Some folks like to wait for Thanksgiving to be over before they start their holiday shopping, but not us. There's one thing that gets our gift-giving engines revved up, and that's The Christmas Book from Neiman Marcus. Specifically, the Fantasy Gifts section.
Can we afford most any of the items included? Good grief, no. Not even if they counted as all the gifts we'd ever give for the rest of our lives. But it definitely gets us in the holiday spirit … and inspires a little luxury daydreaming, too.
Oh, and in case you're feeling guilty for even dreaming about these fantasy gifts, rest easy. There's a charity angle to each of the fantasy gifts in The Chirstmas Book, all tailored to the specific item. A few of our favorites (all animal-related, of course) are below, but you can check out all the gifts at Neiman Marcus' site.
Heritage Hen Mini Farm
Ever dreamed of raising hens in your own backyard? Now you can do just that, in style, with an expert guiding you every step of the way. For each Mini Farm purchased, Neiman Marcus will donate $3,000 to The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that protects genetic diversity through the conservation and promotion of endangered breeds.
Here's another fantasy gift, and in this case, there's just one available! Give someone you love (a lot) their start on Broadway with a walk-on role in Annie, helping the little orphan and her pooch. The proceeds of this gift will be split equally between PEDIGREE Foundation, whose mission is to help dogs in need find loving homes by providing grants to shelters and dog rescues, and Pajama Program, which provides new pajamas and books to children in need, many waiting to be adopted.
We've all experienced art that seems to follow us wherever we go in the room, but this is a whole new take on that idea. This limited-edition portrait of a stately snowy owl shows the owl blinking, swiveling its head and more. The purchase of a Snowy Owl benefits the Watermill Center, an interdisciplinary laboratory for performance art and a unique environment for young and emerging artists to explore new ideas.
