Things To Do In SW Florida

We’ve got a past-present-future theme going for this holiday shopping suggestion list. And each item may have historic implications, depending on how seriously you take your football.

Or we can call it an up-in-the-air list with ventures, real and imagined, into the cosmos, plus a serious weather front.

Get popping

Central Florida’s biggest theme park story of the year is the opening of Epic Universe at Universal Orlando. There’s a dearth of park merch with 2025 branding, which would have been a nice debut-year touch.

Instead, we’ll seek out gifts from the Mysteries of 2020s Collection, more specifically, the popcorn container, to represent this slice of theme park life.

Universal sells the popcorn “buckets,” which are shaped like the golden compass-inspired Epic Universe logo and give off vibes from the Chronos, the 78-foot main-gate portal of the new attraction. It comes with a carrying strap, and the background, a sort of cosmos design, lights up.

The collectibles sell for $34.99 each, and that includes a load of popcorn, too. They’re available at stores at the theme park as well as Universal CityWalk. (Also check out shopuniversal.com.) read more

Gaylord Palms Resort is awash in holiday cheer as usual, with its annual “Ice” exhibition featuring characters from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and the return of “The Greatest Story,” a multicultural musical retelling of the birth of Christ.

But one festively theatrical show is hoping for a Broadway future — while giving Central Floridians a sneak peek as it develops and offering Orange County students the chance to see their creativity onstage.

“Pomp, Snow & CIRQUEumstance” is a 40-minute spectacle of music, movement and eye-popping circus arts. It’s based on the children’s book by Neil Goldberg and Nico Nickolao, and tells of three sprites-in-training who cause trouble and learn lessons after graduating from a secret wintry school where Santa himself hands out the diplomas.

“This is just testing the waters,” Goldberg said. “We’re getting the costumes out in front of people and seeing what works musically.”

The show also offers a special opportunity to an Orange County Public Schools student: In a contest through Goldberg’s Dream Foundation, students were able to submit their own costume designs for the production. The winning design will be chosen in the coming days and incorporated into the show for the rest of its Orlando run. read more

Q: Developers in our lakefront community have started land development that has disrupted animal habitats and seems to have pushed them toward our nearby part of the lake. This caused damage to trees on our property and some of our neighbors’ properties, resulting in significant costs to remove the damaged trees. Should the developers have taken steps to reduce this disruption, and are they liable for the damage to our property? —Kay

A: When developers undertake a project, they often need to follow environmental regulations and conduct assessments to reduce harm to ecosystems. This can involve measures to limit habitat disruption, such as creating buffer zones, relocating wildlife, or implementing erosion control measures.

However, whether they are legally required to address the specific impacts you are experiencing depends on the project details, local laws, and the permits they have obtained.

If you believe the developers did not take reasonable steps to prevent harm, start by thoroughly documenting the damage. Take pictures of the affected trees, your property, and any unusual signs of wildlife activity. Keep track of any expenses you incur, such as tree removal costs, and record the timeline of events. read more

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO

NEW YORK (AP) — Black Friday may no longer be the retail bacchanalia of years past, when the promise of one-time bargains caused people to leave Thanksgiving tables for malls where some customers got into fistfights over toys or TVs. But the event still has enough enthusiasts to make it the biggest shopping day in the U.S.

For that reason, the day retains its crown as the official start of the holiday shopping season. This year’s kickoff comes as companies navigate an uncertain economic environment and wrestle with the volatility of President Donald Trump ‘s wide-ranging tariffs on imported goods.

Many have absorbed some of the costs and pulled back on hiring instead of raising prices for customers. Consumer confidence in the U.S. economy fell this month to the lowest since April — when Trump announced his tariffs — in the aftermath of the government shutdown, weak hiring and stubborn inflation, according to a report The Conference Board issued Tuesday.

Shoppers nonetheless have remained resilient and willing to spend, at least judging by the solid quarterly sales reports from Walmart, Best Buy and other retailers. But many retail executives also say customers are focusing on deals and have been selective in what they’re buying. read more

By Nilesh Christopher, Los Angeles Times

Generative artificial intelligence has quickly permeated much of what we do online, proving helpful for many. But for a small minority of the hundreds of millions of people who use it daily, AI may be too supportive, mental health experts say, and can sometimes even exacerbate delusional and dangerous behavior.

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Instances of emotional dependence and fantastical beliefs due to prolonged interactions with chatbots seemed to spread this year. Some have dubbed the phenomenon “AI psychosis.” read more