While many are carefully budgeting for festive gifts, the ultra-wealthy are operating on a different plane entirely. This Christmas, the most extravagant presents include hiring a personal assistant for a spouse, gold-leaf coated earbuds for children, and self-gifted hair extensions with price tags reaching a staggering $50,000.
The Ultimate Gift of Time: A £7,500 Personal Concierge
For burnt-out partners managing careers, homes, and families, the most thoughtful present this year isn't something to unwrap, but a service to alleviate stress. Quiet Lux, a private concierge firm founded in 2024, is reporting high demand for its memberships, gifted predominantly by husbands to their wives.
CEO Lizzy Livne explained to the Daily Mail that the service resonates with men who want to help but lack the 'mental bandwidth' to manage domestic logistics. 'Many of the points of tension at home are not about big issues, but about logistics... and the unspoken expectation that someone is quietly keeping everything running,' she said.
For an annual fee of $7,500 (or $750 monthly), Quiet Lux's discreet team handles everything from party planning and sourcing childcare to coordinating medical records and managing holiday gifts. The company's core clientele is in New York and the tri-state area, with plans to expand to Miami in 2026.
Luxury Sound & Six-Figure Style
For those seeking tangible luxuries, sound and beauty are top of the list. Forget common AirPods; affluent parents are opting for Devialet's gold-leaf earbuds, handcrafted in France for $799 a pair. Rodrigo Arrambide, Head of North America for Devialet, noted these are popular gifts for children, while the brand's Phantom speakers, costing up to $8,600 for a pair, are in demand for the ultimate listening experience.
Meanwhile, a trend of 'luxury self-gifting' is seeing wealthy women invest extraordinary sums in their appearance. Prolonged Hair, founded by Jonathan and Whitney Sexsmith, offers custom hair extensions made from '100 percent raw human hair' with an intact cuticle. Prices start around $300 but can exceed $50,000 for highly customised orders, with one client spending a 'very high five-figure sum' on 36-inch extensions.
'For many clients, it’s less about being given hair and more about choosing to invest in how they feel,' the founders stated, noting a surge in demand during the festive season for events and travel.
Celebrity-Approved Skincare Secrets
In the realm of beauty, elite skincare remains a coveted gift. Tracie Martyn's Red Carpet Facials and products, a cult secret among celebrities like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, are being gifted in lieu of spa trips. The brand's Fifth Avenue spa is a fixture during New York Fashion Week, but its at-home products offer the allure of A-list treatment.
Co-founder Marius Morariu highlighted that clients are gifting items like the $198 firming serum, loved by Cyndi Lauper, and the $68 toner used by 'White Lotus' actor Lukas Gage. He described the brand as a 'bio- and beauty-hacking gym for your face' for those preferring non-invasive treatments.
This festive season clearly illustrates a widening gap in gift-giving trends, where for the wealthiest, the ultimate luxury is no longer just an object, but time, exclusivity, and impeccable personal presentation.
