By Chris Cosci

Time is running out. There are only a few short days left to pick up last-minute gifts for all the people left on your holiday list. It can be very stressful if you don't have a lot of ideas. The good news is that there are lots of unique gifts you can buy, as long as you have a limitless bank account or access to a hundred or so stolen credit cards.

Maybe you're still looking for something for someone who loves to travel? You could always get them a new globe. I would suggest The Diplomat, a 32" diameter globe that stands in a beautiful hand-carved cradle mounting. Unlike most pitiful desktop globes, which have just enough room to fit the word "Asia" on the appropriate continent, The Diplomat features 20,000 place names detailed around the world. And in case you ever have the urge to gaze upon your globe in the middle of the night, there's a special feature that lights it up when you touch it. So, even in total darkness, you can see the exact location of Azerbaijan (pronunciation guide not included).

The Diplomat comes in two styles. The first uses the standard blue color for the major bodies of water. And for map purists, it's also available with the antique ocean color, a yellowish hue that was inexplicably used in ancient maps. Both styles are available for a mere $5,000-6,000. At that price, you could buy both styles!

Still need something for that hard-working businessman in your family? How about a handcrafted replica of an 1870 stock ticker? Combining 19th century tickertape technology with 21st century Internet technology, this is the ideal gift for people who hate seeing their stock quotes come up in bright, easy-to-read numerals on their radiation-emitting computer screens. Just connect this fabulous machine to your home computer, choose your favorite stocks, and watch with excitement as the tickertape gets jammed in the machinery.

But that's not all. It also comes with a special toolkit, so you can experience the thrill of fixing the jam yourself while your more "modern" friends make thousands of dollars in trades. The ticker itself is covered with a 10-inch, hand-blown glass dome that sits atop a seventy-five pound, three-and-a-half foot mahogany pedestal. And at just under $40,000, you can't go wrong.

Now, what about the kids? You always think that kids should be easy to shop for, but everything seems so ordinary. Perhaps you're not thinking big enough. What do kids really want? They want to be just like mom and dad. They like to put on their parents' clothes. They try to play with their parents' expensive electronic equipment. And, of course, they want to drive.

Battery powered cars have become more and more popular, but why waste your time and money with some slow, plastic, kid-friendly vehicle? You can now buy actual, gasoline-powered cars in a smaller scale for your children. For adventurous kids looking for some off-road action, you can buy a Mini Humvee. And for those little boys who want to cruise around town to pick up chicks, there's a fully-functional model of a Ferrari Testarossa. The Humvee has a fiberglass body, a steel frame, independent suspension on both axles, rack and pinion steering, and a removable radio with tape deck. The Testarossa has hydraulic shock absorbers, adjustable seats, imitation leather upholstery, and retractable headlights. Both vehicles have a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour, which is faster than some people drive on major roads.

Because of its sleek, sexy style, the Testarossa will run you close to $40,000. The tougher, but boxier look of the Humvee is a bargain at just $23,000. Meanwhile, the manufacturer's suggested retail price for a regular 2003 Nissan Sentra GXE (a current model of the car I drive) is just over $14,000. But that's without the fancy extras like a rear spoiler, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and carpeted floor mats.

So, you could conceivably buy your kids a real car and hold it for them until they're old enough to get a license, but why make them wait? Just think about how excited they'll be when they have their own cars they can accidentally swerve into traffic signs with. Now that's a thought that counts.