For decades, Avenida Revolución in Tijuana was a bustling tourist zone, attracting U.S. visitors with its colorful souvenir shops, restaurants and nightlife.
But at some point, popular interest in the historic district faded.
State and city officials have been trying to revitalize the area for some time to attract more tourists, with hopes of making it a place locals want to hang out, too.
The latest move involves closing off a few blocks to vehicles to make way for a pedestrian promenade. Visitors can now wander from Fourth to Seventh streets along the 136-year-old avenue.
When unveiling the $1.3 million project in October, Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila pledged to restore more public spaces to promote cultural, musical and recreational activities.
“This is what Tijuana deserves,” she said in a video posted on social media. “These spaces represent Tijuana.”
Reyna Alexandra Mendoza, 7, sits on a metal structure along Avenida Revolucion. The government has installed sitting areas and other features that invite people to stay awhile. (David Maung / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
So far, it seems to be working.
Isabel Hernández and her fiancé, Ramón Félix, are street vendors who craft bracelets and necklaces on a bench in the area to sell later in the day. One recent Saturday morning, the couple was particularly busy, preparing for two events taking place on different blocks of the same stretch of the avenue within a few hours — a food festival followed by a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
The couple said many visitors have come to check out the revamped spot, surrounded by hotels, coffee shops, pharmacies and restaurants.
Officials said people can expect more artistic activities in the plaza, such as music and theatrical performances.
“They come with their children, play with them for a while, have some ice cream, and stay for a bit,” Félix noted.
Tijuana’s landmark
Avenida Revolución is at the center of much of the city’s history. In 1889, it became the first street in the city to be paved and provided with utilities, boosting its draw as a commercial and tourist hub. Throughout its history, the avenue has had five names, adopting its current one in 1932.
The concept of creating a pedestrian square was inspired by other cities, said José Carlos Robles, president of the Association of Merchants and Tourism Entrepreneurs of Avenida Revolución. He cited several examples, including the Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego, which has experimented with a pedestrian promenade.
Robles said that Tijuana was missing that experience in its downtown area. “When you visit any city, you always want to go downtown and see the historic sites,” he said.
Robles said that some businesses reported increased sales after the opening of the pedestrian plaza and that the project has attracted others to open their businesses on the popular avenue, which is better known by locals as “La Revu.”
The project has faced some opposition, as some businesses were not on board with the idea. A vendor from a souvenir shop within the pedestrian plaza said the change didn’t help the business because it relies more on international tourists who come by bus or car than on locals who walk through the area.
U.S. tourists, including those traveling for medical reasons, still frequently visit Avenida Revolución. But there was a time when it was far more popular, recalled José Gabriel Rivera, head of the Baja California Historical Archive.
In the Prohibition era, when alcohol was banned in the U.S., people flocked to Tijuana to drink and gamble. It was around this time that the world-famous Caesar salad was created in the area.
In the 1980s and ’90s, Avenida Revolución was a mecca for San Diegans looking to party. Some took advantage of the fact that the legal drinking age in Mexico is 18 instead of 21.
However, that all changed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, when crossing the U.S.-Mexico border became a more rigorous endeavor. Reports of cartel-related violence in the city around that time also discouraged many visitors.
This led to a binational tourism crisis, Rivera said, prompting a shift in focus to attract local tourism.
Rivera welcomed the ongoing efforts to improve the ever-changing avenue and its surroundings, but noted that it could be more attractive to locals.
“The Avenida Revolución is a landmark and icon in Tijuana’s history,” he said. “It’s important to develop different types of policies to revitalize it.”
People walk along Tijuana’s Avenida Revolucion.
(David Maung / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
On a recent Saturday, locals Óscar Díaz and his mother, Sanjuana Nachez, ran an errand a few blocks away and took the opportunity to visit the food festival and explore the new pedestrian plaza.
Díaz reminisced about the late ’80s, when he used to party in the area. He said that back then, it was common to see many visitors from the United States. “Many people from San Diego came,” his mother echoed. But nowadays, not as many, they said.
