Holiday season is rolling around once more, and with it the need for presents! Gifts for kids are pretty easy… but with the arrival of the teenage years, personalities become developed, and it often feels challenging to find a suitable gift for loved ones.

So, what do teenagers really want? In a survey given to Clear Lake High School students, 11 categories were provided as gift options. Those categories were ‘Arts and Crafts Supplies,’ ‘Books,’ ‘Car/Bike,’ ‘Clothes/Bags,’ ‘Electronics/Video Games,’ ‘Food,’ ‘Makeup/Accessories,’ ‘Money/Gift Cards,’ ‘Musical Instrument/Albums/Subscription,’ ‘Puzzles/Board Games,’ and ‘Travel.’ Students were asked to pick the category that they most desired as a gift.

The results may surprise some. Of the 189 students who answered, 67 (35.45%) selected “Money/Gift Cards” as their most desired holiday gift. Coming in second place was “Clothes/Bags” with 36 (19.05%) responses. It turns out teenagers are quite practical. Though they may only be minors, they are still very aware of the versatility and freedom that money offers, and the utility and expression of clothing presents.

Taking a deeper dive into the data reveals some more (thankfully?) stereotypical preferences. Of those who picked ‘Electronics/Video Games,’ the majority were male. Of those who picked ‘Car/Bike,’ the majority were male. The top three categories males picked were ‘Money/Gift Cards,’ ‘Electronics/Video Games,’ and ‘Clothes/Bags.’ The top three categories females picked were ‘Money/Gift Cards,’ ‘Clothes/Bags,’ and ‘Makeup/Accessories.’ ‘Travel’ was fourth for both genders.

Don’t stress over the perfect gift for a teen. No matter what they are presented with, most teenagers are mature enough to demonstrate thanks and goodwill. But given the data, you can’t go wrong with a simple monetary gift!