By Chris Cosci

Once again, we are in the middle of the busiest shopping season of the year. Stores are crammed with hordes of people, all looking for the perfect gift for their loved ones, only to later find out that the perfect gift was already purchased by those over-eager family members who went holiday shopping back in June.

The good news is that there are still plenty of great gifts available, so you don't have to settle for that Chia Pet just yet. However, these gifts do not come cheap. To make sure you have enough money, you might need to sell a few things, like your jewelry, your car, or your soul.

Let's start with the kids. One thing almost all kids like to do is pretend that they are grownups. But for when they want to play "house," why settle for a playhouse when you can buy them an actual house? PoshTots, a Web site dedicated to those parents who love to spoil their children, offers small-scale houses for children. There's the "Grand Victorian" house, with a wraparound porch, stained glass window, and working doorbell, for just under $19,000. For a few hundred dollars more, there's the "Cottage," which is custom built for each buyer and can include such features as running water, cable, and central air conditioning. Your child can have a better house than you - for a fraction of the cost!

For the ladies, Neiman Marcus' Christmas catalog has an item that is sure to turn your fantasy into reality, and it only costs $10,000. It's a mermaid outfit, custom designed to fit over your hips and legs. And don't worry, the outfit comes with an instructional video on how to swim while wearing it. Otherwise, you'd look completely ridiculous.

But perhaps turning into a mythical creature of the sea isn't every person's fantasy. Maybe you know somebody who would rather take an adventurous trip, one that has only been experienced by a very limited group of people. The Sharper Edge, a U.K.-based company, offers a "Trip to Space." The package includes first class travel to Russia or the United States, space training, and a trip into space itself. And because the trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the package will set you back a mere 20 million pounds, which is roughly $13 million in U.S. currency.

But before you book your trip, there are a few things you should be aware of. For starters, the trip will take a lot of time to organize (or since it's a British company, "organise"), so don't expect to be in orbit anytime soon. Also, the trip is scheduled to take you to the Mir Space Station, which currently lies in bits and pieces at the bottom of the South Pacific after it burst into flames upon re-entry to Earth back in 1991. You might want to bring this up before you sign any contracts.

If you're concerned about such minor setbacks, then you might want to consider a trip to someplace that still exists. Or better yet, why don't you just buy the perfect vacation spot? That's what you can do with the Robb Report, a Massachusetts-based magazine that specializes in luxury items for the really, really rich. With such high-priced items as yachts and private jets, it's the perfect source for that one-of-a-kind gift.

In this month's Ultimate Gift Guide, the Robb Report offers a 15,000 square foot home in Spruce Creek, FL for a cool $45.7 million. While that may seem a little pricy, the home does come complete with two hangars filled with six aircraft. Sure, you'll be able to fly anywhere in the world you want, but good luck finding a parking spot at the mall.

If you're not satisfied with these gifts, there are plenty of other options. All you need is a little creativity, a bit of ingenuity, and a dash of hope. A truckload of cash wouldn't hurt either.