Rad Bag
The holidays may not seem the best time to bring up climate change. But with these gifts you can encourage your loved ones to seek out alternative modes of transportation, often while connecting with nature — without having to say a word. While you may want to shout, “Hey Dad, stop driving your gas-guzzling SUV 10 blocks to the grocery store for three bananas,” you can instead say it with a fun bike accessory. For your sister who always orders burrito delivery, a pair of warm, stylish winter boots can be the subtle hint for her to walk to the restaurant instead (food always tastes better in-house anyway). With these gifts, you can feel you are doing your part to make the world a better place, one friend or relative at a time.
Commuter biking
Madison is home to 186 miles of off-street bicycle paths, earning its reputation as one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country. Getting to work by bike is looking better every day. Make someone’s bike commute more efficient/warm/stylish with an assortment of bike accessories. For the person who needs to drop junior off at daycare or school before work, a Thule bike seat can carry children up to 6 years of age. Winter biking can be brutally cold, but a pair of bar mitts — gloves made with wind-resistant neoprene that attach to handlebars — keep hands toasty warm. A Rad Feedbag, designed by a bike mechanic at Cargo, carries a phone, wallet and a snack on the handlebars. Available in a variety of fun canvas prints that are a long way from typical bike bag black.
Cost: kid bike seat by Thule, $150- $250; pogies by Bar Mitts, $75; Rad Feedbag handlebar bag by Rad Bags, $60
Where: Cargo Bike Shop, 1404 Williamson St.
Light the way
See and be seen — and be envied, with the Monkey Light Pro, an LED bike light system. The lights, mounted in rubber, strap to the spokes. As the wheels go round, hologram-like images appear. The M232R model, which runs on three AA or USB-rechargeable batteries, comes with 42 different themes, each with many color combinations. At 200 lumens, the lights keep bicyclists highly visible on city streets.
Cost: $70 (M232R model)
Where: Revolution Cycles, 2330 Atwood Ave.
A book to read on the bus
If someone else is driving, you’re free to do...whatever! Make taking the bus fun for a friend with a care package for the ride. Make your pal feel even better about this positive step toward combating climate change by gifting a title like Jonathan Safran Foer’s new We Are the Weather, a collection of essays about embracing a plant-based diet. If you want to nudge someone to just try the bus, give a Madison Metro monthly pass.
Cost: $25 (book); $65 (bus pass)
Where: Area bookstores; bus passes are sold widely around town, including at most grocery stores, the City Treasurer’s office and at Metro headquarters, 1245 E. Washington Ave.
Kid kayak
Old Town Canoe’s Heron Jr. recreational kayak is designed with the young paddler in mind: it’s lightweight and sturdy, yet easily maneuverable. And if young arms get tired from paddling, a tow system allows parents to easily let them hitch a ride.
Cost: $399
Where: Rutabaga Paddlesports, 220 West Broadway
Kosa
A retreat
Not all travel is physical. Give someone a getaway for the mind with a gift card to Kosa, the new ayurvedic day spa in Garver Feed Mill. The shirodhara treatment, often called “bliss therapy,” focuses on warm, seasonal herbal oil poured on the forehead, cleansing for the mind and nerves. All treatments entitle guests to linger in the meditation studio, lounge, sauna and steam room for the entire day. Or purchase a 4-hour retreat without any treatment to enjoy the same amenities.
Cost: Shirodhara, $100/45 minutes; half-day retreat with no treatment, $45/four hours
Where: Kosa, 3241 Garver Green, Suite 260
[Editor's note: This article has been changed to clarify the pricing and service schedule at Kosa spa.]
