With all this talk of "luxury" lately I thought I'd do me some research. I happened across three very interesting reads:
"Living It Up: America's Love Affair with Luxury", by James B. Twitchell
"Let Them Eat Cake: Marketing Luxury to the Masses - as well as the Classes", by Pamela N. Danziger
"Trading Up (Revised and Updated): Why Consumers Want New Luxury Goods...And How Companies Create Them", by Michael Silverstein, Neil Fiske & John Butman

So gift yourself a little market research this holiday season. In addition to upping your on-da-job skeelz, you may also gain some insight into your own consumer behavior. Enjoy!