If you're like me you won't be able to put Vista on your primary computer for a couple years. This past week a friend of mine (thanks Kyle!) introduced me to ObjectDock by StarDock. This is a toolbar of sorts that can be put on one of the four sides of your desktop. When you move your mouse over the icons they become larger - this mimics the mac's launcher. You are even able to hide the window's taskbar entirely and just use ObjectDock. There is a freeware version which does everything I think I would use it for, though there are more features in the full version which is only $19.95.
The same company makes WindowBlinds which I downloaded after getting ObjectDock. This provides extra Windows XP Themes some of which give you the feel of Windows Vista and the Mac. I was a bit skeptical that the application would hurt the computer's performance, though so far I don't think I've noticed a difference. I'm fortunate to have a fairly new laptop so your mileage may vary. This software only has a 60 day trial period, though is also only $19.95 for the full version.
StarDock provides Object Desktop which is a full bundle of all of their applications for only $49.95. A fairly good deal if you're planning on getting both ObjectDock and WindowBlinds.