For the Acadia National Park fan on your list, or for a year-end charitable donation, the 2016 Acadia Centennial offers a once-in-a-century set of holiday gift ideas.

This Acadia Centennial calendar, by ranger naturalist Bob Thayer, can be purchased directly through his photography Web site, at local businesses such as Sherman’s, or online at eParks(R). At least 5% of gross proceeds will go to Centennial efforts and other Acadia projects. (Image courtesy of Bob Thayer)

How about an official Acadia Centennial calendar, fleece blanket, magnet, embroidered patch or baseball cap? A 0.75L Camelbak bottle to commemorate the 100^th anniversary? A handcrafted glazed stoneware mug? A stemless wine glass? A massage for the outdoor enthusiast on your list?

These and other items are produced or sold by official Acadia Centennial partners, who’ve promised to donate at least 5% of gross proceeds to support Centennial projects and other Acadia National Park efforts. A central list of products and services is on the Acadia Centennial Partners Web site, which provides links to where you can make purchases, whether through a local business or online. Not all officially sanctioned products or services may be on that site yet.

Or perhaps you’d rather make a potentially tax-deductible gift to benefit Acadia in the name of family members or friends, as your way of marking the Acadia Centennial? Here are some ways to do that:

The official Acadia Centennial logo

• Gift membership to Friends of Acadia – On Giving Tuesday, Dec. 1, the nonprofit world’s counterpoint to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the Friends of Acadia hopes to add 100 new members. By giving a gift membership, you would not only help the nonprofit reach its 100-new-member goal, you’d also provide a year’s worth of membership benefits to a family member or friend, including a subscription to the Friends of Acadia Journal, six note cards depicting Acadia at night, and a window decal. A bargain with membership starting at $40.
• A tribute gift to Friends of Acadia or Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park – Not limited to the holidays, such a gift can commemorate a birthday, anniversary or any other special occasion. Such a gift to the Friends of Acadia would be recognized in the Friends of Acadia Journal. The Schoodic Institute, which provides environmental research and education and such citizen science programs as HawkWatch, can notify the person you’re honoring with the gift.

Want more Centennial gift-giving options? 2016 is also the 100^th anniversary of the National Park Service, opening up other holiday gift ideas.

National Park Service Centennial offers more holiday gift ideas

The Passport to Your National Parks(R) 2016 Stamp Series is featuring Acadia as its North Atlantic Regional Stamp. Purchase of the Passport(R) book or stamp set can be made by clicking on our affiliated partner’s eParks(R) graphic in the sidebar. (Image courtesy eParks(R))

• Passport to Your National Parks® and 2016 Passport® Stamp Set – The Centennial series of stick-on stamps features Acadia as the North Atlantic Regional Stamp, making this a must-have addition for park aficionados, whether they are already avid Passport to Your National Parks® stamp collectors, or thinking about becoming one. We have long had a Passport to Your National Parks® book, but the pages are empty of cancellation or stick-on stamps, despite all the trips we’ve made to Acadia, let alone other national parks. Perhaps July 8, 2016, the actual 100^th anniversary of the founding of Acadia as Sieur de Monts National Monument, is going to be the start of a new obsession for us! The book and stamp sets are available for purchase at eParks®, the online store for Eastern National, a nonprofit founded by park rangers to help support national parks. We are an affiliated partner of eParks®, see graphic in the sidebar, featuring a 15% off coupon code for qualifying purchases. By clicking on that graphic to make your purchases, not only will you help support national parks, you will also help support this blog. Purchases are the same price as going directly to the Web site.
  

  Steve the Centennial National Park Ranger, made of genuine LEGO(R) and LEGO(R)-compatible parts, and 5 other fellow minifigures can be purchased by clicking on the eParks(R) graphic in sidebar. (Image courtesy eParks(R))

• LEGO® Centennial National Park Rangers – A limited edition of 6, the collection features minifigures Susan, David, Anna, Mark, Kathy and Steve. Compatible with any LEGO® set, the figurines are only limited by a child’s imagination. If you buy 2 of these figurines at eParks®, there’s a special holiday price of $25 for the pair, plus you get a free minifigure flashlight and binoculars. These are among the “100 Years, 100 Deals” holiday gift ideas on eParks®, see the link in the sidebar that takes you to the online store. You can find other national park gift ideas for children and adults on your shopping list at eParks® as well. A campaign to get LEGO(R) to approve National Park vignettes for the rangers to work in is under way, although Acadia doesn’t appear to be one of the proposed vignettes – at least not yet!

Or perhaps the Acadia National Park fans on your holiday shopping list are planning one or more trips during the Centennial year? These holiday gift ideas may make their trips even more special:

• Annual Acadia National Park pass – If you buy the pass in December, the cost is $25, or half off. The discounted annual pass is available at the park headquarters and winter visitor center on Eagle Lake Road, open daily in December from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., passes sold through 4 p.m., except for Christmas Day, when it’s closed, and Christmas Eve, when it closes at 2 p.m. The discounted pass is also available Friday Dec. 4 at the Village Green park information center, during the Bar Harbor Midnight Madness Sale, from 8 p.m. until midnight.
• Gift check from Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce – Available in $25 denominations, with a $1 per check handling charge, the gift checks are accepted by more than 80 participating chamber members, including places to stay, restaurants, and tourist services. You can check out TripAdvisor® reviews of any of the establishments or activities, or even make reservations directly by clicking on the TripAdvisor® graphic in the sidebar. TripAdvisor® is another of our affiliated partners. Any purchases you may make through the links are the same price as if you went directly to the Web site, with a small fee helping to support this blog.
  

  The 3rd edition of our Hiking Acadia National Park, publication April 2016, can be pre-ordered through Amazon.com. The 2nd edition is available for delivery by the holidays.

• Best Easy Day Hikes Acadia National Park – The 3^rd edition of this pocket-sized guide that we wrote for Falcon came out in April, and features a couple of the newest trails in the park, the Quarry and Otter Cove Trails, as well as the classic easy hikes as Ocean Path and Ship Harbor Trail. It’s small enough to stuff inside a stocking, too. You can purchase the book through another of our affiliated partners, Amazon.com, see the sidebar graphic or image of book cover. All purchases made through Amazon.com links on this page are the same price as if you went directly to the Web site, and helps to support this blog.
• Hiking Acadia National Park – The 3rd edition of our guide is coming out next April, just in time for the Centennial, and is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. It will feature a description of the new Schoodic Woods hiking trails, although not in as great detail as other hikes, since they were officially made part of the park as the book was going to press. The 2nd edition is also available through Amazon.com, and can be delivered in time for holiday gift giving, see the Amazon.com links in this blog.

Whoever you’re shopping for, or whatever your favorite charity, may some of these Acadia Centennial holiday gift ideas help make this season of giving a special one.