Need a little Christmas? HoHo Expo kick-starts the season

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Need a little Christmas? HoHo Expo kick-starts the season

Ready or not, the Christmas season has begun.

If you doubt it, visit the Chattanooga Convention Center this weekend for the HoHo Expo, the Times Free Press' annual kickoff for holiday shopping and entertaining ideas.

Some 200 vendor booths will showcase a variety of products and services - everything from clothing and accessories to food, toys and other gifts, plus health and beauty products, travel planning and home improvement options.

Busy sidewalks notwithstanding, it's the kind of atmosphere that evokes the scene in the song "Silver Bells": Children laughing. People passing. Shoppers rushing home with their treasures.

And, yes, Santa Claus is coming to town. He'll be on-site for free photos to add to the family album.

Other guests will visit, too. Ballet Tennessee dancers will preview their upcoming production of "A Christmas Carol," and the "Snow Sisters" - inspired by a megahit Disney movie - will sing and pose for photos.

Kids will have plenty to keep them entertained, including coloring pages, storytelling, inflatables, glitter tattoos and sand art. Holes To Go Mini Golf will have a miniature course set up for anyone who wants to play through.

Moms will want to make sure they see the fashion shows previewing what's hot for holiday parties. Gold's Gym will have a Man Cave where dads can relax.

Cookies, cider and candy canes will be served while supplies last.

In short, we'd call this two-day extravaganza a "Winter Wonderland" of just about anything you'd need to make it "A Christmas To Remember."

Actually, we're not sure what songs might make it onto a HoHo Expo soundtrack, but we thought it would be fun to choose the background music for some of the individual vendor booths.

We were a little disappointed to find no one promoting hearing aids ("Do You Hear What I Hear?"), calendars ("Do They Know It's Christmas?") or a tree farm ("O Tannenbaum"), but here are some of our other pairings.

* "The Chipmunk Song": Want a plane that loops the loop? We're betting Mountain Top Toys has it covered.

* "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas": In this 1953 novelty song, 10-year-old singer Gayla Peevey specified "no crocodiles, no rhinoceroses, I only like hippopotamuses," but maybe she'd consider an alpaca - or at least a finger puppet made from the fur of these woolly beasts of burden from Alpacas of Greater Tennessee.

* "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer": If she'd been seen right away by AFC Urgent Care/Family Care, that song might have had a happier ending.

* "I'll Be Home for Christmas": Unless the Biltmore House representatives can talk you into a vacation at George Vanderbilt's 250-room chateau.

* "What Child Is This?": Creative Whims offers monogrammed gifts to help you keep track of the brood.

* "Baby It's Cold Outside": But vinyl windows from Madaris Siding and Windows mean its warm and toasty inside.

* "The Holly and the Ivy": It's not a holly jolly time if seasonal greenery makes you sneeze. Maybe Chattanooga Allergy Clinic can help.

* "A Marshmallow World": This song's "yum-yummy world made for sweethearts" reminds us of all the cake and candy supplies to be found at The Sugar Shoppe.

* Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer": This Gene Autry classic should be playing for Olive Chattanooga, a purveyor of fine olive oils and balsamic vinegars. You know the line: "Olive, the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names " Wait, what? That's not how it goes?

* "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas": And if it's not, then a visit to Crowder Eye Center may be in order.

* "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth": Too easy. Pediatric Dentistry of Chattanooga. If those central incisors come in crooked, orthodontist Dr. Keith Dressler can help.

* "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas": True, there's a "Jingle Bells" parody that mentions shotgun shells, but for jewelry designer Natalie Williams of Shotgun Shell Bling we'll stick with the song from comedians Jim Foxworthy and Tim Wilson. After taking stock of her inventory, we'd like to see what she could do with "three shotgun shells... and some parts to a Mustang GT."

Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.