“It was about time they renovated the Revolución,” he said. “Hopefully, it will attract tourism.”
Local life
For the past three years, Mariana Sánchez — known on social media as Nana en Tijuana — has been giving walking tours of her hometown. Her bilingual tours begin on Avenida Revolución. As she points out, to understand the city, you have to go back to where it all began.
Throughout her time working in the industry, she has noticed the interests of tourists changing. She said that many want to “experience life as we live it.”
“They want to know where we go, what we eat and how we get around,” she said. “Many people are searching for that feeling of local life.”
That still often includes the souvenir shops and famous salad at Caesar’s Restaurant, which long ago relocated onto Avenida Revolución. But tourists are also venturing farther from downtown, trying the numerous taquerías scattered throughout the city or attending a Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles soccer game or a Toros baseball game, Sánchez said.
Caesar’s, which many agree is one of the most touristy places on the avenue, is situated within the new pedestrian plaza. Visitors can no longer valet park in front of the restaurant. Instead, they must look for public parking nearby.
While Sánchez welcomes the idea, she said there is still work to be done. For instance, although the avenue is closed to vehicles, the side streets are not, which may confuse pedestrians and drivers.
“It’s an interesting time to analyze and rethink tourism strategies,” she said. “The pedestrian plaza has presented new opportunities for some vendors, as well as some challenges that need to be considered.”
Alejandro Verdugo and Raquel Luna walk their Dachshund dogs, Sofia and Pancho, along Tijuana’s tourist strip, Revolution Avenue, on December 6, 2025, in Tijuana, Mexico.
The city government recently closed traffic on three blocks of Revolution Avenue in order to convert the street into pedestrian walkways and mini plazas with trees and sitting areas.
(David Maung / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Charlie Polinger achieves a lot with relatively little with his feature directorial debut, “The Plague.”
Getting a wide release this week, this slice of psychological horror is quite effective despite its small scale and a cast consisting largely of little-known young actors.
A cross between “Lord of the Flies” and … some other movie set at a youth water polo camp, “The Plague” explores, as Polinger puts it in his directorial statement, “the clumsy liminal space between childhood and adolescence, when the id grows too fast and too strong for the conscience to keep up.”
Also the film’s writer, Polinger found inspiration for the story when he unearthed old journals from when he was 12. He read his tales of a youth sports camp, where boys told tall tales of a mysterious “plague” that had infected one unfortunate kid — it was the reason for his acne-covered face and was turning his brain to “mush.”
That is the situation 12-year-old Ben (Everett Blunck) encounters when he joins the second session of a water polo camp after moving to the area from another city in summer 2003. A bunch of the boys — led by the charismatic Jake (Kayo Martin) — have ostracized another with a skin issue, Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), which they make very clear as they accept Ben into their fold.
“Those aren’t regular pimples,” Jake tells Ben as they sit on the bottom part of a bunk bed, several feet from Eli. “Those are plague pimples. That’s a plague face.”
Jake proceeds to fill Ben’s head with more disturbing details, including the fate of the unfortunate boy who supposedly gave the plague to Eli. (Spoiler alert: He’s said to be spending his time in a mental institution playing “Jenga.”)
You can tell from Ben’s face that he doesn’t believe any of this to be true — mostly, kinda, probably — but he does as instructed, scrubbing his skin quickly after any physical contact with the outcast. He’s just trying to fit in, especially after Jake gives him a hard time about having trouble pronouncing “t” sounds, earning him the cruel nickname “Soppy” as a result. We’ve all been there — if roughly, not precisely.
That’s why “The Plague” feels so authentic for its first long stretch: It’s relatable in a way you may not enjoy thinking about, even if you were more follower than leader, more Ben than Jake, in your youth.
As the film progresses, however, Polinger skillfully blurs the line between childhood nonsense and reality in a really potent and, at times, downright chilling way, as Ben takes the inevitable turn away from Jake and toward Eli — despite the latter’s odd social behavior. (To be clear, Eli’s idiosyncrasies feel authentic for an outcast kid … at least for the most part.)
