Here are 6 sections of ideas for gifts—many are free. All are quick and easy.

I’d biked to Copy King to print a Christmas letter when I came upon this happy dude.  Surely he’s on Santa’s nice list!

Who’s on your nice list?

• All these gifts are appropriate for people who visit or live in Monterey County.

• Gift idea #2 is also appropriate for people elsewhere in California.

For most of the gift ideas, simply print/copy the PDFs provided.

What makes these gifts extra special? Include with them a note promising to bike with the recipient even once in the new year! Your time and caring–whether to support their enjoyment of biking, or to share with them your own enthusiasm for biking–is what will make these gifts most meaningful.

Print/copy these PDFs at your home or office, or at a copy shop, such as Copy King, Monterey; or CopyMat, Oldtown Salinas; or GTO Printers, East Salinas; or another near you.

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This post has been updated a bit from one first published in December 2012. For December 2017, it was skimmed quickly with just a few updates made. Please feel free to contact Mari with any questions, or with suggestions for revisions.

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Gift idea #1: For anyone of any age who bikes–or wants to bike!–in Monterey County.

Put one or both of the items below in an envelope with a note promising to bike with your dear one to a HER Helmet Thursdays spot in the new year.

The HER Helmet Thursdays spot you choose need not be pricey. If you have a small budget, invite them to an inexpensive taqueria, coffee shop, or museum. If you have a generous budget, the sky’s the limit; perhaps invite them to vacation/staycation in Monterey County, going whalewatching, winetasting, dining out, and more.

Make a copy of:

• Tips for Bicycling Monterey County and HER Helmet Thursdays (one 8.5 x 11 poster).
• The HER Helmet Thursdays Quick Reference Guide. (Or save paper and ink, and just be ready to show them the guide on a mobile phone or other device.) Most current one is always found on the Listings/FAQs page. And for your convenience…
  

Here’s the 2017 edition:

HER Helmet Thursdays Guide – 8th Anniversary Edition – Participants as of 30 Nov 2017

Gift idea #2: For anyone of any age who bikes–or wants to bike!–in Monterey County or elsewhere in California.

Support them in having a fun, healthy, and safe new year. Copy a California bike law summary, then include a note promising to bike with them. Need inspiration? See Monterey County and other California bike maps, and Where to Bike in Monterey County.

Download one or both of the following PDFs:

Be Cool, Be Safe – bike law summary

Leyes de ciclismo de CA – Laws for bicyclists in CA (Spanish, English) – Summary

From the California Bicycle Coalition, you might want to order Three Feet for Safety Act / #IGive3Ft stickers for bicycles and/or motor vehicles. California Bicycle Coalition offers some (click here for info about the one pictured below, plus Cal Bike’s #IGive3Ft design for motor vehicles too). Nice stocking stuffers.

Gift idea #3 – For any local or visitor to Monterey County.

Order a free copy of the Monterey County bike map. Have many relatives or friends who like to bike? These make great stocking-stuffers, and you can order multiple copies for free.

Gift idea #4 – For your favorite HER Helmet Thursdays spots (they are located throughout Monterey County). 

As you wish them a prosperous new year, help make that reality:  Make a few color copies of the “participant” signs,  then laminate them.  (Download them at the bottom of this post.) Then stop by a few of your favorite HER Helmet Thursdays participating venues with those signs, and offer a sign as a gift that will help attract new patrons to their business or organization.

While at a favorite HER Helmet Thursdays spot…Consider also buying a gift card from them, to “seal the deal” that you or a loved one who’s the lucky recipient will be one of the people walking in their door in the new year.

Gift idea #5 – For your favorite Monterey County bike shops.

Make a color copy and laminate it for each of your favorite bike shops. Download PDF:

Bike Shops in Bike Friendly MoCo

While at a bike shop…Consider purchasing a bicycle or accessory for someone you bike with, or would like to. Perhaps get them a light for biking in the dark, or hi-vis apparel/accessories, or a bike pump or other bike maintenance item, or just whatever strikes your fancy. No one left to shop for? Consider buying a gift card for someone in need.

