Most expensive gifts this year

Every year, retail companies go that extra mile to provide the modern day consumer with an even more exciting and extravagant gift than the year before and 2010 proved no different. Keeping the attention of shoppers these days is a hard task, but thanks to economic recovery and increased spending towards the holiday season, pricey gifts were still flying out of shops all over the country. So what gifts proved the most expensive?

Well, on an average budget, so not to put you in to debt problems the most popular expensive gifts fell into the realms of both technology and fashion. Apple, of course, came out on top, with their Ipad flying off the shelves (prices range from £439 to £714 in price). A close second was Xbox's answer to the Wii - Kinect Sensor, where a bundle including a 4GB console will set you back £260. As far as fashion goes, the must-have gift of 2010 was yet again the famous monogrammed Louis Vuitton handbag range, with price tags from £400 up to £5,000. The most popular expensive jewellery pulls no surprises either with Tiffany coming up trumps for the most wanted charm bracelet and necklace, prices starting at £150.

If budget was of little concern to you though, then the sky is the limit as far as expensive gifts go. Top of the list for 2010 is the Nintendo Wii Supreme – drenched in 2,500 grams of 22 carat gold and 78 diamonds. If gaming isn't your thing but motor vehicles are, then you'd maybe you'd consider the Bugatti Veyron; at £750.000, it is the most expensive production car ever made (and some say the most beautiful).

Children were not left out either in 2010, with Steiff producing the most expensive bear in the world to celebrate its 125th anniversary. With fur made of gold thread, eyes of sapphires and diamonds and a solid gold mouth, this bear is a snip at just £43,000. And of course if you are looking for the perfect scent, then you can't really go wrong with 'Imperial Majesty' - Clive Christian's £129,000 bottle that has just entered the Guinness Book of Records for the most expensive perfume in the world. The price includes an 18-carat gold collar and a five-carat diamond, as well as delivery in a Bentley.

2010 may have set a precedent in terms of gift giving, but 2011 looks to be just as impressive, especially in the technology arena. The second generation Ipad is already receiving record numbers of orders before it has even been released. The net-book company Asus are hitting back hard, launching their first Android Tablet using the Windows 7 operating system, expected to be anywhere from £250-800 in price depending on the spec.

These days, laptops are not just for adults either, as Toshiba proves by releasing their Satellite L635 Child Notebook. Aimed at kids between 5 and 10 years of age, this hardwearing little machine comes with a wipeable keyboard, webcam and DVD drive. Perhaps the best and most promising gift of this year though, is Samsung's 3D TV, complete with glasses. At only 1/3 of an inch thick, this LED LCD TV is the product of the future, allowing you to bring any 2D content to life. Prices range from £600-£1,500.