Wish List 2023: Here Are Illinois’ Most Wanted Christmas Gifts

Holiday shopping for everyone on your gift list can be a bit stressful at times, especially when it's about a week before Christmas and you find yourself still racking your brain trying to figure out what those people would really like.

When it gets to that point, just go with cash or a gift card because it's too late in the game to keep strolling through store aisles or scrolling through your favorite online shopping spot's "last minute" offerings.

This year, as I write this, we're exactly 3 weeks from Christmas Day and you still have time to actually find something cool without having to resort to cash/gift cards, so let's see what Illinoisans want this year.

My Kids Are Grown Now, So The Last Time I Really Paid Attention To What The Hottest Toys Were, Tickle-Me Elmo Was The Toy That People Were Punching Each Other To Get

Nothing really encapsulates the "spirit of giving" quite like brawling with someone in a toy store aisle over a Muppet, but that's what was happening in 1996. How bad did it get?

Wikipedia:

The scarcity of the new toy provoked a "shopping frenzy". Two women were arrested in Chicago for fighting over the doll, while in New York City some people ran after delivery trucks hoping to get their hands on Elmo before it reached stores.

A clerk working at a Wal-Mart store in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada was among those injured by "Elmo-mania". During a Midnight Madness sale on December 14, a crowd of 300 stampeded down the aisle after spotting him being handed a box of the toys by another employee. Trampled, he suffered "a pulled hamstring, injuries to his back, jaw and knee, a broken rib and a concussion".

It Doesn't Seem As Though There Are Any Holiday Gifts This Year That People Are Willing To Resort To Violence To Obtain, But It's Early...

I know I mentioned cash or gift cards as a last resort for some people when they're trying to complete their shopping, but according to Statista.com, money is the number-one most desired holiday gift, with over 43% of people hoping that they'll unwrap some cash. Gift cards are #2, favored by 38%.

Following cash or gift cards is:

• Clothing and shoes (35%)
• Cosmetics/body care (24%)
• Food and drinks (23%)
• Smartphones, tablets or accessories (23%)
• Jewelry/Watches (20%)
• Books/E-Books (20%)
• Travel (17%)
• Consumer Electronics (16%)