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There was no shortage of great ideas at this year's Holiday Gift Guide Media Event as the aisles were brimming with unique products sure to add a bounty of holiday cheer to anyone's shopping list.
Due on retail shelves for fall, the products ranged from toys, housewares, electronics, specialty food items and desserts, customizable books and jewelry.
Heading to toy aisles are a range of Barbie themed electronics from Oregon Scientific including a B-Smart Barbie Laptop (5+) with 70 English and 10 Spanish activities and the Little Learning Laptop (3+) where girls can enjoy eight interactive educational activities and games. Tinker Bell will also be featured on a Pixie Hollow Laptop (5+), Pixie Hollow Learning Laptop (3+) as well as a Pixie Pocket Learner (3+).
Preschoolers will love Sesame Street: A-to-Zoo Adventure and Sesame Street: Cookie's Counting Carnival, two early development games from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment available on the Wii, PC and DS. Each Wii and DS game includes a gameplay helper, a soft and fuzzy character cover with special grips that slips over the Wii remote and a jumbo click stylus for DS fans.
Out of the Box Publishing added 10 Days in Americas and Pirate versus Pirate to its lineup as well as Word on the Street Junior and Word on the Street Party Case. Card game 7 Ate 9 and Shake 'n Take round out the six new offerings.
Kids of all ages can learn the value of doing a good deed with Boom Boom! Cards, a set of 26 cards from Boom Boom Revolution with an act of kindness on each one. People are encouraged to do a card, post their experience on the website's map (www.boomboomcards.com), then give the card away for someone else to use. Each time the card is used, the person gets notified. There is a family deck, teen deck, green deck and original deck which retail from $9.99 to $14.99.
Friends of Mel Foundation created Mel's Bracelet, a beautiful beaded bracelet in memory of Mel Simmons with proceeds donated to cancer research, education and patient support.
For candy lovers, Mars readies MY M&Ms Chocolate Candies including personalized packaging with customizable messages; personalized gifts, like a candy dispenser with a favorite photo printed on the glass; personalized favors and two holiday-themed gift boxes, glass gift bowl and a teddy bear.
Sweet on cupcakes? Saint Cupcake (www.saintcupcake.com) makes sending customizable cupcakes a piece of cake with kits that allow customers to choose the flavor, icings and sprinkles in sets of 3,6 and 12. The site also offers party supplies such as a make-your-own party banner and handmade tissue poms.
Other great online gifts for foodies include cookies for a koz (www.cookiesforakoz.com) where more than a handful of delicious chocolate chip cookies (including white chocolate raspberry and red velvet) can be ordered. Ten percent of the purchase price goes directly to Starlight, a charity that improves the quality of life for children with serious medical conditions.
Fans of top notch extra virgin olive oil and homemade specialty food items must check out www.globalgardensonline.com where they can purchase everything from dark balsamic fruit vinegars such as raspberry and fig as well as meyer lemon extra virgin olive oil. All the outstanding items are also available at the retail store located in Los Olivos, Calif.
Did you know that buying jewelry can be good for you? Especially if it's Count Me Healthy Jewelry, the first health journal for the wrist. Women select a goal and assign a counting value to each bead. Each time they achieve a goal, they can slide a bead over to mark the accomplishment. The bracelets ($80 to $120) are available in themes such as Mommy & Me, Golf Goddess, Happy and Blessed, Bride-To-Be, My Bridesmaid's Bracelet, Helping Hearts and Counting for a Cause, both part of the collection benefitting heart disease and breast cancer research.
Keeping personal items safe is a challenge that the creators over at The Racktrap (www.theracktrap.com) have tackled with a one-size-fits all bra pocket that holds everyday necessities. The Racktrap is available in a fashion three-pack of black, white and nude lace ($15.95) as well as a water-resistant sport version ($9.95) or a special edition gold ($7.95).
U Novels (www.ustarnovels.com) lets consumers unleash their inner hero or heroine by letting them take their favorite classic novels ($24.95) and change the main characters to include friends, family members or even work colleagues. Books such as Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, Little Women, Peter Pan or A Christmas Carol can be personalized with a new cover title along with a dedication inside the front of the book. The company also offers romance novels ($39.95) that contain much spicier content.
Creative types can also get their blurb on with blurb.com, a publishing platform that enables anyone to design, publish, share, promote and sell bookstore quality books.
