Santa Claus has quite a few tall orders to fill - or at least, Amazon wish lists. While the Big Man is busy wrapping presents, parents are taking to social media to share in their holiday sticker shock over their kids’ Christmas wish lists.
A new TikTok trend invites parents to find community - and possibly voices of reason - while showing off what their own children are hoping to unwrap this holiday season.
"[My generation’s] Christmas lists were very simple because we had a Toys R Us catalog, and that's what you went through and picked out your Christmas list," said Kameron "KC" Johnson, a TikTok creator and comedian hailing from Springfield, Missouri.
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Johnson began posting his kids’ Amazon wish lists on his TikTok page - @realkcfunny - three years ago, poking lighthearted fun at the lengthy lists he received every year. He reached overnight internet stardom with his impeccable comedic timing and endless stream of content from his daughters.
Since then, parents have flooded the app with their own tales of the gifts their children are asking for - and some of the items are enough to make Santa’s head spin.
"One of my favorite things is that kids are sending items to their parents, and parents are sending the videos of me to their kids," said Johnson. "It’s a universal thing, like ‘my kid is just like every other average teenage girl’"
Johnson’s videos have showcased his daughters’ - ages 15 and 9 - wants for the holiday season. One of Johnson’s videos shows his daughter’s request for a box of glass, can-shaped cups - to which Johnson remarks that "she’s asking for dishes."
In another clip, he playfully roasts his daughters’ request for the viral LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask by saying, "I don’t know why she thinks she needs a sleeping mask for her lips - they never rest, she talks all the time".
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As 23% of buyers anticipate they will make a holiday purchase based on social media products, according to data released by WalletHub, the trend suggests platforms like TikTok have a considerable impact on what kids are asking for this year.
The hashtag #kidschristmasgifts has over 104.3 million views on the app, with posts ranging from parents showing off what wishes they fulfilled to crowdsourcing knowledge on the obscure requests they’ve been handed.
Videos of parents detailing the wants of Gen Z and Gen Alpha are dotted with requests for Drunk Elephant skincare, Ugg slippers and a fan-favorite - the $600 Dyson AirWrap.
"That thing is insane," Johnson told Fox News Digital. "What is happening with people's hair where it takes $600 worth of equipment? My daughter does way more [with her hair] than anyone else, but I can't imagine where $600 is worth it. So that's probably the most insane one."
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The viral Stanley drink tumbler, Byredo Tree House candle - made popular by Taylor Swift - and Lululemon Belt Bag have cemented their places on CNET’s list of top gifts for teens this year.
Unsurprisingly, the hottest items of 2023 are in lockstep with the current TikTok trends - with data from the Pew Research Center revealing that one in every five teens admit to being on the app ‘almost constantly’.
As the holiday season wraps up and millions of kids will tear into their brand new gifts, Johnson hopes to serve as the representation for parents' inner monologue as they virtually pull their hair out trying to make sense of the endless stream of requests based on viral trends.
Johnson has turned to the internet to say what most parents are likely feeling this time of year: "My daughter has a Christmas list - and I don’t get it".
