Christmas Checklist: Five Gifts You Probably Can't Afford

What does a platinum card-carrying Santa get for the guy who has everything? The following big ticket items aren't your typical toys, gadgets and gizmos. Under a select few Christmas trees this year, there will be self-propelled snowboards, automatic wine makers, imported gourmet coffee machines and life-size sci-fi collectibles.

The Gas-Powered Snow Board

Are you looking for a great Christmas gift for the thrill-seeking snowboarder in your life? Forget the season lift tickets. Give them their very own gas-powered snowboard. One tug on the pull-string starter and off they go.

The effect is like standing on a skateboard-shaped snowmobile. The vehicle is powered by a 6.5 horsepower 4-stroke engine. Moving along at speeds approaching 18 mph, the snowboard boasts gas efficiency of about 45 miles per gallon.

The board is equally at home on either fresh powder or packed snow. The rubber track and snow lugs propell the rider along, moving effortlessly on downhills, flat ground or even up slight snowy inclines. The board can handle riders up to 250 pounds.

A single tank full of gas provides about two hours of run time. At just $2,000, the gas-powered snowboard is the lowest priced of the big-ticket, holiday gift ideas on our list. At more than five feet in length and 150 pounds in dry weight, it's also likely the biggest and heaviest snowboard around.

The Oenophile's Personal Winery

The oenophile is one who is knowledgeable in all things pertaining to wine. They use strings of words like "bold, with a subtle hint of chocolate and currant" to describe a wine's complex flavor characteristics. They inherently know which varieties pair well with certain foods. They tour wineries and attend tastings in an endless search of the perfect vintage.

Wine lovers also spend a lot of money on their obsession, err... hobby. A new product, aimed squarely at those with a passion for the fruit of the vine, has come to market. As a Christmas gift, the oenophile's personal home winery is poised to turn your spare room into a full-blown, small-scale wine-making operation.

To begin the process, the wine maker's stainless steel chamber is filled with crushed Napa Valley grapes. At that point, the machine takes over the cold soaking, pressing and fermenting process. Temperatures, sugar levels and fermentation are all monitored electronically while relevant informational updates are transmitted back to your personal computer.

Prompts advise the home wine maker when to whiff and when to taste. The included software allows for accurate tracking and graphing of your wine's progress. Along with the steep $6,000 price tag, you'll get the oenophile's personal winery, an oak storage barrel and four dozen empty bottles. In six months to a year, you'll have your wine.

Genuine Italian Astoria Dual Espresso Machine

Sometimes you need a decent cup of coffee. Other times you need the kind of java that only an $8,000 coffee maker can deliver. Move over Mr. Coffee. Enter the Genuine Italian Astoria Espresso Machine.

You know your coffee is going to be good when it comes from a commercial-quality dual espresso maker that was constructed in Italy. The gleaming copper dome on each machine is hand-crafted in Morocco for your coffee-sipping pleasure. The Astoria is stunning with its stainless steel wands and side panels, not to mention the shiny brass eagle affixed on top.

Inside, advanced technology is key to brewing the perfect cup of coffee. A state-of-the-art microprocessor ensures proper water-to-coffee bean ratios. Meanwhile, an on-board softener helps the Astoria condition the water to help produce an optimal quality brew. The user-friendly electronic touchpad puts the cheaper plastic on-and-off control buttons found on other models to shame.

Rest assured, the manufacturer understands that countertop space is at a premium in the home kitchen and have kept that in mind in their design. A featherweight 183 pounds, the coffee maker is just a few inches over two feet wide and only 21 inches deep. With an overall height of 21 inches, there's a good chance your coffee maker will fit under your existing overhead cabinets without major renovation or remodelling.

Genuine Lost in Space Robot

A Green Party, sci-fi geek's dream come true, the B-9 robot's job was environmental control. The Lost in Space series ran on television from 1965 to 1968. It seems not much has changed about the Robinson family's beloved robot over the past forty years.

The reproductions are copied directly from the original molds and blueprints. The robot's body is made from aluminum and fiberglass. He can rotate his torso, flash his lights and turn his acrylic head.

The life-size robot takes his commands via the included remote control. The powerful, built-in 240-watt sound system comes in handy for making the robot say, "Danger Will Robinson!". When that gets old, he utters more than 500 other pre-recorded phrases including the famous groan whenever his on-board power pack is pulled.

At $24,000 and some change, the Lost in Space robot's price and value are relative. While he can't do your dishes, luckily there's another machine that can. It's somewhat smaller, sits in the kitchen and sells for around $500. Let the lady of the house decide which one to bring home.

Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet

Last but not least, is Robbie the Robot from the 1956 sci-fi classic, Forbidden Planet. This 7-foot tall replica is a special edition model made from the same blueprints and molds as the original mechanized character. Robbie includes a remote control which allows for volume control and track selection of the robot's audio system.

A catalog description of the toy touts the quality as being "handmade of the finest materials". Apparently, the brass, aluminum and fiberglass construction are all top-notch. Yugoslavian car imports aside, there's nothing worse than a toy robot made of inferior quality parts.

Don't expect Robbie to contribute much in the way of household chores, though. His functions are mostly limited to turning his head, flashing his lights and speaking pre-recorded phrases which he can also project through your home audio system. A truly unique Christmas gift, plug Robbie the Robot into your wall outlet and enjoy your new $50,000 coat rack.

Should you be in the market for any one or more of the above big-ticket Christmas gifts, you can find them online through various merchants. One retailer with a reputation for showcasing some of the most unique household, electronic and gift items, happens to carry all five of the high-dollar items. Visit Hammacher Schlemmer online at: http://www.hammacher.com/.