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Written by Dan Istvanik

2018 has been a year full of many ups and down in popular culture with the release of new movies, music, TV shows, and the continuing, growing trend of streaming services like Netflix. Each has influenced your family and children.

During this past Christmas shopping season, popular culture and media influenced clothes, toys, and other connected products.

So, we want to offer parents and families a quick, helpful tool to keep you aware of what is currently popular and “trending.”

#Trendingparenting is a quick monthly dose of help for parents to keep up with what is popular and going on in your kid’s world.

We know it can be difficult for parents at the end of a crazy holiday season to be fully aware of all the things going on in popular culture. That’s the reason why we created this resource for you!

Here are December’s lists of trends, with links to the original location of the information, if you have the time and would like to do more research.  This month we have even included a bonus list of trending and popular Christmas gifts – maybe you even purchased a few of them!

We have also included links at the end to websites to find helpful family-focused reviews and completely unedited lyrics.

As always, please keep in mind, this is real world information and unedited for you as parents.  Some of the content, topics, and lyrics may be offensive.

Trending Movies for Mid-December (According to Box Office Mojo)

  1. Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (PG)
  2. The Mule (R)
  3. Seuss’ The Grinch (PG)
  4. Ralph Breaks the Internet (PG)
  5. Mortal Engines (PG-13)

Trending Songs for Mid-December (According to Billboard, Hot 100)

  1. Thank U, Next – Ariana Grande
  2. Without Me – Halsey
  3. Sicko Mode – Travis Scott
  4. Happier – Marshmallow & Bastille
  5. High Hopes – Panic! At the Disco

Trending Most Downloaded Songs for Mid-December (According to Official Charts)

  1. Nothing Breaks Like a Heart – Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
  2. Sweet But Psycho – Ava Max
  3. The Power of Love – Dalton Harris featuring James Arthur
  4. Rewrite the Stars – James Arthur & Annie-Marie
  5. A Million Dreams – Pink

Trending TV Broadcast TV Shows for Mid-December (According to Neilsen)

  1. NBC Sunday Night Football
  2. Fox Thursday Night Football
  3. Sunday Night NFL Post-Game
  4. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Game
  5. 60 Minutes

Trending TV Shows on Social Media for Mid-December (According to Neilsen)

  1. WWE Monday Night Raw (USA)
  2. WWE SmackDown! (USA)
  3. The Voice (NBC)
  4. Love and Hip Hop (VH1)
  5. Riverdale (The CW)

Trending Video Games Bought for Console and PC for Mid-December (According to Neilsen)

  1. Red Dead Redemption 2
  2. Kingdom Hearts III
  3. Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
  4. Resident Evil 2
  5. Fortnite

Trending YouTube Videos for Mid-December (According to YouTube)

  1. Our Cats: 3 (the Odd 1’s Out)
  2. The Birth of My Son! (Colleen Ballinger)
  3. Will Smith Grunts (Jacks Films)
  4. The Problem with YouTube Remind! (Marques Brownlee)
  5. The Real YouTube Rewind 2018: Year End Mash-Up (The Real Alyson Stoner)

Trending Free iTunes Apps For Mid-November (https://www.apple.com/itunes/charts)

  1. TikTok: Real Short Videos
  2. YouTube
  3. Instagram
  4. Snapchat
  5. Messenger

 Trending Free iTunes Apps for Mid-December  (https://www.apple.com/itunes/charts)

  1. Tomb of the Mask
  2. Go Fish
  3. Hello Stars
  4. Instagram
  5. Snapchat

Trending Paid iTunes Apps for Mid-December (https://www.apple.com/itunes/charts/paid-apps/)

  1. Minecraft
  2. Heads Up
  3. Plant Snap Plant
  4. Plague Inc.
  5. Human Anatomy

Trending Toys for Christmas 2018 (https://www.thetoyinsider.com/holiday_guide/hot-20/)

  1. Boxy Girls
  2. Harry Potter Wizard Training Wands
  3. HatchiBabies
  4. LOL Surprise Dolls
  5. Laser X Fusion

Trending Tween Tech Toys for Christmas 2018 (https://www.thetoyinsider.com/holiday_guide/tech-12/)

  1. Knex Thrill Rides
  2. Lego Batman App-Controlled Batmobile
  3. Sensors Alive
  4. Sky Viper Pro Video Drone
  5. Vex Boxing Robots

Helpful Resources Sites For Reviews and Research:

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Written by DAN ISTVANIK, who is our lead content writer and a 5th to 8th-grade pastor in Lancaster, PA. He has been working in youth ministry for over 22 years, serving churches in Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Virginia. He is a speaker, ministry coach, writer, and contributing to a variety of other great ministry resources. He shares daily middle school ministry specific resources, and hints on his own site “The Middle Years”  at middleyearsministry.com.

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