E-Mail This Article to a Friend Gifts that keep on giving It’s Christmas in July, Hanukkah in October, and Kwanzaa all year round BY GENEVIEVE RAJEWSKI

Given the claustrophobia-inducing crowded malls and outrageous credit-card debt to which we subject ourselves each holiday season, you’d think the resulting gifts would spread cheer all year long. Sadly, that’s hardly ever the case. Even the softest cashmere sweater will be hustled to the off-season pile come June, and that agonizing book choice will be read and set aside.

So, how do you ensure that your time and effort translate into year-round thoughtfulness? Opt for monthly deliveries of delectable goods, subscriptions to arts programs, and other gifts that will extend the holiday season through next December.

TEACH A VALUABLE LESSON

Unlike other fair cities, such as Chicago or New York, Boston (thanks to state law) does not allow delivery of alcoholic beverages by mail. This would seem to rule out the always-appreciated beverage-of-the-month-club gift as a means of ensuring that someone raises a glass to you come August. However, should you be gifting someone in the metro-Boston area, Best Cellars will deliver one of five monthly wine-club courses (two, four, or six bottles a month, for three, six, or 12 months, starting at $32.50 a month) by van. For example, the Old World/New World Club features two different wines made from similar grapes — one from the Old World (Europe) and the other from the New World (the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand). Le Club Hot features two different wine selections a month, one "in" (an already wildly popular wine) and one "out" (one that’s soon to be "discovered"). Each month’s selections come with a set of detailed tasting notes and ideas for food pairings. All monthly clubs are delivered by the 25th of the month; orders received after the 10th will be delivered by the 25th of the following month. Call Best Cellars in the Back Bay at (617) 266-2900, or in Brookline at (617) 232-4100, or visit www.bestcellars.com for more information.

PROVIDE THE PATH TO CINEMA PARADISO

For the true film buff, there’s no better gift than a membership to the Brattle Theatre ($75/individual; $140/couple), which offers an ever-changing program of classic, cutting-edge, and international films. Standard annual membership includes 12 admission passes and $1.50 discounts off regular admission — which will come in handy should the recipient get carried away and go to 12 movies in the first month. Members also receive a one-year subscription to the Brattle’s monthly calendar of offerings. Visit www.brattlefilm.org for more information.

Is your roommate late with everything from the rent check to returning videos? If so, you can mitigate the damage from the smaller of the two problems — while sharing in the rewards of your own gift — by giving a subscription to NetFlix ($19.95/month; available as one-month to yearlong subscriptions). NetFlix members choose from a library of more than 15,000 DVDs to create a viewing list and are rushed three DVDs from that list as soon as they sign up. When they return a DVD in the provided prepaid mailer (note the absence of late fees), NetFlix delivers another DVD from the list. Visit www.netflix.com.

KEEP FORMER NAPSTERS FROM GETTING NABBED

Now that people are being successfully prosecuted for illegally downloading music, gone are the glory days of getting that latest one-hit wonder for free — or at least safely for free. To help ease reluctantly reformed download junkies into this brave new world, give gift certificates to the iTunes Music Store ($10–$20), plus the in gift of this holiday season: the iPod. The online store offers hundreds of thousands of songs from major labels as well as more than 100,000 new tracks from independent artists and labels — all for 99 cents each. You just may gift (rather than scare) someone straight. Visit www.apple.com/itunes for information.

LET THEM BUY SOX SEATS WITHOUT DROPPING MONSTER GREEN

Given the Red Sox’ electrifying post-season, the always-coveted Fenway Park seats will be harder to secure next summer than ever. True, cowboying — er, ponying — up for season tickets is likely beyond your means. However, you can still help ensure a loved one gets to see just how great Curt Schilling looks in a Red Sox uniform with a subscription to the Red Sox’ SmartFan program (approximately $50), through which members can buy seats for face value directly from season-ticket holders. Visit www.redsox.com , starting in January.

