Waking up on Christmas morning, and opening gifts is the most exciting part for many kids. In the holiday tradition, the Forest Fire asked students to recall their favorite gifts, and what made them special.

Sports are popular among many, and a memory and a passion were formed when junior Kenneth Murillo received a soccer ball.

“It started my love for soccer,” Murillo said.

Dressing up in fancy clothes is a fun tradition for young kids, especially for junior Olivia Speight.

“When I was really little, I loved to dress up, and one year I got a whole box full of dress up clothes and princess outfits,” Speight said.

For sophomore Jack Isley his favorite gift was given to him just recently.

“Last year, when I was just a child of the age 15, I received a Survivor flag. That was the best gift I could ever ask for because I know everything about the show, and when I am 18 I will go on it and win,” Isley said.

While some students said they loved smaller, sentimental gifts, freshman Allison Watkins’ could drive her toy.

“When I was about four, I got this really cool princess car, and me and my sister were set on driving it to McDonald’s,” Watkins said.

Like Watkins, sophomore Bryan Marshall asked for that one “big gift,” and his was a gateway to more independence.

“One of my favorite childhood toys was a bike. It seems silly now. But at the time it was a taste of freedom,” Marshall said.

A popular toy among many kids are dolls. This was the case with freshman, Karolanne Ransdell.

“I remember I used to love American Girl dolls. Every year for Christmas it was all I asked for,” Ransdell said. “I would get like three American Girl dolls with houses and everything and play with them all the time. My cousins and my little sister would always get different and cool gifts, but I just got dolls because it’s all I wanted.”

Many kids look to others and want similar gifts. For sophomore Clayton Dowdle that’s what made her excited when she received her favorite childhood toy.

“When I got my Littlest Pet Shop dogs on Christmas, I was so jealous that everyone had them in school except for me, but I finally got them,” Dowdle said.

Some of the best gifts you may not even know how to use, like when freshman Anna Thomas received a keyboard for Christmas.

“Even though I couldn’t play, I enjoyed the keys and tunes it created when I messed with a key,” Thomas said.

Like many others, freshman Ethan Garcia will always remember his first video game.

“My favorite gift was when I got my blue Nintendo D.S. I got two games with it. It was “Lego Star Wars” as well as “Cars D.S.” It was special to me because it was my first game console. I got it when I was eight years old,” Garcia said.

While many toys are fun, some tend to have more meaning than others. Gifts with meaning are the ones that are special to senior Amy Clopper.

Clopper said, “My favorite toy was a teddy bear from my brother. It was nice because it was my favorite color at the time. It reminds me that he’ll always be with me even when I’m off at college. The distance between us won’t feel like as much.”