Wishing it was July, and you were splashing in the waves of Island Beach State Park?

Yeah, me too.

You can help build the anticipation further.

There’s special deals going on now for some summertime fun. Beach passes, amusement tickets and more are on sale. It’s a good time to secure a discount but also to give these items as gifts. (After you’ve bought your own beach badge, of course.) We may be wrapped up in winter but your gifts can be festooned akin to a summer's day.

Here are some of the deals:

• In Seaside Heights, Casino Pier is offering their popular Holiday Coupon Books. It is a more than $90 value for only $29.95.

You get: 10 Ride Tickets; one all-day ticket to Breakwater Beach Waterpark; one Round-Trip Sky Ride ticket; one round of Wacky Golf; one Ride on the Carousel; 500 Arcade Points; Arcade Point Doubler Ticket; and a Buy-one, get one free sausage/peppers/onions sandwich at Pier Grill.

There are several ways to buy the Holiday Coupon Books: online at www.casinopiernj.com/store.To purchase tickets in person during the week, please contact the main office at 732-793-6488 x-0 for times. The books are on sale through tomorrow.

• Island Beach State Park passes

One of the great beach deals exists for folks who enjoy Island Beach, in that instead of an annual beach badge, you buy a vehicle hang tag. That means you can pack your car full of friends and drive right in. The pass is actually for all of New Jersey’s state parks.

The annual hang tag is $50 and makes a great gift. Get yours at a park office or visit this park's page.

• First Night Bracelets

Some fun in the arcades with special events at the boardwalk is one way to ring in the New Year. It’s called First Night and the bracelets that get you access into the celebration are another gift option, at $5.

Bracelets are on sale at the County Connection in the Ocean County Mall, as well as in each participating arcade along the Boardwalk.

All attendees are required to purchase bracelets that entitle them to all entertainment, free carousel rides and entries into a drawing for an adult gift basket and a children's gift basket both valued at over $250.00. The winning passport will be drawn at 5 p.m. and the winner does not have to be present in order to win. After the drawing, the night will come to an end with a spectacular fireworks display at 5 p.m., which can be viewed from everywhere on the Boardwalk.

• Polar Bear Plunge

If you know someone that simply can't wait to jump in the ocean, maybe the perfect gift is to pay their registration fee for this year's Polar Bear Plunge. The event itself is Feb. 25 in Seaside Heights near The Aztec. It costs $25 deposit to sign up, and the Special Olympics asks each plunger come up with $100 in total donations.

So help your ocean-deprived gift recipient get into the February waves and you'll also be helping the Special Olympics.

That's our list of ways to give the ocean, beach and boardwalk to friends and loved ones. Some will increase your hankering for warmer climes, some are downright frigid but all are possible gifts.