By Peter K. Sucato

What are the students of Bradley Beach asking for these holidays? The Tides surveyed students in grades four to eight  about their holiday wish lists. Ninety-three people responded with answers varying from a PlayStation 5 to world peace.

Technology was by far the most wanted thing on everyone’s holiday wish list. The majority of respondents asked for a new video game console or games to play.  Dozens of people asked for a PS5 or Xbox series X (the newest generation of consoles which cost about $499 each). Several BBES students asked for virtual reality headsets, especially the Oculus Quest 2. Surprisingly, only twelve people asked for a phone or phone-related accessories. Three people asked for a personal computer. One asked for a smartwatch.

Cameron in fifth grade asked for “PS5 (disc edition). He said, “Who wouldn’t want the PS5 (disc edition), but idk why i want it 🙂 i mean i know my parents will never get me it but its a shot in the dark.”  I thought this was a really thoughtful response, and, on a personal note, I hope you get a PS5.  (See a review of next-gen consoles by Max Gast in The Tides.)

The second most sought after category of items were toys. Some kids asked for a skateboard, and others asked for Lego. One response I found interesting was from Donovan in sixth grade. Q: What is the #1 item on your holiday gift list? A: “Lego Godzilla” Q: What is the #2 item on your holiday gift list?  A: “Nerf trilogy” Q: Why do you want your #1 gift?  A: “Because in the picture it looked really nice and I find it fun to build legos.” 

In general, toys were requested more by students in younger grades. Some asked for things like Nerf guns. Others wanted slime, or cosplay. Only two people asked for a book. 

The next main category of items requested were clothes. A large percentage of people asked for things like hoodies or shoes. There were also things like blankets, or plushies. The second item on Nora in eighth grade’s wish list was “a big fluffy pillow” Some people asked for a specific pair of shoes. Uriel in sixth grade is asking for Yeezys, the Adidas sneaker. Almost everyone gets clothes whether they asked for them or not, but they are still a great present. One thing I noticed is that many students forget the “e” in clothes. Be careful not to ask for “cloths,” guys.

One honorary mention goes to money, which ten people wanted. But since it was less of a present and more of a gateway to more gifts, I did not want to count it. Another thing I found interesting was the non-gift wish. Azel, an eighth  grader, asked for world peace. Another person asked for nothing. An anonymous person (I will not say their name for privacy reasons) asked for something which broke my heart, “I wish i had real friends 😦 (when i have friends or FAKE friends they don’t even talk to me).”

This was a reminder to always be nice to people, because you never know who is going through a hard time, or who is lonely.

The Tides wishes you all happy holidays and we hope you all get what you want!