Christmas is a time of year when wishes come true. Teens everywhere sit down and whip our their handy dandy tablets and compose detailed wish lists of things they hope to find under the tree on Christmas day.
Wish lists have been an ongoing tradition. Even teens in the 1980s would pull a pad of paper and pen out of their fanny packs and conjure up wish lists for themselves. Some items that might have been at the top of thousands of groovy wish lists back then were Rubik’s Cubes, WWF Action Figures, Walkmans and Cabbage Patch Kids.
Or other hot items of the era were BMX racing bikes, Transformer Action Figures, Ghost Buster merchandise and the infamous Donkey Kong /Pac Man games.
The wish list of today’s teen may be somewhat similar to the past in the sense that teens are still seeking the latest technology items on the market. The difference is that we find today’s technology to be far superior to that of its ancestors. Thank goodness for that! Some of the technologically based gifts teens are asking for this year include Mini iPad, Nook, Smart Phones and iPod touch.
One may ask, “Is all this technology a positive influence?” Or is there something to be said of the simplicity of our past? Just sitting down reading a good book, playing board games with your friends, or tearing up the hills on your BMX bike gives an equal if not significantly greater amount of enjoyment than playing on electronic devices.
As one Morgan County mom says, “We just didn’t have the kind of technology that we have today when we were kids. We didn’t really need it! I think that teens today are always needing electronics to keep them constantly occupied.”
As a teen, I believe technology is naturally a part of any 21st century teenager’s life. Computers, music and movies constantly surround us, so no wonder that’s what we ask for when we write our wish lists. But my mother always tells me, “Everything in moderation.” I believe this is a very true statement, especially when talking in terms of technology.
So this year, when dreaming up your Christmas wish lists, maybe consider a good book— or a new pair of leg warmers to use when you’re surfing the Internet.
And whatever you do decide to wish for this Christmas, keep in mind that the true meaning of Christmas is to spend time with family and friends that you love. May you have a happy holiday and Merry Christmas!
Madison Beardall is a junior at Morgan High School. Email her at mjbqtpie@yahoo.com.
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