With the help of collaborators who include director of photography Steven Breckon, production designer Chad Keith and sound designer Damian Volpe, Polinger creates an aesthetic that evolves from lovely (the opening underwater shots) to unsettling (well, you’ll see).
Plenty of heavy lifting is also done by the aforementioned actors, with Blunck (“Griffin in Summer”) compelling as a pre-teen everyman — not exactly cool but able to vaguely fake it — and newcomer Rasmussen, who throws himself into the role of a boy trying to make the best of being separated from the group at camp.
The standout, though, is Martin, who, as the ringleader, straddles the line between angel and devil, aided by an often-present smile that can be read either way. (Also into skating and boxing, the youth has about a million Instagram followers.)
Joel Edgerton (“Boy Erased,” “Train Dreams”) portrays the only meaningful adult role, that of the boys’ coach, Daddy Wags, and he turns in solid work, both when his character lays into Jake for his behavior and later tries to comfort Ben.
Know that a viewer isn’t likely to find much comfort in “The Plague.” It isn’t a fun experience, the film dipping its toes into such upsetting topics as self-mutilation, but it is impactful.
Without hinting at the nature of the conclusion, Polinger sticks the landing, leaving the viewer wanting more — not of “The Plague” but of him.
‘The Plague’
Where: Theaters.
When: Jan. 2.
Rated: R for language, sexual material, self-harm/bloody images, and some drug and alcohol use – all involving children.
Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes.
Stars (of four): 3.
Everett Blunck portrays Ben, the protagonist in the psychological horror film “The Plague.” (Courtesy of Independent Film Co.)
Michigan endured a turbulent year in 2025, marked by acts of violence at places of worship and businesses. The year also brought high-profile oustings and departures at several universities, the auto and battery industries tapping the brakes on electric-vehicle investments, and the state emerging as a prime target for AI companies seeking to build massive data centers.
From a historic ice storm in northern Michigan to severe flooding in Detroit early in the year — and a bomb cyclone to close it out — Michigan’s calendar was bracketed by harsh and often punishing winter weather.
But not all the news was grim. There was plenty to celebrate, including a compass university team finding national success on the ice and a Detroit rock band earning induction into the music industry’s most prestigious hall of fame. And some of the year’s most captivating moments were delightfully unexpected, from a small houseboat’s improbable voyage across the Great Lakes to other stories that charmed and amused us.
The past 12 months hold a lot to unpack. Here’s a look back at 25 memorable stories that made Michigan’s year truly one of a kind.
Big House bombshell
The University of Michigan fired its head football coach Sherrone Moore this month after an investigation found he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore, 39, was then arrested at the Pittsfield Township apartment of the staffer, jailed and charged with third-degree felony home invasion and misdemeanor stalking and breaking and entering. Players said they were shocked by the scandal. Former coach Jim Harbaugh described it as a tragedy and recommended Moore take care of his family and get spiritual guidance. Moore was eventually replaced by Kyle Whittingham, 66, who spent most of his career at Utah, including since 2005 as head coach.
A pair of church attacks unfolded in Michigan in 2025. A member of CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne ran over a gunman on June 22 after seeing 31-year-old Brian Anthony Browning, of Romulus, drive erratically toward the church, then exit the vehicle in a tactical vest carrying a long gun and handgun and start shooting at the church. Two church members shot at Browning and killed him. Wayne police Chief Ryan Strong credited them with preventing a mass shooting.
Three months later, four people were killed and others wounded on Sept. 28 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township by 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton. Police say Sanford drove his truck into the side of the church, set the building on fire using gasoline and fired several rounds. The attack was motivated by Sanford’s anti-Mormon beliefs, the FBI later said. Church leader Bishop Jeffrey Schaub said their members were shaken and hurting after the attack but said they could find joy again through faith.
