I think the coolest thing you can give to another person as a gift is a bicycle.
I have a friend about my age who has been riding spin classes for the last 4 months and really enjoying it. She hangs out with boyfriend and I, knows we are very much into cycling as pleasant and healthy recreation and has admired the row of bikes hanging in my living room.
All of her spin instructors at the Y are cyclists and have been encouraging her to get out and pedal on a real bike. I sold her some SPD cleats and shoes for class and while she was in my shop, we looked at bikes. Even our least expensive new road bike was pretty much out of her reach and due to her petite stature, her choices of used bikes were limited.
About the middle of November I appealed to ya'all in the search for a little frame. Sarah Gibson had the perfect little Schwinn, a 7 speed lugged Columbus Tenax Tempo, which while is pretty much off topic, makes a great starter bike for someone. Sarah sent it, I replaced it's 105 Biopace drivetrain, put a Terry women's saddle on it, took my first pair of Shimano SPD pedals out of retirement (a good reason to never throw any possibly useful bike parts away), installed new handlebar tape and brakepads and stuck it in the corner of boyfriend's living room Christmas Eve with a card poised jauntily in the hole in the Terry saddle.
My friend came over Christmas eve, not knowing that we had been plotting this for some time. She started to tell me about hauling her kid's department store bike out that day, putting air in the tires and going for a really fun ride, even having to turn back to get a hat because her ears were cold. She said she'd had the best time, cobwebs on the bike and all. Her eyes were sparkling, she had a big smile and it was pretty clear it was time to give her the bike.
Since bikes are often in the living room at boyfriend's house too, she hadn't really noticed that random blue bike sitting in the corner. I pointed it out to her and said. "Um, thats yours."
I have to say, considering all the gifts I've ever given people, I've never had anyone cry when receiving a present before!
We repaired to the spare room, where one of my bikes and one of boyfriend's are set up on trainers (all the riding I've been getting recently) and explained parts and gears and bike evolution to my friend. We are going riding on my next day off as soon as we get some time on the trainer adjusting fit and making sure she can clip in and out.
Ann Phillips, Decatur GA