THIS YEAR'S NEIMAN MARCUS CHRISTMAS CATALOG INCLUDES A PRIVATE SUBMARINE AND CONVERSATIONAL ROBOT:

Yesterday, Neiman Marcus released its annual Christmas catalog. . . and, like always, they included a section of totally RIDICULOUS and completely unaffordable gifts for the ultra-ultra wealthy. Here are the highlights:

DRAGON TOPIARY. Want a 100-foot long dragon made completely out of plants and trees on your lawn??? You can get it, complete with gold-leafed horns, claws and teeth, starting at $35,000.

HIS AND HERS PORTRAIT IN CHOCOLATE. A Brazilian artist will paint a five foot-by-four foot picture of you and your husband or wife. . . made entirely out of CHOCOLATE SYRUP. Only $110,000.

PRIVATE ORCHESTRA. Get the world-famous Kirov Orchestra to come to your party. They'll play a private concert for you and 499 friends. And. . . the party will be hosted by REGIS PHILBIN!!! (???) Just $1.59 MILLION.

PRIVATE SUBMARINE. All of the world's richest people are buying private submarines now. You should get in on that. This sub dives to 1,000 feet, is controlled by a joystick, and seats two. . . in leather seats. Only $1.44 MILLION.

TALKING ROBOT. It looks like a male fortune teller's head in a crystal ball. But it's controlled by artificial intelligence software and 30 robotic micro-motors. . . so it can carry on full, lifelike conversations and build relationships with people. (???) Just $75,000.

305-CARAT DIAMOND NECKLACE. This is one of the largest diamonds ever. It's not polished, cut or altered. . . so it sparkles gold, green and amber. The price starts at $1 MILLION, depending on how much gold you want for the rest of the necklace.

JEWEL-ENCRUSTED CELL PHONE. It's a Vertu Signature phone that works in more than 150 countries. . . and is covered in 7.2 carats of diamonds. It's set in rose gold, and only 100 exist in the entire world. You can get it for $73,000.
(Neiman Marcus)
(You can see the catalog here. Click "See the 2007 Fantasy Gifts" to check out all of the ones we talked about, plus a few others. . .)
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/templates/F0.jhtml?itemId=cat14640731&parentId=&masterId=&icid=home1
(Neiman Marcus released its annual Christmas catalog.... So what. I put it up here for you to see, but believe me, it's NOT a big deal in my family. Wake me up when Walgreens comes out with their holiday coupons.)