But she ended up in hospital after a horse mistook the greenery on for a bush and tried to eat it.
The 55-year-old was kicked by the animal as it tried to take a bite while she was out walking her Jack Russell dog Mickey across a field.
Enlarge Attacked: Dog walker Eileen Samme who was kicked by a horse
Mrs Samme said the horse must have thought the headwear was a holly bush - despite its Christmas pudding design.
As the horse tried to take a bite she was kicked - leaving her writhing around in agony.
Mrs Samme, from Cerne Abbas, near Dorchester, Dorset, said: 'I have walked Mickey hundreds of times in that field and the horses have always been friendly.
'I came through the gate as usual and they just came running up to me and one of them was after my hat.
'He was trying to get the hat off with his mouth and all of a sudden it kicked me in my leg.
Enlarge Horse thought hat was a holly bush
'I got kicked to the ground and I was on the floor scrambling for my hat.
'It was after the piece of holly on my hat - it must have thought it was a holly bush. I think it must have wanted to eat it.
'It could have broken my leg or my hip and all because I was trying to get into the spirit of Christmas.
'It's not funny, I was terrified.'
Mrs Samme, who bought the hat the day before, added: 'There are no notices up warning people about these horses - they might look friendly but they are actually quite frisky.
'I'm a tough old bird but if it had happened to a person who was slighter in build or a child it could have broken something.'
Mrs Samme, a cleaner, suffered bruising to her leg which also became swollen and spent fours hours in the casualty department at the Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester.
She has had to take three days off work to recover.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334900/Woman-novelty-Christmas-hat-attacked-horse-tried-EAT-it.html?ITO=1490