Recession. The word is enough to launch many of us into full panic mode, and for good reason. Investment portfolios are taking a hit, real estate values aren’t even in the same neighbourhood as this time last year, and it’s safe to say many of us will be tightening our proverbial belts this Christmas when it comes to gifts and travel.
What better time to dream big? We decided to “bling out” BT for a day, and feature some of the wildest items out there for purchase this holiday season. “Dream big” was the order of the day, and boy did our guests answer the call!
From a $35,000 private Napa Valley wine tour (for you and 15 friends aboard a Beech 1900 aircraft) to a $120,000 shopping jaunt to Paris on a smaller private jet, Geoff Carlyle at North Cariboo air painted a picture of life without spending limits. Marty and Dave at Premier Audio set up a $60,000 MBL stereo system to pump our studio up…and told stories of a $700,000 (that’s SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLAR) home stereo system they’d be happy to install at your place! Norma Button adorned Wendy’s ears, neck and fingers with half-a-million dollars worth of jewelry, as I nestled into an $11,000 award-winning chair featured at McIlheran’s Fine Furniture. Our lucky draw winner (through participating in the email question of the day – “What would you do if you won the lottery?”) walked away with a beautiful fedora cap from Harry Rosen.
Perhaps the biggest sensory overload of the morning came when our good friend (and chef extraordinaire) Paul Shufelt came in from the Century Hospitality Group. Along with a foie gras french toast and truffle popcorn layout, Paul cracked a $2,000 bottle of Louis XIII. Nothing like serving $150/oz cognac to catch your guests’ attention!
All in all, our Blinged Out BT was one for the ages. There is perhaps no better time to dream big than when our wallets seem emptier than ever before! Maybe it’s not the year we spend the most on gifts for our loved ones – but boy, did we ever get some great ideas on extravagant expenditures from our viewers! Opulence aside, the message that resonated most was a consistent desire on the part of our viewers to share their wealth (however modest it may be) with loved ones around them. There’s no better holiday theme than that!
rpj.