Everything I want for Christmas is in this 18-slide presentation

Every year, Michelle Miller-McNair asks her three children to make lists of what they want for Christmas. “They usually write it down on a piece of paper or send me a link to a website,” she said.

But this holiday season, Ms. Miller-McNair, a comedian from Mooresville, N.C., received something different: an 18-slide PowerPoint presentation with photos, links and QR codes. It was made by one of her daughters, McKinley.

“I worked on it during school and also when I was at a friend’s house,” said McKinley, 13. “It took me about two hours in total.”

The slideshow featured Panda Dunks (black and white Nike sneakers), makeup and a Kendra Scott necklace. She marked high-priority items with stars. Before handing her wish list to her parents after dinner one weeknight, she practiced going through her pile.

“I thought about what I was going to say for each slide,” McKinley said.

Her mother was impressed.

“She gave me reasons why she not only wants these things, but actually needs them,” said Ms. Miller-McNair, 40. “She had these Uggs, flip-flops, and she said she had to put them on when she was done with basketball practice so she wouldn’t ruin her basketball shoes.”

Let’s hope Santa is tech savvy. Kids have long used Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides for gift requests and school projects, but this year’s lists seem more comprehensive than ever, with links, photos, decorative themes and QR codes. A number of recent TikTok videos show teens walking their parents through gift requests in meetings that resemble corporate sales pitches.

Madison Earl, from Brighton, Michigan, was recently part of the audience for a 12-slide presentation put together by her 14-year-old niece.

“I have a background in marketing,” said Ms. Earl, a medical spa director, “and this was a very high-tech presentation, with hyperlinks and color coding and all that. I was really surprised that she was able to figure out how to do all this. I thought, ‘Good for her, if this is how she wants to spend her time.’

Ms. Earl, 30, noted that her grandfather, who also attended the presentation, was particularly amused by the high-tech slide show. “He said, ‘Oh my God, kids these days,’” she said.

Alyson, a 14-year-old from Topeka, Kansas, used the PowerPoint skills she learned in school to create a card game for Christmas. “I had nine slides and they were divided into different categories, like ‘jewelry’ or ‘clothing,’” she said. “I changed the way each slide appeared so that it came from different directions, and I used colorful backgrounds.”

Her mother, Samantha Ralph, 33, who works in human resources at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said she appreciated the work that went into the slides. “It made it a lot easier, so we didn’t have to guess brands,” she said.

She also thought the presentation – which connected her daughter to the family television via Bluetooth – provided a nice holiday memory for the family. “It was really nice to see her put all that dedication into something,” she said. “It brought us all together and took a moment out of our busy day.”

Alyson seemed ready to create more PowerPoints in the future. “Maybe I’ll do this again for my birthday,” she said. “Or when I apply to college.”

However, elaborate digital presentations may not be the best way to secure gifts from more analog-minded family members. Peyton Chediak, 22, a college student in Orange County, California, said she received some criticism after presenting her Hanukkah list in a PowerPoint.

“Some family members, especially my dad and cousins, were like, ‘Wow, this is a lot,’ or ‘Wow, this is kind of ridiculous,'” she said. “I’m like, ‘I know, but I’m extra.'”

Mrs. Miller-McNair, the mother in North Carolina, noted that her daughter’s PowerPoint was not a hit with everyone in the extended family.

“McKinley went to her grandparents’ house and tried to send them the presentation, but they had no idea what it was,” she said. “They said, ‘Can you just write this down?'”

But McKinley’s strategy was generally effective.

“She was so bold and I was impressed that she went so far,” Ms Miller-McNair said. “She gets things off the list.”