Up north, 11 people were injured in a mass stabbing at a Walmart store near Traverse City on July 26. The attacker, 42-year-old Bradford James Gille of Afton has struggled with serious mental health issues. Police say he swung a 3.5-inch blade at shoppers before others stopped him in the store’s parking lot. Gille was declared incompetent to stand trial. Gille’s mother, Beverly Gille, said she is sorry for the fear and violence he caused and described her difficulty finding him mental health care throughout much of his life. “I’m his mother,” she said of Bradford. “I love him. … The mental health thing has been dropped, and this is what we’re going to continue having until they resolve it.”
Former Detroit Pistons star Malik Beasley was caught up in a federal gambling investigation amid financial problems worth more than $8 million, Detroit News reporting revealed. He was then investigated by the NBA for gambling improprieties. Beasley’s lawyer said he “has not and will not cooperate with any pending federal investigations” and did not provide information to the FBI, which later brought federal charges against former Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups or others accused of profiting off a sprawling gambling scheme impacting the league.
Santa Ono announced in May that he would resign as University of Michigan president to seek a position as head of the University of Florida. He made the announcement after less than three years in Ann Arbor and after campus unrest over student protests of Israel’s war in Gaza and Ono’s dismantling of UM’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Florida Board of Governors blocked Ono’s appointment, citing his former embrace of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Ono later joined the Ellison Institute of Technology, founded by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
To the north east, Wayne State University moved to oust its first female president, Kimberly Andrews Espy, in September after she had been on the job for two years. University leaders and some senior faculty were dissatisfied with her performance. Some on the university board of governors were upset with Espy’s communication with them after placing former School of Medicine Dean Dr. Wael Sakr on administrative leave without disclosing her reasoning. The board agreed to pay Espy roughly a year’s salary, $760,449, and two years of health care coverage as part of a separation agreement after she resigned.
Six Chinese nationals tied to the University of Michigan were charged in 2025 with federal crimes related to smuggling biological material into the country. The criminal cases unfolded as President Donald Trump’s administration moved to revoke Chinese student visas nationwide. One of the students, Chengxuan Han, in September was sentenced to time served and returned to China. Some of the researchers are tied to UM life sciences professor Shawn Xu’s campus lab. Xu is cooperating with investigations into his laboratory and has not been informed that he is the target of any investigation, his lawyer said.
Ford Motor Co. is relocating its headquarters to its new product development center west of Oakwood Boulevard in Dearborn, called the Hub. Local leaders cheered the move as a sign of the automaker’s commitment to the city. The company will demolish its nearby Glass House headquarters and turn the area into an outdoor community space. Bill Ford, executive chairman, said announcing the move was an emotional moment.
Boy dies in Oakland County hyperbaric chamber explosion
Thomas Cooper, 5, was killed after the hyperbaric chamber he was receiving treatment in exploded Jan. 31 at the Oxford Center in Troy. Prosecutors allege three employees and the owner of the Oxford Center disregarded safety protocols and failed to follow the manufacturer’s recommended guidelines for that type of treatment. The owner of the Oxford Center, Tamela Peterson, safety director Jeffrey Mosteller and primary manager Gary Marken are charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with Thomas’ death. Chamber operator Aleta Moffitt is charged with involuntary manslaughter and intentionally placing false information on a medical record.
The federal government formally accused former University of Michigan co-offensive football coordinator Matt Weiss of hacking into college athletes’ accounts and stealing photos of students, primarily female, engaging in explicit sexual acts. UM surveillance footage shows him entering team offices at Schembechler Hall seconds before investigators said he hacked into the accounts and stole photos. Weiss is charged with unauthorized access to computers and aggravated identity theft.
Michiganders captivated by small houseboat that reached Lake Huron harbor
An Ontario man’s hand-built houseboat, Neverlanding, kept afloat by 110 plastic barrels, captivated Metro Detroiters’ attention as he navigated it from Harrow, Ontario, to the tip of Michigan’s Thumb. Pilot and boat builder Steve Mylrea had a dream of meeting a poor fisherman in Africa and giving him a houseboat. It inspired him to take the estimated 10-year voyage through the Great Lakes and across the ocean to Africa. For now, the ship is on shore.
