Gifts I DO Want

Last week I detailed a lengthy list of gifts I don’t want for the holidays. This week, I turn to the gifts I do want. It’s a shorter list, but it’s pricy. So, hold on to your wallets and buckle up. It’s a doozy!

The One That Got Away

Sad news! The first item is already taken. It was a one-of-a-kind rare blue diamond that weighed in at 17.51 carats. Ah, the perfect accessory for a gal on the go whether going to a gala or just out buying carrots!

Alas, it sold two weeks ago at an auction in Geneva for $44 million (including tax and fees), making it one of the most expensive diamonds ever sold under the gavel.

The internally flawless pear-shaped beauty sold after seven minutes of “intense” bidding or so I read. Handsome Hubby was not in on the action.

“We are extremely pleased,” Max Fawcett, Christie’s head of jewelry in Geneva, was quoted as saying after the auction hammer smacked down. No doubt. Imagine Christie’s fee off of the sale.

Anyway, I need to cross that blue sparkler off my “gifts I want” list. Bummer!

Gifts I Do Want

Meanwhile, Neiman Marcus’ annual “Christmas Book” catalog has some delights for the well-heeled shopper and for those of us who can at least dream big.

Among them are a chance to pal around with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, a walk-on role at an American Ballet Theater performance (ABT), and a red-carpet experience at the Cannes Film Festival.

Out of all the offerings, klutz me is especially keen about that walk-on role with ABT in NYC. I haven’t taken ballet lessons since I was eight. I have two left feet. My thighs are not sleek — to say the least.  I’d look ludicrous in a tutu, but for a “mere” $195,000, HH could give me the thrill of a lifetime!

On Day One, the lucky gift recipient participates in rehearsals prior to watching an evening ballet performance. The next day, he/she is prepped with hair, costume, and makeup for their part-on role.

Note: it’s a walk-on, not a dance-on moment of glory. So, I or at least some lucky soled-one should be able to step into the role without stepping over my/their own two left feet!

A Little Something for HH?

For sports-minded sports sorts, there’s that opportunity to pal around with Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. It takes a tab more moola than pirouetting at the ballet. The price is $210,000. I guess it proves there are all kinds of ways to go for the gold, eh?

That sporty gift includes three nights in Paris, official Ralph Lauren Team USA clothing signed by Team USA athletes, attending the Olympic Games opening ceremony, and exclusive access to Team USA House to dine, celebrate, watch live broadcasts of the games, and meet athletes. Game on, anyone?

Something for the Kids?

For a “little” more money, OK, a lot more money, Neiman’s is offering a Disney Animations Studios gift package. It sounds like a blast and as HH always says, a bargain at twice the price!

Here’s the info in case you have a yen to star in or gift someone with a personal cartoon. A yen and also, a spare $510,000! Be still my pounding pocketbook!

The gift includes the production of an animated short starring a character based on the recipient (with the gift-getter voicing their character).  In addition, there’s a private tour of the animation studios in Burbank, CA.,  and an invitation to a Disney film premiere in Hollywood.

Gifts I Want. Aye, Aye!

Here’s an adventure for the pirate-minded set. For just under a half-million dollars, there’s a nine-day yachting “treasure hunt” through the islands of Indonesia. Count me on board!

The trip starts in Bali. where you board a 137-sailing yacht and enjoy spa treatments, kayaking, and diving. (You had me at spa treatments. Also, yacht.)

At each island stop,  a series of clues are revealed through hikes, cave and waterfall stops, and scuba diving. The hunt ends with a $150,000 voucher for jewelry at Neiman Marcus and a beach party. Count me in … minus the hikes!

Enough is Enough

I could go on, enough is enough. Back to reality. My real wish list is for books, more Broadway and Berkeley Repertory Theatre shows, a pair of cashmere socks, and most of all, peace in the Middle East, Ukraine, and multiple spots in Africa.

🎄 🕎 🎄 🕎

So, what about you, my dear middle-aged muddlers? What’s on your fantasy “gifts I want” list? Do tell, but be honest and be outrageous!