When the Here and Now Isn’t Enough

If your time is limited or you prefer spending it efficiently; if you don’t drive, or don’t like to, or in any case could do without fighting for a parking space; if waiting in line drives you nuts, or if it’s physically difficult for you to stand for long periods; if you like the idea of shopping at any hour of the day or night; or, most important, if you’re interested in some of the finest, most creative gift ideas around, we’ve got just one word for you:

Plastics.

Oops, wrong movie. Actually the word is catalogs, though plastic--i.e., a major credit card--is usually necessary. Even shoppers who don’t mind the crowds and traffic typical of the holiday retail experience are discovering the joys of mail order.

“I’m the type of shopper that goes bzz bzz bzz through the stores,” said Caroline King, 27, a Long Beach-based advertising director. “I have radar; I know exactly what I want and what I don’t want.

“I shop by catalog because it’s ultra-convenient. It’s hassle-free. There are now so many catalogs that come to my house. . . . Every holiday season, I find something I would purchase for someone else. If I can knock two or three people from my list each year by shopping in a catalog, that is great.”

Arts- and entertainment-savvy shoppers will find an amazingly sophisticated array of catalogs available for the asking. (How quickly you can get a catalog once you’ve requested it is subject to the vagaries of mail.)

When it comes to ordering, most catalogs offer toll-free phone numbers, with operators standing by around the clock--that’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week--and include mail and fax order forms.

Several holiday catalogs promise that your credit card won’t be billed until Feb. 1, interest-free. Many catalogs offer UPS, Priority Mail or Air Express service; some post cutoff dates for guaranteed holiday delivery. Delivery periods vary but are usually stated.

Following is a sampling of catalogs in alphabetical order, including items listed in the current issue. Prices do not include shipping and handling.

* Art & Artifact. Celtic Nativity set, $150. Feng shui kit, $29.95. Illuminated lettering tie, $25. Categories include jewels of the past, Asian spirit, knights and dragons, classic study, miniature masterpieces, Victorian Orientalism. (800) 231-6766.

* Audio Editions. Books on cassette, 650 titles listed (3,000 in stock). “English Patient,” 2 cassettes, $18. “Mars and Venus on a Date,” 2 cassettes, $18. “Angela’s Ashes,” 4 cassettes, $24. “An Isak Dinesen Feast,” six cassettes, $29.95. Categories include nonfiction, humor, drama and poetry; some are abridged; some aren’t--ask when you order. (800) 231-4261.

* Flax Art and Design. Jack-in-the-boxes, $44.50. Ukrainian egg-decorating kit, $24.50. Griffin and Sabine correspondence sets, $24.95. Mondrian, Matisse or Miro socks, $20. Frank Lloyd Wright ties, $36. (Be advised: wearing Mondrian socks with a Frank Lloyd Wright tie may be illegal in some states.) Il Duomo 3-D jigsaw puzzle, $39. (800) 547-7778.

* KCET Store of Knowledge. Gifts to “entertain, enlighten and inspire”; public broadcasting stations earn a portion of sales. Erupting-volcano kit, $14.95; Wallace & Gromit tie, $29.95; Muhammad Ali boxed video set, $99.50. (800) 241-5858 (5 a.m.-8 p.m.).

* Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). Standing Ganesha, $325. Byzantine menorah, $80. Zuni cow, $15. Heliopolis jerboas (set of 3 ceramic mice), $15. Kashan rug tie, $65. Chinese brush painting set, $21.95. Categories include Faberge, Costume Institute shoes, ancient designs. (800) 468-7386.

* MindWare. Puzzles, books and games “for the other 90% of your brain.” M.C. Escher Kaleidocycles, $25.95. Tic Tac Chec, $17.95. Finger puzzles, $11.95. Categories include Think Outside the Box, the Joy of Logic and Whodunit? (800) 999-0398 (5 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri.).

* Museum of Fine Arts (Boston). T’ang dynasty horse sculpture, $99. Burgundy millefleurs scarf, $39.50, or tie, $34.50. Greek bronze snake, $22. Leonardo da Vinci CD-ROM, $49.50. Categories include Eastern indulgences, whimsical fashions, museum books, toys that teach. (800) 225-5592.

* The Music Stand. Circle of Fifths watch, $24.95; Degas watch, $34.95. Clarinet tie, $29.95; bravo opera tie, $34.95. Miniature musical instrument replicas, most $24.95. Saxophone pillow, $16.95. A set of five Gibson guitar magnets, $12.95. Floor music cabinet, $349. (800) 717-7010.

* Signals. Gifts that “inform, enlighten and entertain” for fans and friends of public television. Notre Dame rose window umbrella, $36. “Plays well with others” or “Runs with scissors” shirts, $18.50-$32. “Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting,” five videocassettes, $99.99. (800) 669-9696.

* The Smithsonian. Frank Lloyd Wright mantel clock, $125. Italian millefiori watch, $75. Christopher Radko blown-glass dreidel ornament, $39.50. Cloisonne hummingbird ornaments, set of 4, $36; cloisonne cane, $100. Smithsonian Castle bookends, $110. (800) 322-0344.

* Wireless. “For fans and friends of public radio.” Framed original Woodstock ticket, $115; New York’s Manhattan skyline 3-D puzzle, “every building . . . proportionally scaled,” $99.95. Celtic art throw rug, $54. Limited edition Star Trek holographic lollipops, set of four, $22.50. (800) 669-9999.