Some children are using PowerPoint presentations to present "businesslike wish lists" to their parents for Christmas, according to a Wall Street Journal story.
"Holiday gift lists have gone high-tech," per the Journal. "Tweens and teens are learning how to use Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, Canva and other presentation software in school. Now, some of them are applying those skills in creative ways to pad their stockings or avoid the holiday dread of unwanted gifts."
"My family was starting to just give me money," Ben, a sixth grader who lives in Wantagh, N.Y., told the Journal. "This way I can tell them exactly what I want."
The trend has also received TV coverage, with NBC host Jenna Bush Hager recounting her 10-year-old daughter Mila making a PowerPoint presentation "to persuade her parents to let her have a Greenlight debit card, which teaches kids about money while letting parents monitor their spending," according to the article.
"She did a PowerPoint presentation on why she was responsible enough," Bush Hager, who is the co-host of "Today with Hoda & Jenna," said on a recent show. "And what chores she would do. And how she wanted to learn how to save. And how she wants to buy presents for her siblings at Christmas on her own."
Parents are feeling "a mix of pride and concern" over the new trend, the Journal wrote, as kids get a good opportunity to practice their public speaking and presentation skills, but it also presents a concern of creating entitlement in children.
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The Journal explained that adults are also crafting detailed presentations to make Christmas and holiday gift-giving easier for family members.
25-year-old Haley Bales "sent different Canva presentations to her husband, brother and sister for gift inspiration," also including "links to product pages to make shopping easy."
"My husband hates shopping so he really appreciated it," said Bales, who lives in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Some parents are reporting confusion over the trend, with a 13-year-old sharing a slide with her parents with $100 bills that read "slay," a popular slang term loosely meaning to be cool or to do well at something.
"Money is just sooooooo cool," the teenager said in an interview. "She also dedicated a slide to thanking her parents 'from the bottom of my heart,'" the Journal wrote.
