Holiday Shopping: Local Gifts About $25

We used to call these "tams" when we were growing up, and we thought the name was as lame as the hat itself. Of course, ours were red and white striped and also itchy.

The tam has come a long way since 1942. Not really--we wore the candy cane abomination about 1972, back when we weren't cute enough to pull it off, and everybody knew it.

Now there is this updated, perfect version of that beanie with a cherry on top. We found this one at Willi's Ski Shop, and it had to be special for us to single it out from the 1.2 million colorful winter hats they have there. This one caught our eye because of the color, which we call "Bear Rug Love."

It's warm mocha, in color and feel, and is bedazzled with tiny sequins. The hat looks deflated here, but imagine it set upon a beautiful head, jauntily tipped off to the side with that puff ball bobbing merrily along. It makes us want to sing about sleigh rides or "Here Comes Peter Cottontail."

One size will fit all but those of us with the biggest of noggins (it didn't fit my head, which is why it had to be photographed it in pancake mode), and sells for $24.