By Angelina Carini
Students remember presents from Christmas past and conclude that the excitement of Santa and toys has been replaced by the Grinch of practicality.
'I will always remember the year when I got a microscope,' said Michael Stanfill, 21, a sophomore from Duxbury, Mass., majoring in information systems.
'It came in a wooden box with all the things a young scientist needed to start,' Stanfill said.
He said now he receives more practical things.
Christmas doesn''t have the magic it had when he was a kid, Stanfill said, but he still has the microscope.
Elaine Nuzzaco, 23, a senior from Leesburg, Va., majoring in English teaching, said she remembers receiving a dollhouse, a Cabbage Patch Kid, a Poochi stuffed dog and other popular toys at that time.
Her family''s tradition of giving a box of Crayola crayons and a new coloring book each Christmas stayed constant throughout her childhood, Nuzzaco said.
'My parents always saved the best present for last. It got you worried, like ''oh my gosh! They didn''t get it for me!'',' she said.
She said gift receiving from her family isn''t as exciting as it used to be, but she gets the stuff she needs.
'Last year I got thermal underwear, nylons and three sets of mittens and hats,' she said.
Nathan Theurer, 21, a junior who has not yet declared a major from Wilbraham, Mass., said he always made sure he got exactly what he wanted for Christmas when he was a kid.
'I wrote two separate lists - one mailed to Santa and one to my parents,' Theurer said.
But one thing was always sure to be under his Christmas tree - new, festive pajamas, he said.
'Clothes are the worst gift for a kid because they don''t care what they wear; they just want to play,' Theurer said.
Troy Robinson, 21, a sophomore studying chemical engineering from Claremont, Calif., said that as he has grown up, his tastes and the presents he receives have, too.
Gone are the roller-skates and baseball gloves. Robinson said he now gets CDs, books and clothes.
Ben Johnson, 24, a senior from Idaho Falls, majoring in chemistry, said he used to receive toys, action figures, and sports equipment.
'I haven''t changed much, I guess. I still get lots of sports equipment,' he said.
However, the baseballs, basketballs, and footballs have been replaced with skiing accessories, Johnson said.
'Everything that I get, I don''t have to buy,' he said.
Sean Jefferies, 28, a graduate student from West Jordan studying computer science, said he couldn''t remember what gifts he got as much as he recalls the family gatherings, friends and traditions from past Christmases.
'That''s what really mattered to me,' he said.