Playboy's Christmas Stocking

If your head isn't pounding from too many buttered rums on Christmas morning, you should be pleased with the assortment of gifts scattered under the tree -- especially those with your name on them.

We readily admit that this isn't always the case, even in our own fun-filled diggings. For years, well-meaning mothers, wives, playmates, great aunts and grandmothers have loaded the floor beneath the Christmas tree with more exquisitely wrapped gee-gaws than you'll find hanging up top as decoration. You've probably received some memorable gifts yourself: nude statuettes that turn into cigarette lighters, nude statuettes that turn into cork screws, cigarette lighters that turn into nude statuettes, real western cowhide handkerchiefs, he-man after-shave scents distilled from male goat glands and put up in hairy bottles. The list is painfully endless.

Gilt-giving, like love, is a many-splendored thing, so don't let your women, friends and relatives palm off something laughable on you and, similarly, don't be guilty of passing along a gift, yourself, with no more appeal than a dead water buffalo.

To make things a bit easier, we've assembled on these pages a number of choice items that seem particularly appealing to us, for both giving and receiving. The latter can be expedited by marking the gifts you like and leaving this issue in a prominent place where that woman, friend or relative is sure to find it. Most of these gifts or their close kin should be available at the better department or specialty stores in your area. For further information on any of them, write Playboy's Service Department, 11 E. Superior St., Chicago ll, Illinois.

We're rather confident that your eye must have travelled immediately to the rugged, good-looking herringbone sports jacket pictured on the masculine side of our picture spread. It's an imported (concluded on page 56) Christmas Stocking (continued from page 29) Scotch Shetland job that's about as handsome as any we've seen for some time. Classic styling is beautifully evident throughout, right down to the 11-inch center vent in the back. If you throw the hint to the wife or girl friend, you might also add that the price is a reasonable $45. The small shape, modern tempo cap that accompanies the jacket so well is equipped with adjustable back buckle strap and costs a pleasant $3.95 in cotton or $4.95 in wool. Hell, even your five-year-old niece can afford that.

The washable Lanella robe directly below the jacket comes in a variety of magnificent tartan plaids that seem to compliment perfectly the man of leisure in his own abode. To go with it, take a look at the Cordovan scuffs at the top of the page; they sell for $8.95 a pair in brown or black.

If you're a ski enthusiast, the all-wool hand-knit ski sweater goes remarkably well with a pair of trim black gabardine ski pants. The sweater is a product of Sweden and sells for $17.50. Another ski favorite is the fire engine red zippered pullover with a three-way convertible neck; wear it as a full turtle, turn it down as a crew neck, open the zipper for a V-neck effect. It's available in red, navy, white or black at $13.50.

The ubiquitous Madame Schiaparelli turns up in the men's sports shirt field. We think you'll go for the striped gold and black job on the right side of our men's display. Amazingly enough, it's washable -- a fine blend of silk and cotton with long sleeves and a price tag that quietly says $16.50. The light-colored deep V-neck sweater shown at the bottom is woven of a durable English alpaca and is available with long sleeves at $27.50 or in a vest model at $22.50. If you're not afraid of looking too much like Old Glory or the tricolor, the fine broadcloth pajamas in the lower right corner come in all sorts of club stripes for just $6.95. The handsome dress shirts -- in stripes, solids and checks -- run between $5.95 and $6.50 in button-down, round or tab collar styles.

For women between the ages of 17 and 35, nothing is more gratefully received than a cashmere sweater, a notable sample of which is shown in the center of our feminine display. The style varieties are almost endless -- cardigan, pullover, round neck, V-neck, turtle, short sleeves or long -- and each is good-looking and popular with the girls.

Statement: we like Anita Ekberg in a tight, form-hugging sweater! However: most of the more sedate young ladies we know personally prefer to wear their sweaters loosely, and this is especially true with cashmere.

Like every rule, of course, this one has its exception. We direct your attention to the cover of this month's Playboy and then quietly close the discussion of sweater sizes forever. If it interests you, prices for the short sleeve models start in the neighborhood of $20 and spiral upwards on the long sleeve jobs.

More intimate gifts for your favorite playmate might include such tasty items as a quilted bed jacket (upper right) with accompanying lingerie bag; a rich bouclé sweater-blouse in white (lower right) imported French doeskin gloves (lower center) that cost, don't wince, $50 the pair; colorful nylon slips in lovely pastel shades of green, blue and pink (upper left); lustrous calfskin purse with brass trim, or black velvet evening purse with gold trim and medallion, costing in the vicinity of $35 each.

But these paltry items are hardly worth your time or effort. What the girl really wants is a jug of something called Joy-- yes, it comes in bottles too, and is rightfully called The Costliest Perfume in the World. Jean Patou in Paris distills the heady scent, and you'll have to plunk down $45 for each ounce ... but it might be worth while. You never know what gifts like that are going to lead to. Joyeux Noël!