Family and travel are top of kids’ festive wish list
THERE’S a certain sense of clarity gained from talking to children. Their ideas are almost genius in their simplicity, each one completely devoid of the nuances and complicated addenda of adult conversation.
The pupils in third-class at Cork City’s St Maries of the Isle are no different, so if they want something they’ll ask for it, and if they’re sad they’ll tell you why.
Nandita, for example, was extremely candid about her reasons for wanting to travel to India: Her great-grandmother is having both her legs amputated and Nandita wants to be there for her.
Immediately after this heartrending admission, Nandita announces she also wants it to snow... and if two puppies manage to find their way to her, she won’t complain.
Similarly, Jamie talks about losing his mother and his Christmas wish for Lego, and Huriye says she wants three Husky puppies and for her grandmother to still be alive.
Their straight-talking manner is refreshing; the majority of adults would be too embarrassed to talk about their hopes and dreams with a complete stranger, not to mention letting someone know about family deaths or illnesses.
Family and travel soon emerge as the main themes of the children’s Christmas wishes, largely due to the class’s multicultural status.
Eldhose and Nandita are both from India, Petar is Serbian and Danielis is Lithuanian.
Even more have parents of different nationalities: Dheelan’s parents are from Mauritius, Amro’s are from Sudan and Soraya’s are from the Congo. Sophia’s mother hails from Spain, her dad is American, and Elizabed’s parents are from Greece and Georgia.
Poland, Turkey, Russia and Cuba are also represented.
The influence of such a broad mix of nationalities is clear: A lot of the kids said they wanted nothing more than to travel, to the country of their birth, the countries where their parents were born, or to places their classmates talk of so passionately.
Clodagh, for example, wants to travel to India to ride an elephant. She’s never been there before, but has heard her friends Eldhose and Nandita talking about it and has made up her mind that India is the place for her.
Danila, meanwhile, wants to learn how to fly a plane — not just so he can fulfil his dream of being a “soldier pilot”, but so he can travel easily between Cork and Russia.
Even more wished to see faraway relatives, some deceased, over the holidays, in a brief but heartwarming sojourn from more material objects.
Bartosz’s grandfather died before he was born, but he thinks they would have got along well and he wishes he could have met him.
Szymon also wants to see his granddad, while Stephen would like to visit his cousins in England. Danielis would like nothing more than to have his father come back from Lithuania, while almost all of Viktoria’s family is in Poland.
Of course, nobody can deny the allure of technology for long, with many children asking for a PlayStation, an Xbox or Xbox games and accessories.
Ellie, for example, comes from a large family and laments the fact her brothers all seem to muscle her out of the PS3 rotations, while Bartosz just wants an upgrade — his Xbox game tray is on the blink.
But more traditional presents are represented too: books and puzzles all rank highly on the most-wanted lists, as do puppies, puzzles and bikes, not to mention the ever-elusive prospect of a meet-and-greet with Santa Claus himself.
Of course, all that is old hat to Soraya, who says she met the big man last year. Cleverly, she refused to tell her classmates how to catch a glimpse of old Saint Nick, but it probably has something to do with an abundance of mince pies.
Maybe she’ll tell us all the secret next year.
Eldhose Reji
“My Christmas wish is that my granddad and grandma and my dad’s brother was alive. I also want a PS4 on Christmas and a Spider-Man suit and an Apple iPhone. I want to be in India for two years and I want our Christmas play to be the best.”
Dheelan Papiah
“All I want for Christmas is an Xbox 360 steering wheel with the Need for Speed: Most Wanted game as well as an Xbox controller. And my wish is for me and my family to go to France. To Paris.”
Szymon Szymankiewicz
“I want Lego on Christmas. I want a tablet and a PS Vita, but my Christmas wish is to see all Minecraft and Fifa Youtubers. And I want to see my grandad.”
Stephen O’Brien
“All I want for Christmas is a bike. And I want fighting DVDs and a football pitch. My wish is to see my cousins in England.”
Elizabed Nakasidou
“My Christmas wish is to go to Georgia forever, but I might come back for four years. I want a Monster High DVD player because I don’t have a TV at home but I do have discs.”
Karol Malecki
“I want for Christmas: Match Attacks and computer games, because I really, really like them. My Christmas wish is to see every Minecraft and Fifa YouTuber too.”
Soraya Lufuluabo
“I want a Frozen doll — Elsa and Anna. And a Barbie doll. And I want to see Santa again, because I met him last year.”
Jamie Daly
“I want my mom back. She died so I got adopted. And I want to go to Florida. I want Lego, I love Lego. And a surprise.”
Christina Heaphy
“I’m not sure what I want for Christmas. Maybe just a surprise."
Nandita Achsa Reji
“My Christmas wish is if I have two cute little puppies. And I like to go to India and meet my grandmother’s mum, because the doctor is going to take her two legs off. ”
Amro Amir
“My Christmas wish is to get a new house and go back to my home country. And for Christmas, I want an Xbox One and a steering wheel and a new BMX bike.”
Emil Tabachnic
“I wish I had a plane and I wish my friends can come to my house for Christmas. Oh, and I want to see Santa and to get a real dog and call him Floppy.”
Daniella Barry
“For Christmas, I would like my own pet rabbit, because I love rabbits. My Christmas wish is to go to Legoland and Disneyland, because I never went there.”
Eoin Boylan
“All I want for Christmas is a pet dog, because it’s a man’s best friend, and a bike, because it’s good exercise.”
Petar Rakas
“All I want for Christmas is a bike. My Christmas wish is for a new phone and Minecraft and an Xbox.”
Clodagh O’Neill
“My Christmas wish is to go to India to ride an elephant, because elephants are so cute. And I want a PlayStation, because I like it so much and I bet it will be so fun to play when you have nothing to do.”
Jade O’Connell
“All I want for Christmas is to see Hello Kitty. I wish I could live in China, so I could meet Hello Kitty.”
Ellie O’Callaghan
“All I want for Christmas is to get a PS3, because my brothers hog the one I have already. I have five brothers. And my Christmas wish is that I see my uncle, because I haven’t seen him in years.”
Bartosz Wujek
“My Christmas wish is to see my real grandad, because I never saw him before. I would also like an Xbox One, because they’re cooler and my Xbox 360 is broken.”
Viktoria Krzeslak
“My Christmas wish is to see Santa and Rudolph. I want snow and loads of presents. Nearly all my family’s in Poland and I want them to come to Ireland.”
Danielis Litvinovas
“To see Santa Claus. And I want to go to Cuba. I wish for lots of money and that my Dad will come back from Lithuania. I want lots of sweets and to get a bike for Christmas.”
Huriye Gulsum Acar
“The only thing I want is my grandma back alive, so my grandad will be happy again. All I want for Christmas is to be happy again. And I want a tree-house and three husky puppies, and to be rich. I would buy a big house and use half my money for people that need help.”
“My Christmas wish is to see Santa and see how his sleigh looks like. Oh, and I want a big bucket of sweets, a big puzzle and some books too.”
Danila Simkin
“My favourite wish is to be a soldier pilot when I grow up, but I also want to see Santa. For Christmas, I want a bike because I want to learn how to cycle to school.”
Petar Rakas
“All I want for Christmas is a bike. My Christmas wish is for a new phone and Minecraft and an Xbox.”
