From a modest 1926 holiday mailing to an $860,000 journey through Italy, the Dallas-born catalog turns 100 – in the same season its downtown flagship closed its doors.
A century ago, a Dallas store sent its customers a modest holiday mailing with a few gift ideas. This week, the 100th edition of that mailing arrived with a six-day jewelry pilgrimage through Venice, Florence and Milan priced at $860,000. The Neiman Marcus Fantasy Gifts 2026 – unveiled on October 21 in the retailer’s 100th Holiday Book, titled Grand Gestures – are as extravagant as ever. What has changed is the city around them.
The price tags make the headlines; the longevity is the story. This tradition was born, shaped and even renamed in Dallas. It reaches its centennial weeks after the store where it all began closed for good.
The 2026 Fantasy Gifts: Grand Gestures for the 100th Holiday Book
This year’s collection includes six Fantasy Gifts priced above $100,000, and most of them are experiences rather than objects. The most expensive is The Grand Tour with Buccellati, a six-day journey for two hosted by the Buccellati family, with helicopter transfers between Venice, Florence and Milan, Michelin-starred dining and a stop on Burano. It ends with a design session alongside creative director and honorary president Andrea Buccellati to create a one-of-a-kind high jewelry piece.
New York takes the second-highest price. Legendary Style with Verdura, at $515,000, opens the house’s historical collection for a private tour, then fits the buyer for a custom Maltese Cross cuff set with emeralds, sapphires and diamonds, followed by dinner at Orso and house seats for two Broadway shows.
The rest of the list moves from the water to the movies. The Ultimate Wakesurf Escape ($460,000) pairs an all-electric Arc Sport wake boat with private lessons from world champion wakesurfer Austin Keen. The Star Wars Legacy Experience ($182,500) goes behind the scenes at Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic in San Francisco’s Presidio, with a one-of-one lightsaber hilt replica from season two of Ahsoka, signed by Dave Filoni, and tickets to a Star Wars world premiere.
For the home, Dolce&Gabbana built a $180,000 foosball table in solid wood, hand-painted with Carretto Siciliano designs inspired by Sicily’s decorated carts. And for the nose, a $115,000 journey to Villa René Lalique in Alsace includes a perfume masterclass with Saujet founder Thomas Saujet and master perfumer Yann Vasnier, a private tour of the Lalique museum with chairman Silvio Denz and a crystal trunk of first-edition fragrances.
The 2026 Fantasy Gifts at a Glance
- The Grand Tour with Buccellati: $860,000 – six days in Venice, Florence and Milan, ending with a bespoke high jewelry design session.
- Legendary Style with Verdura: $515,000 – a custom Maltese Cross cuff, a private museum tour and Broadway in New York.
- Ultimate Wakesurf Escape with Austin Keen & Arc Boats: $460,000 – an all-electric Arc Sport wake boat and private lessons.
- Star Wars Legacy Experience: $182,500 – Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic and a world premiere.
- Dolce&Gabbana Casa Carretto Siciliano Foosball Table: $180,000 – hand-decorated, solid wood.
- Saujet and Lalique Crystal Fragrance Experience: $115,000 – Villa René Lalique and a perfume masterclass in Alsace.
From a Holiday Mailing to «Stunt Pages»: How Dallas Invented the Fantasy Gift
Neiman Marcus opened in downtown Dallas in 1907, founded by Herbert Marcus Sr., Carrie Marcus Neiman and Al Neiman. The book that would make it famous began in 1926 as a holiday mailing with gift suggestions – what Ginger Reeder, then the company’s vice president of corporate communications, once described as «a tiny little mailing.»
The leap came in the late 1950s, when Stanley Marcus began adding outrageous items he called «stunt pages.» The first Fantasy Gifts appeared in 1959, and the tradition has now run for 67 years. Over the decades, the pages offered matching his-and-hers submarines, mummy cases and a 10-pound solid gold wig. The book also changed its name: what generations of Texans knew as the Christmas Book is now the Holiday Book.
The formula has never been about the sale alone. A Fantasy Gift is a conversation piece, a measure of what luxury can imagine in a given year – and for a century, it has carried a Dallas name to the rest of the world.
A Centennial Without Its First Home: Downtown Dallas Says Goodbye
The 100th edition arrives in a year of change for the company. Neiman Marcus’s downtown flagship, which had operated at Main and Ervay since 1914, closed on September 30, 2026. Saks Global, which acquired Neiman Marcus at the end of 2024, filed for Chapter 11 in January 2026; Neiman Marcus is now part of Exemplar Luxury Group.
The company has said its Dallas presence will center on NorthPark Center, where it plans to bring elements celebrating the downtown store’s history. «Dallas remains an incredibly important market for the Neiman Marcus brand,» Saks Global said in announcing the closure.
That is the open question of the centennial: whether a tradition so tied to a downtown address can carry the same weight from NorthPark. The book’s answer, at least this year, is ambition.
«The 2026 Fantasy Gifts continue to redefine extraordinary luxury through one-in-a-lifetime experiences, unparalleled access, and boundless imagination.»
That line belongs to Darcy Penick, president and chief commercial officer of Exemplar Luxury Group – a promise of continuity from the new owners, made in the book’s 100th year.
The Giving Behind the Grand Gestures
Every Fantasy Gift purchase benefits The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation through a dedicated corporate donation. The most accessible gift on the list is also the most local in spirit: for $15,000, Your Heritage Recipe at The Restaurants of Neiman Marcus refines a family recipe with the company’s corporate chef and serves it on its restaurant menus nationwide for a year, with all proceeds going to the foundation.
In stores and online, a point-of-sale campaign for Boys & Girls Clubs of America runs through January 31, 2027; it has generated nearly $2 million since 2018. Starting November 29, select Neiman Marcus restaurants, including NorthPark, will host Breakfast with Santa and holiday storytimes.
A century after that first holiday mailing, the book still does what it was designed to do: make people talk about Neiman Marcus, and about Dallas, every fall.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most expensive Neiman Marcus Fantasy Gift for 2026?
The Grand Tour with Buccellati, at $860,000, is the most expensive 2026 Fantasy Gift. It is a six-day trip for two through Venice, Florence and Milan hosted by the Buccellati family, with helicopter transfers and Michelin-starred dining, ending with a session to design a one-of-a-kind high jewelry piece.
When did the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book start?
The Neiman Marcus book began in 1926 as a holiday mailing with gift suggestions for customers. Stanley Marcus added the first Fantasy Gifts in 1959. The 2026 edition, titled Grand Gestures, is the 100th, and the catalog is now called the Holiday Book.
Is the downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus closed?
Yes. The downtown Dallas flagship, at Main and Ervay since 1914, closed on September 30, 2026. Neiman Marcus has said it will focus its Dallas presence on its NorthPark Center store, which will feature elements celebrating the downtown store’s history.
Where does the money from the Fantasy Gifts go?
Every 2026 Fantasy Gift purchase benefits The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation through a dedicated corporate donation. The $15,000 Heritage Recipe experience gives all of its proceeds to the foundation.
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