Michigan companies of all stripes felt the pain of higher import costs amid President Donald Trump’s import tax hikes that took effect in the spring — from toy stores, to pet food suppliers, to bridal shops. And perhaps no industry was scrambled more than Michigan’s all-important auto sector, thanks to its layered North American supply chains that have long relied on parts and vehicles crossing the Canadian and Mexican borders. Still, the tariffs’ impacts on the overall economy and inflation have been milder than many experts and executives predicted. The Trump administration reined in some of the highest tariff rates that were briefly in effect early on, or provided other avenues for savings, while automakers and other firms also have been quick to adapt.
Tariffs and lower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles contributed to major strategy pivots by the Detroit Three automakers. General Motors Co. announced a $4 billion investment in Michigan, Kansas and Tennessee to move production of full-size SUVs and trucks to the United States from Mexico and Canada.
It also canceled production of electric Chevrolet BrightDrop commercial vans in Canada and cut jobs at U.S. EV plants. Ford Motor Co. announced $19.5 billion in special charges starting in the fourth quarter and extending into 2027 with the cancellation of F-150 Lightning production and a next-generation electric full-size truck and commercial van. Stellantis NV announced a record $13 billion U.S. investment to shift production to the U.S. and away from Mexico and Canada. The automaker also canceled plans for an all-electric Ram 1500 REV pickup.
It was a year with ups and downs for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as she broke with the strategy of other high-profile Democratic governors in 2025 and attempted to establish a positive relationship with Republican President Donald Trump. Whitmer appeared with Trump to announce a new fighter mission at Selfridge in April. That came a few weeks after a photographer caught Whitmer covering her face with a blue folder while appearing in the Oval Office with Trump. Later in the year, a semiconductor project that Whitmer hoped would come to Michigan, with federal incentives, fell through.
Iggy Pop inducted Jack and Meg White of Detroit garage rock duo the White Stripes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this fall. Jack’s thank-you speech at the ceremony doubled as a love letter to Detroit — and his absent “sister” Meg, who chose not to attend, but helped him with his speech. “I thank you and all of Detroit,” said White, name-checking a mélange of city favorites such as Gold Dollar, the Gories, the Dirt Bombs, the Hentchmen, Coney Islands and the Detroit Zoo.
Two Detroit children, 2-year-old A’Millah and 9-year-old Darnell Currie Jr., died Feb. 10 of carbon monoxide poisoning while staying in a van with their family in a Greektown casino parking lot. Their mom had reached out to Detroit’s homelessness hotline several times. The children were among 45 homeless Detroit residents who died this year, according to the Pope Francis Center. Their tragic deaths became central in the conversation about affordable housing in Detroit and took place as Census data showed Detroit’s child poverty increased to 51% last year.
LIV Golf hosted its first competition in Michigan this year at The Cardinal at St. John’s Resort in Plymouth Township in August. The resort built the course with exactly this in mind — hosting an elite professional golf tournament. It was controversial because LIV Golf is funded by Saudi Arabia, a nation with significant human rights abuses, yet more than 40,000 people attended over the tournament’s three-day run. Compared to the Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club, the LIV tournament felt akin to a festival, with thumping electronic music, pyrotechnics and lots of beer.
Mary Sheffield, 38, made history as Detroit’s first female mayor in November when 77.4% of voters chose her over the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. The three-term city councilwoman will succeed Mayor Mike Duggan, who is leaving office to run for Michigan governor. Sheffield is a fourth-generation Detroiter who comes from a long line of civil rights advocates. She is considered more politically progressive than Duggan and has vowed to keep the city’s momentum moving forward while spreading its fortunes to more neighborhoods, residents, and businesses. “At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: a Detroit that works for everyone,” Sheffield said at her victory party.
