Holiday 2009 Gift Show at the Marriott Marquis - A Preview of Gifts, Future

It was sunny and warm outside on Broadway, but inside, in the ballroom at the 2009 Holiday Gift Guide Show in the ballroom of the Marrriot Marquis Times Square, the focus was all on Winter and Holiday Gift Ideas you'll be seeing in the stores, when Fall arrives!

The Holiday Gift show, produced by Propel Media Events, is a tabletop exhibition that allows exhibitors to have personal "face time" with the likes of journalists like me, who review products and want to know what's going to be "hot" for the 2009 holiday season. It was my first time at this event, and I found it fascinating. There were dozens of exhibitors displaying everything from lighted kiddie toothbrushes, to tricked-out toy cars (from RIDEMAKERZ ) that you can make "come to life" on the Internet, to high-tech electronics, and even some food and beverages, in the mix.






Just about the first person I spied when I walked in the door was Kumar Ramani from Ageless Fantasy, which I blogged about last February and worse constantly during Fall 2009 Fashion Week. He has a new fragrance called Eau Flirt that's not quite ready for review yet, but I promise that I WILL be writing about it when it's available.









When you're buying a gift for someone, whether it's for the holidays or "just because," it is good to give an item that the recipient of your gift will really like and use. For example, the violet Zapi toothbrush sanitizer (srp. $29.95) comes in a number of colors and truly keeps the germs off your toothbrush in about 7 minutes. There's a travel toothbrush sanitizer (last time I opened my travel kit my toothbrush bristles were an ugly brown--and there wasn't another store around to purchase a new one). There's a sanitizer for razors, too. Wouldn't that be perfect for your favorite road warrior?






Jewelry is always a welcome gift, but Kameleon Interchangeable Jewelry features sterling silver, precious stones, crystals, and cubic zirconia. The designs are pretty, but there's a twist: the "jewel pops" literally pop out of the setting so you can switch between 200 colors and types as you choose. Just pop out one jewel, put in another. It's clever, and fun. I hope to review this line in greater detail in the not too distant future, as well.






The nice people at Max Borges Agency is a technology-focused public relations and marketing firm. I loved some of the innovative products they were featuring, including the Livio Radio, that plays Internet radio stations like Pandora, allowing you to personalize your listening experience with a "Thumbs Up" or "Thumbs Down" button, among other things. They had great headphones, too. Some of these will make coveted Christmas gifts. Watch this blog in the future for reviews of some of these unique items!










The Three Kings company looked like it was offering peanut brittle, but these bowls are not filled with food. They are actually filled with genuine myrrh and frankincense that you can burn for their ancient and beautiful fragrances. The company packages these precious items in a variety of beautiful containers. They also feature gifts like "snow globes" filled with precious gold flakes. These are perfect holiday gifts.






I also liked the products from Staples (showcasing holiday gifts such as Nikon Pocket cameras and personalized stationary); unique lighting products from Sylvania (including the bowl in this photo, that offers a light show of changing colors and is still functional as a regular, washable, bowl); organic products and tinted lip balms for active people from Joshua Tree Products; and for the ladies, Epilady products. I have to be honest, my last experience with the Epilady hair removal tool was a painful one. But that was long, long ago. There are quite a variety of Epilady hair removal tools to tackle virtually every hair on your body. I was assured that the new designs are not only effective, but pleasant to use. I hope to report on these in the not-too-distant future as well.

The Advice Sisters always try to keep you ahead of the curve when it comes to new products on the market. Some of the products I saw today aren't going to be available for a few months, but as they arrive, we will review them!