A Macy’s Santa Shares the Most Popular Gift Request He Gets From Kids

More people may be buying their presents online, but the novelty of going to see Santa Claus in person is still going strong. You can’t replace the experience of bringing a young one, eyes wide open, to meet with the Kris Kringle.

The only thing that’s more entertaining than seeing a child’s face light up is hearing what they ask for. While we can’t bug Santa’s chair to hear all the answers, we did the next best thing and asked Macy’s very own St. Nick—and don’t worry, Macy’s assured us this is the one-and-only Santa.

We asked Santa what the most popular gift request that he received last year, since this season is far from being over. “The guitar, it’s a great gift for any child,” Santa, who’s conveniently spending time at the Herald Square Macy’s through the holiday season, told Apartment Therapy. “Children have such a strong interest in music. It’s one of the great things that brings people together.”

Guitar sales have grown consecutively over the last five years and are expected to continue through at least 2020, according to a report conducted by IBISWorld. These findings align with Mr. Claus’ feedback, and from the sound of it, that might not change this year.

What about the most popular gift historically? Santa’s response made us realize that despite all the technological advancements, classic toys stand the test of time. “Dolls and trains always delight children,” Santa said. “They are both produced items built by the elves in the workshop.”

While children are most likely requesting the more modern versions, there’s proof that adults continue to seek the classic toys that they grew up with. (The high prices of Beanie Babies, Barbies, and American Girl Dolls do not lie!) It looks like this pattern might live on for generations to come, if we had to guess.

Other than specific items, Santa said that kids often like to say, “Surprise me, Santa!” “Figuring out which toys would be the best to surprise each child is one of the highlights of my year,” Santa said. “Who doesn’t love a good surprise?”