Teenagers are presenting Christmas wishlists, Powerpoint-style my daughter included

"Twas three weeks before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except for my 13-year-old daughter, who emerged from her lair with a level of vim uncommon in daylight hours. As she made her approach with laptop aglow, her droll little mouth was drawn up in a bow. It then became apparent that I was about to become the audience (some may say victim) of a recent cultural phenomenon: the Christmas wishlist slideshow."

"Graphic design platform Canva seems to be the tool of choice for many teenagers. Canva say the first Christmas wishlist template was added to their library in 2019. Since 2022, people have created more than 3.35m Christmas wishlist designs. Presentation-style wishlists have jumped 61% between 2024 and 2025, totalling 1.4m. Social media is awash with videos of exuberant adolescents in expensive sweatsuits making family presentations on huge TVs, along with countless tutorials on how to make them aesthetic"

"Suffice to say it was not visions of sugar plums that had been dancing in my daughter's head. Instead, I was treated to an initial collage of brands and stores that she holds in mysterious esteem, followed by a series of categorised slides covering the teenage perennials: clothes, jewellery, decor, beauty products and, thankfully, some books. While her slideshow featured images, inspo and prices, she refrained from the vulgarity of hyperlinks, which, judging by the online evidence, are a common addition."

Teenagers increasingly use Canva to produce Christmas wishlist slideshows that combine images, inspiration and prices into curated presentations. Canva added a wishlist template in 2019, and since 2022 more than 3.35 million wishlist designs have been created. Presentation-style wishlists rose 61% between 2024 and 2025, reaching 1.4 million. Social media amplifies the trend with videos of adolescents presenting on large TVs and tutorials on making designs aesthetic. Typical slides include brand collages and categorized sections for clothes, jewellery, decor, beauty products and books, and some creators add hyperlinks for convenience.

Read at www.theguardian.com