Who can forget that irresistible Izzy?

Byline: Best of ... by The Register-Guard

It's the day after Thanksgiving, the day that marks the (official) start of the holiday shopping season and the duty of every Good American to rise to the aid the national economy by spending your next three mortgage payments on Christmas gifts.

Team Best of ... expects you to do your part, and that's why we blanketed the stores in search of the most clever, most thoughtful, most ingenious, most entertaining, most resourceful and most heart-warming gift available - for a buck.

After all, Team Best of ... prides itself on being, shall we say, fiscally conservative. We'll hunt for discounts at a dollar store.

During a shopping spree at The Dollar Tree and Oregon's Own Dollar Store in Springfield, we achieved our goal - to wit, "the gift that makes sense, for 100 cents."

There were strong contenders: The Dollar Tree sells a picture frame wrapped in what appears to be denim, presumably because corduroy would be tacky.

You could buy that special someone four feet of plastic "foliage garden," a decoration that looks like ivy. Team Best of ... briefly considered scrapping our one-buck budget and getting enough to re-create Wrigley Field in the family room.

Or how about new street address numbers to post on your loved one's house? The store has solid-brass versions of the Nos. 7 and 8; if your loved ones' address includes other numbers, they should move to one with just 7s and 8s.

You could also buy a 35-millimeter, "focus-free" camera for a dollar. But really, isn't a dollar a lot to spend on a camera these days?

At Oregon's Own Dollar Store, the halls have certainly been decked with Christmas cheer. There's enough green and red around to make an elf envious.

One of our favorites was a decoration that appears to be a miniature pair of "Santa pants" - with no Santa. We're not sure what the jolly ol' elf was up to, and we're not asking questions.

Team Best of ... also wondered whether a traditional Thanksgiving feast with turkey and stuffing could be had at the dollar store. It can: Turkey Ranchero chili and Stove Top stuffing, for a sensible $2.

Then we found it. The present with presence. The gift for those of thrift. The big enchilada that costs just a dolla': A Christmas-tree ornament of Izzy, official mascot of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

The games were marred by a deadly bombing, but Izzy has resurfaced these eight years later: "Known for his lightning bolt eyebrows and starry eyes, Izzy has appeared in animated films on television," the box reads.

Izzy's our pick because he's great with kids, he's indefatigably positive and he's got lightning bolt eyebrows. We also note that, at $1, Izzy is down from a one-time high of $9.95.

Now that's a bargain.

BEST GIFT FOR A BUCK

Izzy, 1996 Summer Olympic Games mascot and Christmas tree ornament

Where: Oregon's Own Dollar Store, 2005 Olympic St., Springfield

Best of ... grew up thinking the halls were to be decked with boughs of "folly." To visit our very own "Best of ..." follies, visit www.registerguard.com/bestof.

CAPTION(S):

Izzy, the mascot of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, would be a winning addition to anyone's Christmas list.