Give the gift of experiences: Good taste, no waste

If your family is anything like mine - and I sincerely hope that it is, 'cos we're good people - the path to your holiday bliss is littered with torn wrapping paper, tape-encrusted ribbons and enough tissue paper to blunt the impact of a global-killer asteroid. Many's the time we've opened our gifts and raised our teary eyes to give thanks to our generous loved ones - only to discover that we are surrounded on all sides by waste paper and cardboard. We're lucky to get out of the house alive.

Say, here's an idea: Why not give a present that has to be experienced? Seattle is nothing if not an active town, and its residents love to go out and enjoy its natural and man-made attractions. They love spa days, live theater and interacting with nature. Why not give holiday gifts that enable your fellow Seattleites to do what they do best?

The first place to look for such gifts is online. Beginning Nov. 15, King County's Solid Waste Division presents its "Waste Free Holidays" - a program through which local businesses offer discounted memberships, passes and gift certificates. Past participants in the program have included Teatro ZinZanni, Seattle Art Museum, 8 Limbs Yoga Center, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Argosy Cruises, Chez Shea, Seattle Children's Theatre, Woodland Park Zoo and many more. The discounts on these "experience gifts" range from 15 to 50 percent, which makes the giving of a waste-free holiday gift a sound financial notion as well.

However, the list of vendors - while large - is limited, and you may find yourself yearning to go beyond its confines - perhaps to send a friend to a favorite esthetician, or to give Mom a relaxing day for the first time since before you were born. Many of the spas and salons in our Spa Guide offer gift certificates - and who's to say you can't enjoy a spa day right alongside the lucky receiver of a spa gift? They'd probably be glad of the company. You may also consider getting your friend or loved one a tattoo; should you do that, they'd be especially glad of the company.

MARK HARRISON

With a fishing license, your loved ones can join this crowd.

Not hooked? How about getting the fishing fanatic in your life his or her very own fishing license? A combination freshwater/saltwater license is just under $45 ($85 or less for non-residents). You haven't seen gratitude until you've seen it in the eyes of a would-be salty sea-dog or freshwater angler. Sure, you may want to buy a rod and reel as well, but it's impossible to wrap those things. Licenses purchased in December become active when the season opens on April 1, 2007, so you'll have plenty of time to prepare yourself for a kitchen that smells like Sea World year-round.

If that doesn't sound like the best way to spend a Saturday night, try giving a trip to the movies instead. Northwest Film Forum, Seattle's main purveyor of truly independent cinema, offers ticket discounts to members ($5 for regular screenings), invitations to free screenings and special events, and a quarterly calendar. Best of all, your gift of a $35 membership ($60 for a dual membership) supports the NWFF in its endeavors, nearly all of which result in yet more entertaining films. Check out the NWFF's membership page for details.

JOHN LOK

The Science Fiction Museum boasts a few science facts, too.

If the recipient of your waste-free gift has a searching mind, a museum or zoo membership may be in order. Seattle Art Museum, Experience Music Project, the Science Fiction Museum, the Pacific Science Center, the Seattle Aquarium and Woodland Park Zoo all offer membership programs that allow inquisitive minds to soak up knowledge every time they get the urge. And for a limited time, your loved ones can write their name in a new museum's wet cement, figuratively-speaking: The soon-to-open Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park is offering donor inscriptions on its Olympic Outlook railing for $200 a year, payable over five years.

Lastly, there's a gift for holiday guests who tend to overstay their welcome: Amtrak gift certificates. Available in denominations of $25 to $100, these trips-in-the-making say a lot of things about the giver. They say that you're an old-fashioned sort who believes in the romance of train travel. They say that you're the kind of person who thinks differently, thinks better. And they say, "Please, for the love of all that's holy, go home until next year. And take some of this wrapping paper with you."

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