Holiday shopping for anyone can prove to be quite the challenge, especially when that person seems to be a species entirely their own—and, what demographic embodies this condition more so than teenagers?

There seems to be a stigma in American society that adults simply don’t know how to connect with the teenagers in their lives, let alone shop for them. During the holiday season, many online magazines, blogs, and news sources like to update the general public on what sorts of gifts teenagers would love to receive that year, but seeing as these articles are primarily written, edited, and published by the same adults society enjoys clowning on, just how accurate are these lists of gifts? What do teenagers really want for the holidays?

Senior John Vera mentioned that, for the holidays, he was planning on asking for “a game or two,” such as the game “Pokémon: Shining Pearl,” the latest installment of the Pokémon remastered games. The game can be purchased for the Nintendo Switch.

Rae Brewer, also a senior, talked about how they’re asking for “new plants, paints, and some more yarn stuff for crocheting! As well as some new books.”

Another senior, Kaitlyn Peachey, commented that she wants “concert tickets. I haven’t decided on the band yet. And a turtleneck!”

Sophomore Cameron Horan explained how he’s going to ask for “a new hockey stick.”

These four students have a diverse range of presents they’re hoping for, so how can you be sure you’re getting the teenager (or teenagers) in your life gifts that they’d actually like to recieve? Well, as Brewer put it, “It definitely doesn’t hurt to ask!”

They continued by expounding, “All teens are different, so it’s better to ask than to guess; but, if you had to guess, think back to the last time you spoke with [the person you’re buying a gift for] or heard something about them, and try [getting a gift related to] that! It’s the thought that counts!”

Vera put forward, “In this day and age, most teenagers enjoy games,” so he “would tell [people shopping for teenagers] to get games or game-related things.”

Horan recommended people buy gift cards—even gift cards for gaming consoles, such as “Xbox gift cards,”—as well as “clothes,” since those are things a lot of teenagers wouldn’t mind receiving, as long as the gift cards and clothes were belonging to stores the person was actually interested in.

Similarly, Peachey remarked, “Honestly, teenagers are pretty easy to get gifts for. Just get them money or chocolate.  Or, if they don’t like chocolate, get them candy.”

So, while teenagers may seem to be incomprehensible, enigmatic anomalies, fit only of the title of aberrants, they are very much the same species as any other human, and should merely be treated as such. Teenagers really just want to know that you care, ergo, hobby-related gifts can go a long way with them. Or, just give them money and food. Everyone likes money and food.