmas because mine are disappearing,” Sophomore Asher Smith replies to the survey with a comment that all of us can relate to in one fashion or another. The struggle of having to wear differentiated socks when you can’t find a single pair must’ve hit us hard from 2021 to 2022!
Nonetheless, at least it’s an easy gift to give and receive. Just be sure to remember that it’s the thought that counts when it comes to the holidays!

#2 – Here Comes the Monnaaayyy!
Speaking of giving gifts this season, the one thing that most kids are concerned about within this survey (23.3% of them to be exact) is money. Whether it be in the form of those sweet dollar bills, a gift card for their favorite store, or even saving up for things like college, the fact can’t be denied that it’s a gift that can please just about anyone.
“You can never go wrong with money,” Freshman Zach Koster explains better than what could be said in this story. Nonetheless, there were a couple of pranksters within these results.
One student, Freshman Logan Weldon, asked for the Hope Diamond for Christmas (a piece of jewelry that’s worth roughly $200-300 million) whilst another, Sophomore Gabriel Portillo, comically asked for a million dollars “Cuz it money.” If Santa can afford to run an entire business down at the North Pole, is it safe to assume he makes cold hard cash around the holidays?

#1 – Nostalgic Childhood Joy
Although the years fly by and some of us will be walking up to receive our high school diplomas in what feels like a heartbeat, there’s nothing that can kill the inner child within us all. A whopping 30% of responses ask for entertainment this year in the form of whatever their hearts desire, ranging from AirPods to computer parts to even the newest Pokemon game.
Freshman Cami Edaburn and Junior Mollie Snedden, despite both asking for AirPods this holiday, have differentiating (but equally acceptable) reasons from one another.
“I hate the way my wired headphones get tangled when I put them away,” Edaburn complains, “I also hate how wired headphones can get lost so easily.” As opposed to Snedden who replies “I broke my old ones and they no longer work, so I currently have no headphones.” Surely there’s no need to be this picky with headphones, but a wish is a wish after all!
If you’re looking for the Christmas Computer expert for this list, look no further than Freshman Wyatt Smith who asks for an “NVIDIA GeForce 3060 RTX”… A graphics card capable of ray tracing and VR support for those of you who are technologically impaired. The reason for such a gift is rather comedic.
“Improves my time wasting on the computer, it makes my time wasting more efficient.” A good majority of us can certainly agree with such a notion, electronic device or not. Speaking of electronic devices, what about that new Pokemon game that was mentioned earlier?
Releasing for the switch on November 18th of this year, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are certainly a sight to behold… Even if there are a laughable amount of bugs and glitches. Yet, Freshman Thomas Rian sees its beauty beyond that of what’s on the surface.
“I played a bit of it on my cousin’s copy,” Rian begins to explain, “It’s both unironically great (the gameplay) and hilariously awful (glitches/performance) at the same time.” Yes, it is tradition for kids to ask for the newest game releases for the holidays, but to ask for a game with visible glitches and bugs is something that’s certainly beyond us. Nonetheless, let’s hope you’re able to continue your exploration in this new Pokemon world!

There you have it, Mount Vernon High School’s top wants for Christmas time. Are some of these items on your wishlist, or someone else’s? Is everyone going to get exactly what they wanted for the upcoming festivities? Even if not, let’s hope everyone here at MVHS has a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year to follow!