HELP THEM GO FROM SINGLES TO DOUBLES

Sure, 8MinuteDating bills itself as the way to give the gift of love this season. But though your friends or siblings may publicly bemoan singlehood, they probably would prefer that you be subtle. So consider treating them to a membership ($60/year) to the Boston Ski & Sports Club (BSSC), which organizes a diverse array of sports, social, skiing, and travel events. Members receive a year’s subscription to the BSSC’s monthly magazine, a T-shirt, free afterwork parties, and discounted rates on all BSSC activities (a savings of $5 to $40, depending on the activity). Better still, the majority of teams are co-ed — which is very good news for the unattached, as 77 percent of the participants are single and most are in their late 20s to mid 40s. Visit www.bssc.com or call (617) 789-4070.

LOVE THEM, LOVE THEIR DOG

Dating someone who’s smitten with a precocious pooch? Solidify your top-dog status by ordering monthly deliveries from Polka Dog Bakery ($5.50–$11, plus shipping) — the gift that truly says, "I really do respect your puppy love even though my allergies require us to leave Rufus at your place." Each month, a hand-picked selection of gourmet creations will arrive gift-wrapped at the doggie door. Much like Pavlov’s pups, your loved one’s canine will start drooling the minute it hears the mailman. Call (617) 338-5155 or visit www.polkadog.com.

MAKE THEM A CHEESE WIZ

Enroll your parents in the Cheese of the Month Club ($34.95/month; two- to 12-month subscriptions available) and they’ll likely start waxing poetic on the finer points of fromage. Each month, they’ll receive three different half-pound farmhouse-cheese samples from all over the world, such as Brie with walnut in April, Roaring ’40s Blue in March, Manchego in July, and Pecorino Pepata in November. Visit www.cheesemonthclub.com , or call (800) 625-8238.

PICK SOMETHING WITH ARTFUL TRAPPINGS

While it’s certainly a coup to have your gift remembered or used in September, it’s even more fulfilling to have it brighten that bleak period when Boston’s wet, gray winter folds into a wet, gray spring. So while unlimited access to works by Sargent and Rembrandt is certainly nothing to scoff at, you could buy a membership to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum ($55/individual; $75/family) for its ever-flowering courtyard alone. Museum members receive free admission for a year, invitations to previews and special events, and reduced admission to concerts, lectures, and other programs. They also benefit from reserved seating at concerts, a subscription to the museum’s newsletter, and a 10 percent discount on museum-shop purchases. Call (617) 566-5643 or visit www.isabellastewartgardner.org .

You could also infuse the dreary months with color and energy by giving a membership to the Institute of Contemporary Art ($50/individual; $75/family). For an example, look to the current exhibition "Splat! Boom! Pow!", which chronicles three generations of contemporary visual artists who have used the images and techniques of cartoons to explore the challenging issues of our time. When it wraps up, the museum will offer "Made in Mexico," an exhibition that examines Mexico’s growing influence as a contemporary artistic center through the work of 20 international artists. Museum members enjoy free admission for a year and invitations to exhibition openings and members-only events and programs. They also receive a subscription to the museum’s quarterly newsletter and a 10 percent discount at the ICA bookstore. Call (617) 927-6626 or visit www.icaboston.org .

Finally, a membership to the Museum of Fine Arts ($70/individual; $95/family) is the next-best thing to gift-wrapping one of the world’s finest collections of art from Asia, Oceania, and Africa with a stocking full of Impressionist masterpieces. Members receive free admission for a year, members-only advance previews of major exhibitions, 10 percent off most purchases from the museum shops, and a 15 percent discount at all the museum’s restaurants. Members also receive discounts on concerts, lectures, films, classes, and parking, and a year’s subscription to the museum’s magazine. Visit www.mfa.org or call (617) 369-3395.

Genevieve Rajewski can be reached at ticktockwordshop@comcast.net .