Tuesday December 5, 2000

Extravagent Gifts

Now a few things for the millionaire on your gift list. But be ready to dig deep for these pricey tokens of appreciation. EXTRA shows you how the other half will be living and giving this holiday season.

Candy's a "honey," for a gift with no stress,
but it takes lots of money, if you want to impress.
So, ready to spend? Then we'll help you find,
a gift for your friend, that is ONE OF A KIND.

For mind-boggling holiday gifts, you can fly high with the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. They've got this single pilot, helium balloon for $20,000.

But if you want a gift for the person who stays put, on or below water, how about the world's only aquatic pod suite? You can live in this comfortable "flying saucer" shaped apartment, for "only" $91,000.

A gift for the musically inclined? Inventor Tim White says $6,000 buys this easy-to-carry blow up guitar.

But for about half the cost of a real car, you can get "half" a car. This three-wheel personal electrical transporter can travel up to sixty miles on one shot of electricity. The cost? Hammacher Schlemmer sells this mini-bug for a little less than $14,000.

Meanwhile, if the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping has you crazy for that extravagant gift, the Neiman Marcus catalog raises the bar.

For the quirky art collector on your holiday list you can pair him up with "Dancee the robot."

Ginger Reeder of Neiman Marcus says you can hook up with a man of metal for $10,000. And no, they don't do anything, but make you smile.

Still, what if you need that hard-to-find gift for, say, Captain Nemo? How about a personal luxury submarine. You can cruise from New York to London without ever breaking the surface. The price tag for this baby is a cool $20,000,000 but don't worry... the company will offer financing.

Yet, if at the sight of these prices, your face starts to pale can you sit around and wait for the sale?

Ginger says, "Well, we don't have submarines parked in the back of the warehouse, if that's what you're looking for."

We should mention you don't have to be loaded to shop the Neiman Marcus or Hammacher Schlemmer Christmas catalogs. Neiman's Christmas collection includes a $15 tin of peanut brittle. Or you can buy a $25 pair of ear-warmers from Hammacher Schlemmer's holiday catalog.