Each year, Neiman Marcus blows our minds with its Christmas Book, a catalog of wild and wonderful gifts for people who have no problem dropping a few paychecks (or a lifetime of income) on holiday goodies.
Aside from trinkets like a $5,695 French fry purse and a $150 gold-plated Slinky, this year’s book includes 10 big-ticket Fantasy Gifts whose prices range from $8,000 to $1.6 million. The good news is that each Fantasy Gift includes some kind of donation to charity. The bad news is we likely won’t ever see any of these gifts under our tree. This year’s outrageous Fantasy Gifts include:
New Year's Eve party for 300 in Times Square: $1,600,000
This trip for two includes a tour of Zambian emerald mines with jeweler Stephen Webster. Hang out in a local hotel, take a sightseeing excursion to Victoria Falls, then head to London and help Webster transform an emerald into a wearable piece in his studio. After a lavish dinner with Webster, you'll head home to await the delivery of your one-of-a-kind item. $300,000 at Neiman Marcus
Bonjour! This trip for four involves first-class travel and a stay at a swanky French hotel, with a 12-course dinner upon arrival. Then you'll be whisked to Champagne vineyards where you'll enjoy a tour (via helicopter, of course), a Michelin-starred dinner and a night in a chateau. Help the vintners finish off a batch of wine, then come away with a total of 84 bottles on the house. $150,000 at Neiman Marcus
Private photo session with Gray Malin: $35,000
Recipients of this artsy gift will get two nights at a Santa Monica resort and a one-hour helicopter ride with photographer Gray Malin, during which they'll receive instruction from the photographic great as he snaps images of the beach below. After a Champagne reception on the ground, Malin will edit, print and sign one image as a souvenir. $35,000 at Neiman Marcus
For $50,000, you'll get the personal satisfaction of funding two wells via Paper for Water, a charity that sells handmade paper ornaments to fund wells in needy communities. You'll also get 250 of the ornaments and a visit with the organization's founders and an origami artist, who will teach you how to make some for yourself. $50,000 at Neiman Marcus
The initial part of this gift includes eight Madame Alexander dolls and a limited-edition dollhouse. Then, the recipient will get a new doll in the mail for each of the following 11 months. The final delivery will be a personalized doll, customized during a Skype session with a Madame Alexander designer.$8,000 at Neiman Marcus
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His And Hers Shar-Pei puppies, $2,000 each (1983)
"Mr. Marcus was known for specializing in the rare and the beautiful. In the 1950s the Shar-Pei was down to a mere 12 dogs. When these were offered, only 2,495 were registered with the Shar-pei Club of America."
Chinese 'Junk'-Style Boat, $11,500 (1962)
"This ornate Chinese boat resulted in eight orders to be delivered to five different bodies of water."
Editor's note: A "junk" is an ancient Chinese sailing ship.
Double Bathtub, $4,000 (1966)
"A bath shop in Paris claimed a copyright for the idea of the double bathtub. Mr. Marcus was advised by counsel not to go to Paris on his annual buying trip lest he be arrested. The suit was eventually settled."
Noah's Ark, $588,247 (1970)
"To combat the mood of pessimism permeating the company, Mr. Marcus came up with a Noah’s Ark, which would take four years to build and included a selection of animals. And for the optimist, he offered an oak sapling for $10 that would grow to a height of thirty feet or more. We did not get a single order for the Noah’s Ark -- but over 1,500 for the sapling."
Mummy cases, $6,000 for the pair (1971)
"The authentic mummy cases made front page news around the world. They were shipped directly to our then-new store in Bal Harbour, Florida, to celebrate the opening of our first store location outside of Texas. They were purchased by the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Diego."
Black Angus Steer, $1,925 or $2,230 (1959)
"The steer was offered either on the hoof for $1,925 or in 300 pounds of steaks, roast, ground beef, etc. for $2,230. We sold one steer to a customer in South Africa whereupon we learned we were responsible for the care of the steer while it was in quarantine for 6 months."
Custom Suit of Armor, $20,000 (2004)
"The suit of armor was bought by a couple for their adult son who traveled the country attending medieval fairs. Contemporary men cannot fit into antique armor so it was a perfect gift."
2002 Ford Thunderbird, $41,995 (2000)
"When Mr. Marcus went to meet with Ford regarding this retro styled Thunderbird, they told him they wanted to do a limited edition of 200 – the largest we had ever offered. He thought they were crazy, but they knew what they were doing. We sold out of the cars in 2 hours and 15 minutes -- a new record for us!"
Camels, $4,124 for two (1967)
"Only one was purchased. The camel arrived to the states on Christmas Eve just in time for live coverage on the 10 p.m. news. A woman in Fort Worth, Texas, was watching with her daughter and said, “I wonder who’s the darn fool getting that?” She found it under her outdoor Christmas tree the next morning."
Submarine, $20,000,000 (2000)
"There were no buyers for this submarine, but the next year -- just after 9/11 -- I received a call from the operators saying that a 'Sergeant Ryan' needed me to call him back regarding the submarine. We had received so many prank calls about the submarine (Does it come in yellow? Can it be gift-wrapped?) that I was hesitant to call Sergeant Ryan back. I finally did at the end of the day. He was calling from the New York City Terrorism Task Force and was trying to determine if there was a private submarine out there that they needed to be tracking. After assuring him that we had not sold any, I proceeded to apologize for taking so long to get back to him, but that I was not sure his call was not a joke. He said, 'No problem Ms. Reeder, when I heard there was a catalog offering a $20,000,000 submarine I thought that might be a joke.'"
His And Her Beechcraft G18,$149,000, and Bonanza, $27,000 Airplanes (1960)
"This was the first His and Her gift. We got a request from a West Texas rancher saying that he could not use both planes, but he would like to buy one for the 'little woman' who had been hankering for a plane of her own for a long time."
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