Some of you may have received your copy of the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog, “The Christmas Book.” The catalog is filled with lots of everyday items that make our lives better or easier, gift ideas that will make your gift recipients happy, and, this time of year, holiday décor to make your home festive. The holiday issue also includes a couple of extremely luxe outdoor living gifts that are always the talk of the holiday catalogs’ readers.
How about an Outdoorlicious! Outdoor Entertainment Center with a movie package that will be the talk of the neighborhood? A 201” screen will be installed and rise out of the ground when you decide that it is movie time.
Digital surround audio system, (made from component parts specifically developed for top-of-the-line super yachts), Direct TV satellite, a DVD management system, a movie package of 300 movies and concerts, and two Apple mini iPads, so you can control everything with the gentle press of a finger, complete the package. The two mini iPads are billed as “His and Her” controls. So, no more territorial conflicts over who has “control.” (But I can see a War of the Roses looming over who gets the final say after a ping pong volley from his show to hers.)
Get your wallet out and check your bank account for this gift will set you back $1,500,000. Graciously, however, Neiman Marcus will donate $10,000 to their charity, the Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation, for every purchase. You can feel good about that if you suddenly have a case of buyer’s remorse in the middle of your first movie.
Neiman Marcus’ second Outdoorlicious! gift in this year’s catalog is a Bespoke Global Falconry Companion. Falconry, the sport of kings, seems to be an up-and-coming pastime. (Perhaps it’s a reaction to the popularity of The Game of Thrones and the myriad of ever-popular video games based on the Middle Ages) At $150,000, including a $1,500 donation to the Heart of Neiman Marcus charity, there is a reason Falconry is called “The Sport of Kings.”
Neiman Marcus must believe that someone will spring for this gift—and they probably will. With leather trunks featuring exotic hides and brass details, hand-carved falcon stands, hand-sewn gloves, anklets, and hoods which feature blue sapphire beads and lapis lazuli, your falconry ensemble will put all others to shame. Included in this gift package are folding chairs and a table of oiled walnut and full-grain leather, a hand-painted backgammon board featuring marquetry details (perhaps waiting for the falcons to return is tedious?), crystal decanters, pewter tumblers, and paraphernalia for enjoying your best cigars.
For those of us looking for a more economic gift for the outdoor living enthusiasts on our Christmas list, there are lots of great ideas. As surely as the spring and warm weather will come again, outdoor living will become high on our priority list once again. Those gifts that you give now will make you look pretty smart when that season rolls around again.
Here are a few ideas:
Beverage coolers
Acrylicware
Grilling Accessories
Pool Accessories
Windchimes
Bird Houses
Garden Art
Outdoor Placemats, dinnerware, and beverageware
Picnic Products
Lanterns
Outdoor Furniture
