Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Trends, April 10, 2000

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, April 10, 2000 | 9:12 a.m.

Better to give

Who presented you with the best gift you've ever received? What gift most effectively says "I love you"? Are you guilty of re-gifting (re-wrapping a gift you've received and giving it to someone else)?

These are the types of questions posed in the "America: Unwrapped" survey, recently conducted for the Society of American Florists. The findings? Clothing, jewelry and -- surprise! -- flowers top the list of most popular gifts given in America. Another shocker: Flowers and houseplants were named by 37 percent of respondents as the best gift for expressing love.

Now this really is surprising: Women are more likely than men to re-wrap a gift and give it away. At the same time, 56 percent said the best gift they ever received came from a spouse, while 11 percent reported it was from their mothers. Hmmmm.

Clothes, which 38 percent of people said they give most often, are also the most oft-returned gift (by 65 percent of people).

Cup or a cone?

There are a couple of ways to look at the prospect of winning ice cream for a year: You'll probably make a lot of new friends. And you'll probably need to buy a lot of new pants (to accommodate your new waist size).

The folks at Cold Stone Creamery hope none of these will keep people from entering its aptly-titled "Free Ice Cream for a Year" contest. The company, which has stores throughout Las Vegas, is asking "dessert-loving U.S. residents age 0 to 356" to submit a recipe featuring at least one of its ice cream or yogurt flavors, plus as many of its "mix-ins" (candies, fruits, sweet sauces and the like) as they wish.

The concoction ideas must be submitted by April 20 to Cold Stone Creamery outlets or its website, www.coldstonecreamery.com. One winner per creamery will be selected by random drawings on April 21. The grand prize winners will receive a free dessert of any size and combination of ice cream or yogurt plus two mix-ins -- once a day for a year, as well as have their dessert recipe posted on the "Wall of Fame" at each location.

Keep the dentist away

If the ice cream contest winner happens to be of the pint-sized set, they'll want to make sure to brush after indulging in their sweet, sticky prizes.

Fisher-Price to the rescue! The longtime toy manufacturer teamed with toothbrush maker Radius and has introduced a line of children's toothbrushes, perfectly sized for tiny hands and mouths.

The brushes, which feature fun, cartoonish designs and bright colors, are designed for youngsters ages 6 months (do they even have teeth?) to 7 years. And with good reason: According to Radius, 38 percent of children ages 2 to 9 have "early childhood caries" (decaying teeth). Many of the cavity-creating bacteria are inherited at birth and sustained by baby's sweet and salty diet.