Christmas is rapidly approaching and while kids get excited about sending their ever-growing lists off to the North Pole so Santa Claus can check them twice, adults are left feeling a little uninspired.
Our sensible heads start creeping in at the young age of just 17, when most of our wish lists turn from magical to mundane, according to new findings from LEGO.
Half of British adults (52%) hold their hands up and confess that their Christmas wish lists aren’t full of diamonds and race cars but “unexciting” and practical gifts, blaming adulthood for their lack of ideas. This has led to 63% of grown-ups admitting that they haven’t enjoyed a Christmas surprise in the last two years.
More than three in four Brits (86%) fear their list reflects their personality as they opt for sensible choices like books, candles, and socks. But, eight out of 10 (80%) admit they wish their lists were a bit more exciting.
Long gone are the days of circling your favourite choices in the Christmas catalogues, now, adults are bogged down with the day-to-day practicalities, with just 27% allowing themselves one ‘indulgence’ on their wish list.
Kids, however, are far more imaginative and less restricted with toys, video games, and clothes, topping the requests in their letters to Father Christmas this year. And while they might let their imaginations run wild, with requests for a ‘car with wings’ and a ‘rainbow unicorn’, the thrill comes from tearing the wrapping open, with nine out of 10 kids claiming it’s more fun than the presents themselves.
Parents will be thankful for this as 85% of adults have claimed that money and the cost of living will mean they’ll have to be more practical when it comes to Christmas gifts for the whole family this year.
To bring a bit of fun and imagination back into Christmas for everyone, LEGO has created Wonder Lists, which gives kids a chance to reimagine boring adults’ Christmas lists to be in with a chance of winning fun prizes.
Kuran Sharma, head of marketing for UK & Ireland at The LEGO Group, says: “It’s no secret that the older we get, the more likely we are to lose that child-like wonder we once had when it came to writing our Christmas wish lists. Understandably, the stresses of adult life can mean our playfulness and creativity take a back seat, but this Christmas, we want to send everyone a reminder that there is an inner child living within us all. What better way to do that than by challenging kids to use their Superpower of Play to give our boring Christmas wish lists a fun revamp!”
From November 19-29, LEGO Wonder Lists is giving kids the chance to reimagine boring adult wish list items for the chance to win prizes – including the chance to have their creation turned into a real-life LEGO build. Simply visit here or the LEGO Play app to enter. You can also head down to two exclusive LEGO post boxes to find out more, located at LEGOLAND Windsor Resort and the LEGO Store in the Trafford Centre, Manchester, for a limited time.
Aaron Sigger from the LEGO fan community, Northern Brickworks, which has over 400 members and will be responsible for translating the kids creative ideas into LEGO brick form, added: “It’s so great to see children using their imagination and creativity to remind adults of the importance of play, and what better way to bring their amazing ideas to life than by using LEGO bricks to build their creations?! We are so excited to put our building skills to the test to make kids’ dreams become a reality, and we’re sure we’ll have some fun in the process. We hope our LEGO Wonder List build provides a symbolic reminder of the importance of play this Christmas, no matter what your age!”