By Chris Cosci

During the holidays, there are two types of people: those who finish their Christmas shopping early, and those who hate people who finish their Christmas shopping early. For both types, there's a certain group of people who are traditionally considered the most difficult to shop for: men.

Whether shopping for a father, husband, or uncle, finding just the right gift can be very nerve-wracking. However, there are some classic gifts that never go out of style, and it's never too late to pick up of these traditional gifts. Just grab a shovel, scoop up a few stacks of hundreds from that huge pile of money you keep in your private vault, and let's go shopping!

For functionality, it's hard to beat a good pen. Of course, you're not going to just drop by Staples and pick up a 10-pack of Bics. You want something stylish and decorative. At a select few purveyors of fine writing instruments, you can find the Star of India pen -- one of the latest in a collection from noted pen creator Michel Perchin. This pen is crafted with intricate patterns inspired by exotic ancient Persian designs, and it's plated in 22 carat yellow gold. It comes in four gorgeous colors: royal blue, white, deep red and brilliant green. And at just $4,200 a pen, why not buy all four?

If there's anything more traditional for the man in your life than a pen, it's a tie. But you don't want to buy just one tie; you want to buy a few -- maybe ten or twenty... maybe two hundred and fifty. Then again, it would get pretty monotonous watching somebody open two hundred and fifty boxes filled with the same gift. That's where Brooks Brothers comes in.

For the 2005 holiday season, Brooks Brothers has developed the Tie Tree. The Tie Tree comes with 250 of Brooks Brothers' finest wool ties organized on a tall, tree-shaped wire frame. You can keep the ties for yourself or invite people over and send each of them home with a tie. So, instead of buying one of those wooden trees that constantly needs water and sheds pine needles all over your house, why not splurge on this gorgeous wool version? At a mere $12,500, it's a gift that will never be forgotten.

Perhaps, instead of giving away some of his 250 ties, the man you're shopping for would rather share his music -- specifically, the music on his vinyl records. In this modern age of compact discs and Ipods, it's hard to find a good turntable. So a company called Continuum has created the Caliburn -- the most technologically advanced turntable ever. According to its Web site, Continuum used "advanced metallurgy and composites engineering used in the aerospace industry to create... a level of performance never before realized from analog reproduction systems."

The Caliburn turntable sits atop an 80-pound platter that creates smooth spinning thanks to pressurized oil pumps that work to help levitate the platter itself. In addition, the player features a tone arm that uses "artificially intelligent reshaping algorithms" to maximize performance. In other words, the Caliburn is a marvel of advanced, groundbreaking engineering -- used to play one of the most outdated forms of music technology. The price to scratch that vinyl collector or gadget aficionado off your Christmas list? $90,000.

For one final gift suggestion, it's time to turn to Neiman Marcus, a perennial source for lavish and typically unnecessary gifts. This year, Neiman Marcus is proud to offer an extravagant version of one of the most treasured Christmas gifts of all time: a model train set. The Grand Empire Railroad comes with 1,000 feet of track, a steam-style locomotive, various cars, switches, signs and more. Oh yes, one more thing... it's a riding-scale system, which means you can actually ride the train yourself. So, instead of having some cute little train circling around your Christmas tree, you can ride your own model train around the trees in your backyard. And when you consider the fact that you'll never have to pay for the round-trip ticket, the $200,000 starting price is quite the bargain.

Hopefully these ideas will help you finish up your Christmas shopping. Now all you need is a bank loan and a briefcase full of unmarked bills, and you're all set!