Stumped once again trying to find the perfect holiday gift for the special executive in your life?
This year, look no further than the Vancouver Business Journal’s Executive Gift Guide. From playful to practical, we’ve hand-picked some of the best stocking stuffers – depending on how big your stocking is – from local and national retailers to help ring in the holiday season.
The Ultimate Human Touch Massage Chair — $4,495 at Sharper Image
Ultimate indeed! Indulge yourself in this top-grain leather massage chair with memory foam cushions that features eight preprogrammed sessions to enhance your health and well-being from full-body sore muscle relief and sports and back therapy to after-work stretch and nighttime soothing, as well as manual massage settings. What’s more, the programs are accompanied by the Acupoint Detection System to ensure an accurate, personally targeted massage. There are heater panels located in the back rest, pulsating armrests and an integrated foot and calf massager. With a touch of the remote, the footrest will automatically rotate to reveal the foot and calf massager. Integrated wave vibration circulates blood to your heart, while acupoints under your soles will help soothe and rejuvenate tired feet and legs. Choose from jet black and rich chocolate brown – your body will thank you.
Gaggia Italian Espresso Maker — $1,499.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer
Sip espresso in true Italian style. Made at the renowned Gaggia factory in Milan, this model has virtually the same design as Gaggia machines from the 1930s and 1940s, including the original pump handles invented in 1938. The espresso maker fills two glasses at a time and can also make cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos and café mochas. It has a boiler pressure gauge for accurate boiling, a heat exchanger for brewing water, boiler cap, clear glass water level indicator and one of the fastest heating times in the industry. The body is constructed of durable, easy-to-clean stainless steel with chromed brass fittings.
Deluxe Spa Packages for Men and Women $155 to $240 at Beyond Bliss
Take a deep breath and let all of that office tension slip away with one of this downtown Vancouver spa’s four blissful spa retreats. Indulge in the four-hour Signature Retreat package that includes a massage, facial, pedicure and paraffin hand treatment or experience the three-hour Men’s Stress-Less Retreat that blends a refresher facial, hour-long massage and pedicure. Every inch of your body and soul will thank you for it.
Burberry Watches $295 to $325 at Nordstrom
Pretty wrapping doesn’t have to be limited to special packages under the tree. These signature Burberry Nova Check watches are the perfect choice for the classy woman with classic style in your life. Swiss-made with check detail on the dial, she’ll never be late for another board meeting because she won’t be able to resist sneaking glances at these fetching time pieces.
Robert Talbott ‘Seven Fold’ Silk Ties
$225 exclusively at Nordstrom
Boring, basic ties are so last season. Brighten up the dreary days of winter with these funky yet refined hand-folded, limited edition ties. Each is hand numbered and is sure to make a statement at his next boardroom meeting.
The Best Electronic Pants Presser $479.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer
Exude power with a pair of perfectly pressed pants with this hand-crafted British walnut veneer pants presser, rated best in its class by the Hammacher Schlemmer Institute. Its pressing area is two inches larger than most, making it ideal for pressing a pair of average-length man’s pants. The 250-watt heating pad has an electronic microchip timer so it reaches peak pressing temperature in 10 minutes. Comes with a contoured coat hanger, cuff link dish, accessory tray and retractable tie bar, and may be wall mounted.
Gadgets
SLEEPTRACKER $149 at Sleeptracker.com
Never show up bleary-eyed to an important meeting after a cross-country or trans-Atlantic flight again. Named one of Time Magazine’s most amazing inventions of 2005, this "alarm clock" monitors your body and continuously looks for your best waking times during a window of time you set to allow for more alertness and productivity during the day.
View-Video Eyewear $349.95 at Sharper Image
Escape from the office without leaving your chair with this innovative home theater that’s small enough to fit in your pocket. The lightweight video player fits over eyeglasses and connects to any video iPod, TV, VCR, DVD player, camcorder or game console – and the image you see looks like a 43-inch flat screen viewed from six-and-a-half feet. Stereo earbuds are integrated into the frames.