Gift idea #6 – For any bike geek who’d like a unique bike-related poster; or for your favorite Monterey County HER Helmet Thursdays spots or Monterey County bike shops.

An 8th anniversary poster:  Poster – 8th Anniversary HER Helmet Thursdays 

Or the 5th Anniversary commemoration poster – HER Helmet Thursdays Project.pdf

The HER Helmet Thursdays 5th Anniversary poster can be printed on 9 x 12 paper (or card stock), although it displays best if enlarged and printed on 18 x 24.

Contact me with any questions.

When printing posters…

1. Since posters are often displayed in windows, you may wish to make them two-sided. Print the same poster on both sides, or choose a different poster for the opposite side. There are many 8-1/2 x 11 poster options on the Posters, Minis, Logos, and More page.
   

2. Frame or laminate to display. When laminating, you may want to put a piece of plain white paper between the front and back sheets, to prevent light coming through. Also, a heavier weight laminate holds up much nicer.

3. Some people print posters  on clear or white decal paper. Voila! A window decal.

4. Some lodging providers display their poster in a concierge binder. For those,  no need to laminate; a nice color copy will be great.
5. Some HER Helmet Thursdays spots already have the signs displayed, since most were provided them when they first signed up. However, since the project has been going since 2009,  many signs need replacing (are either missing or faded/worn).
6. Please feel free to contact me (831-375-6278) for tips on doing this outreach in a manner that best shows your support and appreciation.

Below are the items

for your favorite HER Helmet Thursdays spots

as referenced in #4 above.

For HER Helmet Thursdays

Businesses and Organizations…

NOTE: Yup! We want to change all our posters on this website from “males and females” to “people,” out of respect for people with other identities. (Originally we said “male and female” to help get across that “HER” referred to Mother Earth and to the primary types of places that particpate in the project.) Please volunteer to help with this time-consuming task. And if you are a graphic artist who wants to get creative with poster redesigns, that’s cool too. Phone Bicycling Monterey.

Poster for “H”/Hotels/Lodging venues

Download PDF and print on 8-1/2 x 11:

Any Hotel or other lodging participant

Or the mini version….

Download PDF and print 4-to-a-page on 8-1/2 x 11:

MINI – Any Hotel or other lodging participant

Poster for “E”/Educational or Entertainment and “R”/’Restaurants and related places (for ALL non-lodging participants)

Download PDF and print on 8-1/2 x 11:

Any Educational,  Entertainment, Restaurant, etc. (ALL non-lodging) participant

Or the mini version….

Download PDF and print 4-to-a-page on 8-1/2 x 11:

MINI – Any HER  Helmet Thursdays Educational, Entertainment, or Restaurant participant

For back side of 8-1/2 x 11 participant signs…

Download PDF and print on 8-1/2 x 11:

Tips for Bicycling Monterey County and HER Helmet Thursdays (one 8.5 x 11 poster)

Or, if they are a charter participant, you might prefer to

download this PDF, and print on 8-1/2 x 11:

Charter Participants HER Helmet Thursdays – Final List

A final note

Due to staff changes, sometimes a manager on duty or other staff person you greet may be unfamiliar with their venue’s participation in HER Helmet Thursdays. If you have a printed copy of the Quick Reference Guide with you (or access it on a mobile device), you can be ready to graciously point out their listing.

At some places, it may even be helpful to take a printed Staff Reference Sheet, with their percentage and include/exclude alcohol policy filled in, and offer that to them as well.  The project has been going for over four years now, and some joined it back in 2009. It makes sense that busy managers may find it helpful to have your kind assistance in making sure they have the reference sheet handy for their employee bulletin board.

Staff Reference Sheet: 2018 Staff Reference – HER Helmet Thursdays

This post has been updated a bit from one first published in December 2012. For December 2017, it was skimmed quickly with just a few updates made. Please feel free to contact Mari with any questions, or with suggestions for revisions.