"Tis, After All, the Season

I usually don't wait until the last minute to do any sort of gift-buying for the upcoming holiday season. By this time, Neiman-Marcus is usually out of all the good stuff I want to get those oh-so-special people in my life to let them know just how much they mean to me in dollars and cents (and how much has just been deducted from their share of any swag that I do not take with me when I go...and I intend to (take it with me, not go...at least in the near future).
But this year, I thought it might be time for something a bit out of my ordinary jewel-encrusted elephants with matching bearers waving ostrich plumes over the riders. As it happens, featured in today's Los Angeles Times was a host of extravagant gifts being passed off as trinkets anyone could have...if there was still room on the plastic. I loved that each of the gifts was named for the type of person who would receive it. There was "The Surrealist," a Christmas ornament made to look like an avian creature: yours at artwareeditions.com for $150.00
For "The Sensationalist" on my list, a Swarovski crystal necklace is on the block from net-a-porter.com for $605. (an extra five bucks? What's that about?)
If you are seeking something for "The Individualist" in your life, the 24ct gold aviator sunglasses by Franz are individually numbered in Germany and can be ordered from an H. Lorenzo at 310-659-0058 if you've got the $749.00 that it will take to pry them out of Lorenzo's sweaty palms.
However, I consider myself something of a Hellenist, so, for me, there's the same ring Beyonce gave Jay-Z. It's a black sapphire and rhodium (is that a flower?) Spartan ring that looks like a Spartan helmet for $680. However, if Jay-Z has one, then I'm sure they're all over the place.
Anyway, there are a large number of other great gifts that I am certain you'll want to check out, so here's the URL:

http://www.latimesmagazine.com/2010/12/the-ist-list.html

Happy Last-Minute Shopping! (The elephants are already gone)