Casio 6 MP Exilim Camera $279 at Sharper Image
Say bye-bye to bulky loads and blurry pictures with this credit-card sized digital camera that turns capturing all of your holiday memories into a snap. This super-slim, stainless steel camera features a movie stabilizer to minimize blurry video images and anti-shake DSP to keep photos sharp. With six megapixels of resolution, 8.3MB built-in memory, a 3x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom and a 2.2-inch LCD monitor, the Exilim camera is the perfect stocking stuffer.
The Voice-Command Universal Remote Control $49.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer
Control it all with the sound of your voice. This remote operates your TV, VCR, DVR, DVD, cable and satellite just because you tell it to. It has an extensive device code library that is supported by an advanced learner that allows you to add codes for new devices. The voice-recognition system comes with basic preprogrammed commands and can be set up to associate specific channel numbers with voice commands such as "news" and "sports."
eMotion 3-in-1 Desktop MediaPlayer and Picture Frame $349.95 at Sharper Image
Feel closer to your friends and family while traveling with this digital picture frame that plays videos, DVDs, VCDs, music CDs and MP3s, too. The sleek digital picture frame features a high-resolution 7-inch LCD screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and antiglare coating for crisp, vivid viewing in any light.
Self-Stirring Mug $29.95 for set of two at Hammacher Schlemmer
This holiday season, give the gift of never having to pick up a spoon again! This mug has a battery-operated propeller at the bottom of the well that spins at an amazing 3,000 rpms at the touch of a button on the handle, stirring your beverage and eliminating the need to dispose of stirrers or find a place to leave coffee-soaked spoons. At your command, the propeller restirs mugs of hot chocolate, coffee or tea, preventing chocolate or sugar from settling out of solution and overcoming the traditional challenge of mixing honey in a hot drink. Perfect for colleagues.
Fitness
Nautilus TreadClimber Series TC916 $6,999 at The Nautilus Group
Don’t run from this exercise machine. In fact, don’t run at all. This premier innovative cardio machine combines two workouts into one to provide a runner’s workout at a walker’s pace. Its unique design combines low-impact walking with gradual hill climbing, which means intense results with more ease than running. Users look great on it, and it’s a perfect fit from workout newbies to fitness gurus.
Bowflex Revolution Home Gym $2,499 at The Nautilus Group
Work off those holiday pies with this ‘Revolution’-ary home gym system that’s designed to work every major body zone and support every workout routine, strength level and fitness goal. The space-efficient design accommodates more than 100 exercises with up to 400 variations, and easily fits in rooms with normal ceiling heights.
Mechanical Core Muscle Trainer $1,999.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer
It takes guts of steel to be in business, and there is no better way to get them in shape than with this low-impact mechanical exerciser that gently and thoroughly concentrates on developing strength in the glutes, upper thigh, abdominal and lower back muscles. The muscle trainer allows you to conduct a 20-minute exercise routine while catching up on work at the office or while watching TV. The saddle supports up to 265 pounds, gently tilting back and forth, right and left in preprogrammed sequences, allowing the core body muscles to expand and contract, which helps develop important muscle structure necessary to maintain good posture.
Golf
Remote Control Golf Ball
$39.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer
With this sophisticated joke ball, your score isn’t left up to silly things like talent or skill. The crème de la crème of practical joke balls, it’s detailed to look like a real ball as it zigs and zags at the touch of the remote control, fooling your golf partners as they watch putts drift right and left of the cup on command. The ball can operate on three different frequencies, allowing you to race two at a time, controlling the ball within a 100-foot range.
Golf-Ball Finding Glasses
$39.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer
Stop spending precious green time searching for wayward balls. These special lenses block out 90 percent of long wavelength light – greens and browns – and let shorter wavelength light – whites and yellows – pass through, making balls practically pop out of tall grass or shaded woods, saving you time and penalty strokes. Designed by two Canadian nuclear engineers, the technology behind the glasses underwent six years of research and development. The lenses are also available as fit-overs for prescription lens wearers for $39.95.
Applauding Automatic Return Putting Cup
$39.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer
It’s about time you were recognized for the tee-time you put in at the office, and you’ll always feel like a pro with this applauding putt return. Cordless and portable, this putting system has a regulation-size cup that automatically returns a successful putt to the sound of polite golf applause. The small cup front is almost flat, rewarding natural strokes at the proper speed and more accurately simulating the smooth drop of a ball into a real cup on a green.
