If you are a Washingtonian with a holiday wish list to complete or if you're in need of a gift idea for a loved one who is smitten with this fair city, then why not be inspired by the rich history of our very own hometown in choosing the perfect present?

For ease of shipping (or wrapping, if that's not your strength), look to the countless books on the history of Capitol Hill and Washington. "The Majesty of Capitol Hill" by our neighbor Thomas Grooms is available at local bookstores or through the Capitol Hill Restoration Society for $20 (www.chrs.org). It also makes a great housewarming gift for your new Capitol Hill neighbor year-round. For photographs of Capitol Hill as it once was, pick up "Images of America: Capitol Hill" by Paul Williams and Gregory Alexander. "Private Washington" by Jan Cigliano will take your prying eyes inside the best homes in town, and Bob Levey's "Washington History" is a walk through the city in pictures.

If historic preservation is your passion, choose the exceptional "Capital Losses" by James Goode to see the many structures that have sadly been sacrificed across the city or check out Goode's "Best Addresses" for a look at the grandest apartment houses in Washington. Need a gift for one of Capitol Hill's alley dwellers? Order "Alley Life in Washington" by James Borchert, which investigates the social history of these hidden treasures. For more ideas, the Washingtoniana Division at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library offers a list of 50 essential books on Washington history through their website at www.dclibrary.org.

For a thoughtful Hanukkah gift, look for "The Jewish Community of Washington, DC" or "Jewish Washington: Scrapbook of an American Community." The Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington also offers two DVD's on the history of the Jewish community in Washington through their website (www.jhsgw.org). You can order "A Capital Community" and "Half a Day on Sunday: Jewish Mom & Pop Grocers," the latter of which accompanies a great online historical database of Jewish-owned grocery stores in Washington. To celebrate the spirit of Kwanzaa, purchase African-American music and spoken word performances that the whole family can enjoy through the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings at www.folkways.si.edu.

Love the Capitol? The United States Capitol Historical Society has unveiled the 2007 U.S. Capitol ornament for $22 (www.uschs.org), and their website also includes attractive framed prints of the Capitol for only $49.95. If you're buying for the political history type, the 498-page "History of the United States Capitol" by William Allen will disclose all the backroom deals that surrounded construction of the Capitol complex. The Historical Society also carries a vivid poster, "The Capitol: See it Again for the First Time," featuring photos of the landmark as taken through a fish-eye camera lens.

The Library of Congress carries Capitol-themed holiday cards in a folk art design and a print of the 1793 plan for Washington at www.loc.gov. For the special Congressional staffer in your life, pair the Ken Burns America Collection DVD of "The Congress" with recent National Book Award winner "The House" by Robert Remini. Stop by the Longworth House Office Building gift shop to complete your presentation in wrapping paper emblazoned with the Congressional seal!

For an architecture-themed gift to stuff a stocking, the Library of Congress offers a pack of knowledge cards on the great buildings of Washington and a book of postcards featuring reproductions from their collection of Washington photos. The National Building Museum website (www.nbm.org) sells a horizontal poster depicting various special sites in Washington and the book, "Montgomery C. Meigs & the Building of the Nation's Capital," about one of the major contributing architects in nineteenth-century Washington. You can also find the "City Walks" book here to steer you through Washington's history on foot, which you can pair with the Metro map umbrella from www.dcgiftshop.com to get you through walking tours on a rainy day.

The American Institute of Architects offers an edgy black and white poster of a 1970's print entitled "Cities are Neighborhoods" for $18.95 at www.aia.org that you could have beautifully framed at Frame of Mine on Capitol Hill, and the organization also produces a notable guidebook to Washington's architecture.

How about presents for Capitol Hill kids? White Mountain Puzzles makes a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle entitled "Historic Washington, DC" with drawings and information on sites across the city (order on www.amazon.com). For that politically savvy child, pick up the books "House Mouse Senate Mouse" and "Marshall, the Courthouse Mouse" from the Library of Congress or Congressional gift shops. Dawn Price Baby has adorable "Capitol Hill" t-shirts for little ones.

Need a unique gift for a photography enthusiast? The Prints & Photographs Division of the Library of Congress has digitized more than half of their holdings through a catalogue available www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html. You can order reprints of many items, which range from photos and measured drawings of Capitol Hill houses to aerial photographs of the city.

Do you have an Eastern Market fan on your list? For a special art piece, visit Thomas Bucci's booth at Eastern Market or online at www.thomasbucci.com. Bucci has created stunning architectural studies of the Capitol, Eastern Market, and the National Mall, along with watercolor scenes of sites across the city. Also visit Dan Kessler's stand at Eastern Market for prints of his paintings of the market, the Capitol, and Capitol Hill scenes. Stuff a stocking with the famous "Rebuild Eastern Market" t-shirt, available at Frager's and Riverby Books, or buy the brand new gift certificates for use at Eastern Market's vendors through www.easternmarket.net or in person at Tom Rall's stand.

Purchase the gift of membership in a Washington-themed organization that keeps our history alive. Individual memberships for the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, the United States Capitol Historical Society, the DC Preservation League and the Historical Society of Washington all come with newsletters throughout the year. Also very kind would be a donation in your recipient's name to the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, the Capitol Hill History Project or Barracks Row Main Street, perhaps accompanied by a gift certificate from one of the Hill's fine restaurants.

The Capitol Hill Restoration Society wishes you a wonderful holiday season – and happy shopping!

Amanda Molson is Chairwoman of the CHRS Communications Committee and will be celebrating Christmas in her childhood home on Capitol Hill. Visit CHRS online at www.chrs.org.