Now that the holidays are upon us, it is fun to look back and remember family, friends and hats. Especially hats.

We’ve asked our customers to tell us a little about their favorite memories associated with hats. It could be about a relative or friend or even a hat they really, really liked. Here’s what they told us:

Rob remembered his father.

How did you get into hats? One customer was inspired by his father who always wore a fedora similar to this Stingy Pinch to church.

“My daddy would not be seen without a hat on,” Rob said. Pointing to the Dynafelt Pinch fedoras, “He always wore a fedora to church, but during the week it was baseball caps.

Willie was trying on ivies in front of a mirror.

“I picked up wearing hats from my grandfather,” Willie said. “He’d pick up one every week.”

What were his favorites?

“He liked Dobbs and Borsalinos,” Willie said before sharing, “When he passed, I got one that was grey with a black band. I got it cleaned and reblocked. I wear it on special occasions.”

A “bad” memory brought Kevin and Mary into the shop.

“She sat on my hat,” Kevin said, ribbing his wife who didn’t see it on the car seat the night before.

They are strictly a Borsalino family.

“We got married in Italy,” Mary said. “My father bought a Borsalino there to wear when he walked me down the aisle. We’ve been Borsalino fans ever since.”

Chris was busy trying on berets in front of a mirror. “I started wearing berets because of my uncle,” he said. “They fit him really well.”

Since he was 5 or 6, Chris wanted to wear berets, too. He wasn’t sure how his uncle got into wearing berets, but he speculated.

“He was in Europe during the war [as an Army surgeon],” Chris said. “There’s a possibility that’s where he got into wearing berets.”

Of course, not all hat memories are tied to family. Sanders came in with a favorite hat memory tied to an entire time and place.

“There was this guy named Conley [in my old neighborhood] who made hats,” Sanders reminisced, as he tried on a navy blue homburg. “He had every color imaginable, even mint. This was like 35 years ago. The hats cost $150, $200…and that was back then. People saved up for them for a long time, and it was a real sign you had arrived.”

Do you have a great hat memory? Share it with us in the comments section below! We’d love to read it