Arts, Entertainment Gifts Just a Call Away

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 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, different story. 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.

Arts-and-entertainment-savvy shoppers will find a sophisticated array of catalogs out there, available for the asking. How quickly you can get a given catalog once you’ve requested it is subject to the vagaries of holiday mail.

Once it comes to ordering merchandise, however, 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 offer UPS, Priority Mail or Air Express service; some post cut-off dates for guaranteed holiday delivery.

What follows is a sampling of catalogs, including items listed in the current issue:

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

* Audio Editions. Books on cassette, with 650 titles listed (3,000 in stock): “English Patient,” two cassettes, $18; “Mars and Venus on a Date,” two cassettes, $18; “Angela’s Ashes,” four 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. PST).

* Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). Standing Ganesha, $325; Byzantine menorah, $80; Zuni cow, $15; Heliopolis jerboas (set of three 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 (7 a.m.-9 p.m. Central time, 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 to $32; “Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting,” five videocassettes, $99.99. (800) 669-9696.

* The Smithsonian. Frank Lloyd Wright mantle clock, $125; Italian Millefiori watch, $75; Christopher Radko blown-glass dreidel ornament, $39.50; Cloisonne hummingbird ornaments, set of four, $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.