Trends Worth Watching

The trend-driven gift industry takes its cues from the larger world of pop culture, including what Americans are wearing, eating, watching, and doing. Here are some recently reported currents.

• The family vacation is making a comeback. But unlike the holidays of old, the leisurely two-week trip has been replaced by extended weekend visits to relatives.
• The cocooning trend will fade as Americans break out of their homes and enjoy more of the outside world (at least that part of it free of terrorists).
• The television broadcast networks see redemption in the innocence of past decades. Their fall lineups include remakes of Dragnet, Family Affair, and The Twilight Zone, as well as two shows set in the 1960s.
• The kitschy colors, baubles, and flamboyant designs epitomized in India's "Bollywood" films are making their way into American fashion and makeup.
• The video game industry is booming. Game software sales last year were $6.4 billion, compared with Hollywood's box office take of $8.35 billion. The reason? Enhanced technology makes for more realistic renderings of characters and settings for the adventure, sports, and violence in the games. And then there's Laura Croft.