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All I want for Christmas is a daddy: UK kids add a ‘father’ on wish list

Published time: December 25, 2012 09:41
Edited time: December 25, 2012 16:52
Reuters / Lucy Pemoni
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While most children look for toys and gadgets on Christmas day, some are looking for something a little longer lasting. A survey by a major shopping mall in the UK shows the tenth most popular Christmas gift for children is a dad.

­The survey of children aged three to 12 years showed trendy toys, blockbuster games, electronic devices and even pets – were all left behind by one steady request, that of a father.   

While some have put a new baby brother or sister at the top of their Christmas list, a request for a "mum" has only reached number 23 on the list, The Telegraph reported.

Of the top 50 Christmas requests, some 17 reportedly related to pets and animals, with some children asking Santa for a donkey or an elephant.

While smart phones and tablet computers remained permanent fixtures of the wish list, some kids immodestly asked for the moon and a time machine.

One child raised eyebrows when he asked Santa for Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria.


Teens tempted in 2 directions


When it comes to teenagers, it is the latest electronic gadgets that define their holiday requests.


Tablets, laptops and cell-phones rule the day.

Also, more than 80 per cent of teens in UK said decorations “are a must”, according to Research Now and K&A BrandResearch that surveyed teenagers between 12-17 years of age.

However, a major concern with teenagers this holiday season is underage drinking.

A growing number of disturbances have been reported in the time leading up to Christmas.

Over the last couple of years there has been an increase in the number of alcohol-related injuries in the UK, putting a strain on hospitals and police this time a year, reports Sara Firth from Newcastle. 

On the weekend before Christmas, residents of Newcastle have a day nicknamed black-eye Friday, reference to a number of fights that break out there due to obsessive drinking.

Drink Aware has rolled out a campaign warning people about how much they drink over the holiday period and cautioning them to be responsible.

The main problem however is that the young people are “preloading” on alcohol before going out, and arriving at parties already under the influence of alcohol. 

You can also view the video of Sara Firth’s full report here.

Comments (7)

Briton (unregistered) 28.12.2012 00:33

What stupid comments about homosexuals, from certain people. They are not the cause of this. It's the culture of promiscuity, illegitimacy, teenage pregnancy, the breakdown of families and the acceptance of being a single mother as a lifestyle choice, in the UK. This leads to a lot of unmarried women and teenage girls having children without a care. They know that if they do, they can rely on the state to provide for them so they do not have to work or do anything to improve their situation; all paid for by taxpayers. There is actually an incentive to become an unmarried, single mother. Those women don't really care about their illegitimate children, they see them as cash cows because, the more they produce, the more state benefits they can receive, paid for by taxpayers. Another factor is that marriage and commitment are no longer valued by many British people. These are becoming less popular in society so, a lot of people treat relationships and sex, casually. Many people don't consider it important to have long-term relationships.
Al l of this is encouraged and reinforced by the clueless legal system which ensures that in practice, men have less rights to be part of their children's lives than women. A lot of men can't get access to their children after the relationship with the children's mother breaks down. Even when a court orders it, it is not enforced in many cases. Many unmarried mothers deliberately prevent access or play games to make it as difficult as possible, while the legal system enforces no kind of sanctions against them, for doing so.
All of these things happen while many single mothers don't even consider how the absence of their illegitimate children's fathers, affects the children. They don't care how it affects their children, all they care about is what they want; being a single mother as a lifestyle choice.

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Clair (unregistered) 26.12.2012 07:52

what do you expect in a society when adult people while being in their 30s-60s call themselves BOYfriend- GIRLfriend :)

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duncan lucas-registered 25.12.2012 21:47

EURASIAN= Very brave of you posting the truth. I think the same.Some dont like to admit that in this "new age"The male is squeezed out of adverts made to look stupid and is now second class. And yes homosexuals are being put forward by the Media.Its time to start a maleist organisation.PC is now no1 in this country=letter after letter=regarding adoption in the news papers say if you smoke /dont approve of homosexuals/are a member of a church/too fat/dont "conform" to their standards you cant adopt.This shows you the type of people in charge of the adoption services.

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