As December wears on, many find themselves battling the snow, bundling under layers of clothes, and sipping hot chocolate in hopes of staying warm. Along with this chilly month, however, comes the Christmas celebration that fills souls everywhere with warming holiday cheer.

This year, many have already battled the crowds at Black Friday sales, and Santa is hard at work to make this Christmas special. So while dreams of iPads and gift cards dance in everyone’s heads, what was popular during the Christmas seasons of the recent past?

Christmas has traditionally been the season of giving. In the spirit of giving, many toys have gained popularity during the holiday season. Twenty years ago, Power Rangers dominated the holiday sales of 1993. The gift that topped the holiday gift lists in 2003 was Beyblade, a captivating spinning toy top. The year before, Bratz dolls became the new Barbie and a toy that every girl had to have.

Señora Pascual recently looked back on past Christmases and stated, “I remember when there was a big run for Cabbage Patch dolls and Tickle Me Elmo. People were waiting in line and pushing each other to get those.”

Nazareth students also fondly recall their childhood Christmas lists. Junior Rory Svoboda remembers “being super excited to get a Digi-draw.” Fellow juniors Maggie Harrington and Sydney Stancik look back on their holiday wishes. Harrington stated, “Every single year I wanted a laptop, and every single year I got the fake, plastic Barbie one.” Stancik also longed for the hot technology of the day and stated, “Fire-red Motorola Razr, all I wanted.”

In addition to gift-giving, the holiday season lends itself well to movie watching. The frosty air and snow covered grounds discourage many from leaving the toasty warmth of their homes and holiday classics, such as White Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street, brighten those cloudy days.

Junior Katie Hill enjoys Christmastime and the various festivities that accompany it. She stated, “I remember watching A Christmas Story with my family each year.” Freshman Jessica Sullivan also reminisced on her family’s Christmas traditions and stated, “I remember watching The Year Without a Santa Claus on TV and singing the songs from the movie around the house.”

Along with the holiday classics, many Christmas themed movies were released during the 2000s and planted holiday cheer in hearts everywhere. Among these movies were How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), It’s A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002), The Polar Express (2004), and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006).  The widely popular movie Elf was released in 2003, and now celebrates its ten year anniversary. Freshman Kelsey Cho is a fan of the movie and stated, “It’s so funny and never gets old. It’s becoming a classic.”

While it was entertaining to look back on Christmases past, it is important to remember what is timeless. Christmas always has been and always will be a time to get together with family and create new memories. So is the midst of decorating, caroling, and last minute Christmas shopping, remember the greatest gift of all- the memories that will last forever.