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With Hanukkah beginning Wednesday and Christmas just a few weeks away, it is a perfect time to start your holiday shopping. Instead of surfing the Web for presents or heading out to Marketplace Mall, look into these local stores to check off your gift list.

Knitted Hats, Scarves and Gloves, $20-$30:

Everyone has that one friend or family member for whom it’s impossible to find a gift. If they live anywhere where the temperature drops below 32 degrees, they can always use a hat, a scarf and gloves to keep warm. Strawberry Fields (306 W. Springfield Ave., 328-1655) sells alpaca, hand-knitted goods. These accessories are made by Andesgifts with the guarantee that they are not made in sweatshops or with child labor.

Scented Candles, $19.95:

Still haven’t bought Mom her present? Candles are the solution. Jennifer North (116 N. Walnut St., 355-6400) sells 90-hour-burn Skeem candles. They come in scents like clover-pomegranate and blood-orange and are encased in intricately etched glass containers.

Gourmet Foods Gift Baskets:

There’s usually one class where you’re on the fence between a good and a bad grade. A gift basket of gourmet foods for your professor from Art Mart (127 Lincoln Square, 344-7979) will get you the grade you want. Remember: A combination of delicious things will get you anywhere in life.

Snot Spot Glove, $9.99:

You have that one friend who lives a mile off campus and refuses to take the bus. Instead, he or she insists on riding their bike through rain, sleet and snow. But a result of this stubbornness is a leaky shnoz as the freezing wind blows in his or her face. Champaign Surplus (303 S. Neil St., 356-4703) provides a solution for this problem with the glove called “Snot Spot.” It covers just the wrist and the thumb or forefinger, and its soft fleece material is a great place to get rid of all those pesky boogers.

Beaded Jewelry, $10-$150:

Uh-Oh. That girl who you know but aren’t really friends with got you a gift. And you didn’t get her anything. Ten Thousand Villages (105 N. Walnut St., 352-8200) comes to the rescue with a wide selection of international jewelry. They carry necklaces, bracelets and earrings made out of brightly colored beads and shimmery gemstones.

Murval Travel Case, $24:

Your friend who is always traveling is coming in for the holidays. Surprise! The Murval Paris trio travel cases at Bella Home (110 W. Main St., 367-2222) are the perfect fit for him or her. This cute, red patent leather three-piece set comes with a larger shoebox-sized case with a mirror inside. The two other cases that fit inside are perfect for carrying makeup or jewelry.

Gold Clutch, $32:

Is you best friend or girlfriend into vintage styles? Then this is the gift for her. This ’50s-style bag from Pitaya (625 E. Green St., 365-6666) is great for holidays, and it’s an easy way to spice up any outfit. It is detailed with a top clasp and pleats along the side.