The Nieman Marcus 2016 Fantasy Gift Catalog just came out, which got us thinking: what would be our top picks for extravagant holiday gift ideas? We dug deep to come up with our completely unreasonable wish list—and we want to hear yours, too. Let us know your fantasy gift in the comments below!

Ellen Byron

My fantasy gift would be a literary time machine. It would take me into the past to meet and mingle with my favorite authors. I’d talk to Shakespeare about his plays and Charles Dickens about his novels. I’d gossip about society with Jane Austen and have Emily Bronte give me a personal tour of her moors. I’d Charleston in New York with F. Scott Fitzgerald and knock back Sazeracs in New Orleans with Tennessee Williams. And of course I’d spend tons of time with all the British authors from the Golden Age of mystery novels. Wouldn’t it be great if I could get Agatha Christie to finally share exactly where  she was during those two weeks she went missing in the 1920s?

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Marla Cooper

As usual, I find it difficult to commit to one fantasy gift. In theory, I would like a jewel-encrusted Burmese cat, because he would make an excellent pet, and I could sell off the jewels as needed. But let’s face it, that kind of extravagance is not without its downside. I would heartily enjoy a walk-on part in the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, during which I’m sure I would get to perform a musical number. And while I’m at it, having a Busby Berkeley-style musical number complete with costumed dancers performing in perfectly synchronized movements in a chocolate fountain wouldn’t be half bad. Maybe for a birthday or something. Oooh! Another fine gift idea, as long as we’re spitballing here: the Amityville Horror house. I’d stay in that sucker until I encountered a demon or disproved the theory once and for all. And let’s face it, it would be pretty fun jumping out of bushes to scare the tourists. That kind of entertainment is priceless.

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Kellye Garrett

Every time my Mom borrows my car, she always returns it with dire predictions about how I need to get “such and such” fixed or risk certain death. One time it was my brakes. The last time it was that I needed completely new tires because of something involving the tread and using a dime. But why get new tires when I can get a new car? My car of choice? The 2017 Bentley Bentayga SUV, which retails for a not-so-bad $229,100 and gets 12 city / 19 highway MPG. My family and I are doing Secret Santa this year so I’m sure that someone in my family is buying it for me as I type this. And sorry, Mom, but you won’t be borrowing this car but you can definitely ride shotgun.

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Lisa Q. Mathews

Okay, so this is a trick question, right?  The real answer is World Peace and then I get the diamond tiara. No? Well, then, since one of my fave holiday songs is “Santa Baby” (yes, the Madonna version), I would like to ask for my own private island. Totally coincidentally, there is one for sale right now off of Cape Cod, and this amazing opportunity does not come up often. It’s only about 26 million bucks or so, or maybe a teensy bit more, which is a total steal (I’m a real estate agent, so I can tell you that for sure.) So…what do you think, Santa dear? Give me a ring (you know, the sparkly kind) and we’ll talk…

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Guest Chick: Diane Vallere

We asked this week’s ever-stylish Guest Chick Diane Vallere to chime in on this week’s group topic, and here’s what she had to say:

My fantasy holiday gift would have to be a refrigerator from the Big Chill Retro line. Turquoise, please! (though the yellow is awfully nice, and if I lived alone, I’d be tempted to go for the pink). If we’re going all out fantasy, I’d toss in a matching microwave, induction range, oven, range hood, and dishwasher. But frankly, that seems a little greedy.

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Okay, let’s hear it: If money, time, space, and physics were no object, what would you ask for?

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