CARLTON FLETCHER: Do latest toys bring Christmas joy?

Toys, toys, in the attic.

— Aerosmith

I have a theory that you can tell a whole lot about a generation by taking a look at its favorite toys. The things that parents buy for their children to occupy their free time offers a glimpse of the mindset not just of the youngsters but their moms and dads as well.

Senior citizens several generations back who wax nostalgic about their younger days speak rapturously of the time they spent hula hooping, yoyoing, bouncing on a pogo stick, magically copying the latest episode of “Peanuts” from the Sunday “funny papers” onto Silly Putty, or seeing how many combinations you can create with the eyes, nose, mouth and ears of Mr. Potato Head.

Those just reaching the grandparent years, in turn go on and on about GI Joes, Barbies, Tinker Toys, electric football sets, Matchbox cars, Easy Bake Ovens, Frisbees and, inexplicably, Slinkies. (Perhaps because they’re fun for girls and boys?)

With each passing generation, the toys become more complex, more indicative of the times they came into prominence. Videogaming systems, “action figures” from the latest blockbuster movie, motorized skateboards, remote controlled cars, helicopters or airplanes, Hot Wheels, Leg-O’s, paintball weapons, robot animals, Tickle me Elmos, Furbies and the like became the “must” toys each Christmas season, and parents — afraid to disappoint — would go to extreme measures to get the toys manufacturers had cleverly convinced kids they couldn’t live without.

(The above scenario, by the way, has been the plot of virtually every sitcom ever produced, with the exception of maybe “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “M*A*S*H.” Watching grown-ups fight over the last ridiculously named toy in scenarios that have escalated into full-on bloodbaths over the years apparently never grow old, at least not to the folks who make TV sitcoms.)

With the modern electronics age in full bloom, parents will have had to put off a few minor non-essential expenses during the year — such as eating meals, buying new clothes, getting tires for the car, scheduling surgeries — and maybe donated a few pints of bodily fluids to afford the “it” toys of the season. With hover boards, video drones, any doo-dad that has the words “Star Wars” or “Jurassic World” on the box — gotta love the mini-BB8s — and the ever-expanding cellphone options, being a “good parent” circa 2015 is going to cost you.

Of course, from generation to generation the story is pretty much always the same: The got-to-have toy of the Christmas season is pretty much forgotten two weeks later, sitting in some forgotten corner collecting dust while mom and dad search for a second — or third — job to prepare for Christmas 2016.

No one can be too hard on the overindulgent parents who try to cater to their offsprings’ wishes, though, especially those adults who felt they missed out on being cool when they were denied the gotta-have toys of their generation. It’s just that the reality of the situation is that everyone would end up happier if they just broke this cycle of madness and used a little common sense when cutting a deal with Santa.

Because the irony of the whole real-life Christmas toy story is that, even after parents go deep into debt to placate their spoiled kids during the holidays, those kids are actually happier when they get tried-and-true personal gifts that show mom and dad have been paying attention to the things that really make them happy. Generation after generation, gifts given with love are always the favorites.

Oh, and puppies … and horses … and that helicopter that flies all over the mall but crashes and explodes on its maiden voyage in the real world.