Christmas In October?
Storied department store releases its new Christmas book: Fantasy gifts defy imagination, laugh at budgets
If you’ve been naughty over the past year, now is a good time to start cleaning up your act. Neiman Marcus released its 2014 edition of the Christmas Book on Tuesday, and it’s loaded with little gifts to stuff Christmas stockings and big luxurious presents sure to blow the socks off all the good boys and girls on your holiday list.
Shoppers dreaming of an extravagant Christmas will find 10 fantasy gift ideas for the person who truly has everything.
Neiman Marcus has come a long way since its first Christmas Book in 1926. What was a 16-page booklet has become a highly anticipated glossy catalog of gifts that range from the sincere to the sincerely decadent. Amid the fur-trimmed gloves, porcelain vases and monogrammed puppy pillows, shoppers dreaming of an extravagant Christmas will find 10 fantasy gift ideas for the person who truly has everything.
This year’s fantasy gifts appeal to adventure seekers, cocktail connoisseurs and travel buffs who desire highly customized experiences and those who possess rather large gift-giving budgets.
The His and Hers 2014 Vilebrequin Quadski is $50,000, and goes from land to sea in five seconds, allowing one to zip along the shore and then seamlessly ride the ocean waves. Tanqueray’s No. Ten Imperial Shaker is bound to be a party favorite. The $35,000 cocktail-making machine comes with a year’s supply of Tanqueray No. Ten and a personal educational session with a mixologist.
If you’d rather someone else host the party, Neiman Marcus is offering the Ultimate Mardi Gras Experience for six couples. The New Orleans getaway is hosted by well-heeled locals who give visitors an authentic look at the celebration complete with a ride in the Orpheus Parade followed by the black-tie Orpheus Ball, dining at Gautreau’s and Commander’s Palace and accommodations at the Audubon Cottages. We are most certain the $125,000 price tag also includes big, shiny beads and lots of them.
The rest of the fantasy list includes a Preston Bailey outdoor garden peacock, the Slot Mods USA Ultimate Slot Car Raceway, the House of Creed Bespoke Fragrance Journey, the 100th anniversary Neiman Marcus Limited Edition Maserati Ghibli S Q, a custom locket and trip to Germany with Monica Rich Kosann, the Leontine Linens Home Trousseau and a Vanity Fair Academy Awards Experience.
Not everything in the Christmas Book is destined to stay on a holiday wish list. Gift options under $100 include Jonathan Adler home accessories, Kendra Scott earrings and holiday popcorn tins. Bump up to $200 and give the Midas touch with a whimsical Lunares 24K gold-plated top hat ice bucket or an Aerin gold hand painted embossed linen matchbox sleeve.
Neiman Marcus is donating to a portion of the sales of all the fantasy gifts to the Heart of the Neiman Marcus Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting youth arts education in communities across the country.