MICROSOFT Zune If you own an MP3 player there's about an 80 percent chance that a dime-size apple is etched onto its underside. The arrival of Microsoft's Zune this holiday season represents the iPod's most serious rival since its debut five years ago. The most exciting technological advance: The Zune incorporates Wi-Fi, allowing users to share music by "beaming" it to another Zune rather than having to sit at a computer to share songs. (The feature currently lets users demo songs for three days or three plays.) The Zune's downside is its incompatibility with iTunes, which accounts for 70 percent of online music sales. (If you already own music on iTunes, it won't work with the Zune.) But songs cost a dollar at the Zune's own music store, too, so you finally have a realistic alternative to the iPod if you haven't already gone digital. [$250; microsoft.com]
VICTORINOX SwissCard The SwissCard contains a small blade, scissors, a ballpoint pen, and six other tools, and it's thin enough (.12 ins) to fit inside a wallet without making a bulge. It's so small that you'll forget about it until you need it -- or try to board a plane. [$30; swissarmy.com]
DAKINE Canvas Duffel Although it's extremely light at 14 oz when empty, Dakine's canvas duffel should tip the scales at a good deal more than that by the time you shlep away all that holiday bounty. Also available in black with white pinstripes, this update on a classic hauler has a zippered side pocket, a padded shoulder strap, and 2,500 cu ins of space, an ideal amount for storing a weekend's worth of get-out-of-town clothes and toys. [$40; dakine.com]
PISTIL DESIGNS Truman Tired of those ubiquitous acrylic beanies, Pete Hixson looked for a mill in northern Italy to knit his hats from high-quality wool. His Truman blends extrafine merino and cashmere to coddle and warm your ears all winter long. [$34; pistildesigns.com]
FORTIS Flieger Chronograph Made from surgical-grade stainless steel, this 40-mm-wide automatic watch has three subdials. There's heritage, too: Fortis produced the first automatic wristwatch, the Harwood, in 1924. [$1,600; fortiswatch.com]
DULUTH TRADING COMPANY Granddad's Tool Box Made of oak, this toolbox weighs enough empty (26 pounds) that you probably won't want to haul it around much. Not that you'd want to risk scuffing it anyhow, with its hand-rubbed stain and lacquer, brass hinges and feet, and finger-jointed corners, which will take the attention away from the rust on your tools. [$200; duluthtrading.com]
WAHL Goatee Trimmer Winter vacations can inspire creative displays of facial hair. This Wahl trimmer comes with four attachments of varying lengths, allowing your beard to evolve into a goatee, then a mustache, and then, finally, a soul patch -- the remnant of what was. [from $25; wahl.com] ]
LE CREUSET Panini Press and Skillet Grill All cast-iron pans are heavy. At least Le Creuset's aren't high-maintenance: A nonreactive surface makes seasoning optional. Use the skillet for steaks; add the panini press for toasted sandwiches [$140; lecreuset.com]

To see the rest of the "Holiday Wish List," pick up the January 2007 issue.

Photographs by: Michael Pirrocco
(January 2007)