I'm not sure what's worse, waking up to a noisy heartstopping alarm clock or not waking up at all. An alternative to the loud bells and whistles alarm clock is the new Progression Wake Up Clock ($50) by Hammacher Schlemmer. To wake you up, it goes after your senses of Sight with gradual ambient light, Sound with lively nature sounds (Nightfall, Thunder Storm, Zen Melody, Mountain Stream, Songbirds, and Ocean Surf) and Smell with stimulating aromatherapy scents (Coffee, Energy, Stress Relief, Lavendar).

How it Works:
"Simply set the desired wake up time, place some aromatherapy beads (included) into the aroma bowl, and choose a natural sound setting. Thirty minutes before wake-up, the clock’s light begins to glow softly, subtly brightening over the next half hour. As the light increases, the warmth from the lamp releases faint aromatherapy scents into the air to stimulate the olfactory senses, speeding the waking process. Fifteen minutes before wake up time, the clock's speaker generates the sleeper’s choice of soft, yet lively nature sounds, and at the set wake up time, a buzzer sounds to finish the cycle."

I think this alarm clock just may be my answer to morning grumpiness. It has everything a regular alarm clock has, but with the bright light, pleasant smells and lively sound, it makes it a clear weapon of choice in my daily war with awakening.