The Most Luxurious Holiday Catalogue Ever

Stumped for a memorable gift idea? Well, how about a hen house modeled after one of Marie-Antoinette's residences--complete with live chickens? Or, for the sportier person on your list, a water-propelled jet pack, a la James Bond?

These aren't fantasies. They are real gifts that the department store Neiman Marcus is offering this year. They are part of a tradition the department store began in 1926. "In 1955, we did a stuffed tiger with $1 million in jewels on it," Ginger Reeder, a Neiman Marcus representative, told myStyle. "We didn't sell it, but the publicity stunt landed us in Life magazine. And then we sold lots of $100 charm bracelet versions of it."

The marketing ploy is working. The annual launch of the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book turns the public's mind to holiday shopping, even though it is published long before Halloween. You ogle the Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Woody-Tailgate Trailer, and then, Neiman Marcus hopes, you wind up buying one of their more affordable offerings, such as Kendra Scott $95 earrings.

The fantasy items, however, do often wind up with owners. The walk-on role in an upcoming Broadway production of Annie has already been snapped up—at a cool $30,000. Oh, and in case buyers feel a pang of guilt about such lavish spending? Neiman Marcus has already thought of that. Several charities benefit from the purchase of all of the high-ticket gifts.