Holiday Gift Guide: Luxury Edition

Chuck Taylor sequin All-Star

There are only a few more days left until Christmas, and you may be among the 41 million consumers who haven't started their holiday shopping. According to the National Retail Federation's 2008 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, the average person had completed 47.1 percent of his or her holiday shopping by the second week of December, versus the 52.6 percent average completed by the same time last year. Only 8 percent of consumers say they have completely finished their shopping. If you're guilty of procrastinating with your holiday shopping—and money's no object—here are a few luxury gift ideas to consider.

Your niece is one stylish girl. This holiday season she can be a trendsetter in her Chuck Taylor All Star sequined sneakers. These spunky sneakers come in silver, blue, magenta, and black. $84.99.

Your husband loved reading J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings as a child. Here's something he can revisit and pass along to future generations. Bauman Rare Books, which specializes in rare books and first editions from the 15th to 20th century, has first editions of all three volumes of Tolkien's masterpiece in original dust jackets. Absolutely stunning. $46,000.

Your sister's iPhone is attached to her hip. Surprise her with this opulent upgrade: Continental Mobiles, an online luxury mobile phone retailer, is offering a 24-karat gold Apple iPhone that's 8GB and unlocked for any network. Around $1,700.

Ultra Flip video camcorder: This iPod-size camera is perfect for anyone who wants to capture special moments on the fly but doesn't want to lug around a bulky video camera. Especially that nephew who's addicted to posting videos on YouTube and Facebook. The Ultra Flip downloads the videos directly to your computer or TV. $129.99 to $299.99, depending on the internal memory.

You want the best for your lovable dog or cat. Dolce Vita Pets is offering the DuoTemp Dog Bed/Cat Bed, a cooled and heated bed that provides cool-air therapy for relief in warm weather and heated air to relieve joint and muscle pain. Fluffy and Fido will adore you for it. $249.99.

London L surfboard: You want to buy your best friend, who just took up surfing, something beyond the mundane white foam wave rider. Each London L surfboard is handmade and sports one of 30 custom designs. Choose a design and the type of surfboard (longboard, shortboard, retro egg, retro swallow, mini-log) and pick a monogram. My favorite is the pirate-inspired skull and crossbones surfboard, which could also go nicely in my nephew's bedroom. Prices vary.