The must-have Thanksgiving accessory

Need a Thanksgiving gift for the host/hostess/cook who has everything?  How about a turkey hat....

Turkey carving guru and Food editor Russ Parsons (modeling the hat above) said he just had to have one for his holiday this year.

It's been a must-have at my Thanksgivings over the last several years, where all the cooks (we host a rather large potluck) don hats during last-minute preparations before the dinner begins. Thanksgiving just isn't the same without seeing felt turkeys on everyone's heads.

So, when the Food section started preparations on our Thanksgiving issue this year -- we start a month in advance and "celebrate" in the Test Kitchen for a solid two weeks before the real thing -- I figured I just had to bring in my trusty hat.  Little did I know it would elicit such a response....

People would periodically stop by the Test Kitchen window just to make sure it really was a turkey they were seeing on my head. Not to mention school kids' faces as they stopped by the department during a tour of the Los Angeles Times.

I got so many requests for the hat that I thought I'd post a couple links. Locally, I found the hats at Vine American Party Store on Melrose, just east of Highland, (323) 467-7124.  They still had some in stock when I called this morning.  Also, a quick Google search yields several results.

Regardless of how the meal itself turns out, I can guarantee a memorable Thanksgiving with one of these.  Cheers!

-- Noelle Carter

Photo by Jenn Garbee