On a picture-perfect late September evening in Ann Arbor, a record-setting 112,408 fans filed into Michigan Stadium for Zach Bryan’s sold-out concert, making the first show at the storied venue the highest attended ticketed concert in U.S. history. The 29-year-old Oklahoman’s show set a second record to boot, with $5 million in merchandise sales, according to the promoter. The set followed appearances by openers John Mayer and Albion, Michigan, country/Americana duo the War and Treaty.
The Broncos made history when Western Michigan University’s hockey team clinched a national championship title in April after besting Boston University in a 6-2 game at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Linemate Iiro Hakkarainen said it was the best moment of his life. Kalamazoo residents welcomed the team back with a parade.
An East Lansing couple, Dawn and Greg Williams, made a $401 million commitment, the largest private one of its kind in the university’s history, in December. The couple earmarked $290 million specifically for athletics and another $100 million for a new initiative that aims to boost NIL offers to student athletes. University officials and athletics leaders said they are grateful to the Williams family and said the money will strengthen the school’s commitment to its student athletes.
In June, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office raided the Lansing headquarters of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation in an ongoing investigation into a $20 million state grant awarded to Democratic donor and Metro Detroit businesswoman Fay Beydoun. Nessel said the raid was necessary because the MEDC was stonewalling the investigation and suggested the agency’s funding should be cut off until it can improve its oversight. The agency has said it has been cooperative with the attorney general’s probe.
The raid came amid building criticism in the Legislature of the agency’s handling of legislative earmarks and large jobs-for-cash incentive programs.
Later in the year, the state’s economic development arm lost out on a multibillion-dollar semiconductor development in Mundy Township, and, in October, the MEDC announced a controversial battery parts plant planned by Gotion in Big Rapids was in default of its agreement with the state. In the annual budget passed in early October, the Legislature and governor cut off additional funding for the state’s flagship economic development program, the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) fund.
Immigration crackdown sparks outrage
President Donald Trump’s escalation of mass deportations and border enforcement impacted Michigan, especially in Metro Detroit, where there are immigrant enclaves and international border crossings. Immigration advocates in April said more than 90% of foreign nationals stopped by U.S. agents at the Detroit-Windsor crossing were stopped after taking wrong turns onto the Ambassador or Detroit-Windsor tunnel, and some families, including with children, were held without access to attorneys. In December, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement officials said a Bulgarian man, Nenko Gantchev, died in custody at the North Lake Processing Center in northern Michigan. Thousands of people in Michigan joined protesters from across the country in No Kings rallies in protest of Trump’s immigration policies and authoritarian governance.
A sales and use tax for data centers passed by Michigan lawmakers in 2024 kick-started data center development in 2025, raising fears among Michiganians about the facilities’ potential impact on electricity prices, water supplies and land use in rural communities. More than a dozen data center projects have been unveiled in Michigan so far, and more are expected as tech companies seek to build the facilities that power the internet and burgeoning artificial intelligence industry. The biggest and most controversial data center project is in Saline Township, where 250 acres of farmland will be converted into a facility used to train artificial intelligence products. The Saline Township project will move forward after a contract between the developer and DTE Energy Co. won approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission in December.
A district court judge decided in May that former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, a Republican from Levering, and his wife, Stephanie Chatfield, should stand trial on felony charges that they embezzled political funds. Meanwhile, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office reached plea deals with two of Lee Chatfield’s top aides, Rob and Anne Minard, who are expected to testify at the trial in the fall of 2026.
Around 2 a.m. Feb. 17, some southwest Detroit residents on Beard and Rowan streets heard a “loud bang,” according to city officials. A 54-inch steel water transmission line that lay underneath this dense residential area had burst. About one square mile, filled with some 400 homes, was awash in icy water, flooding streets and basements. Members of the Downriver Dive Team rescued dozens of residents and pets by boat. Hundreds, if not more, local residents rushed to help during the weeks of cleanup. Residents from about 200 homes were put in hotels at the city’s expense. Besides replacing the water line, clearing the streets of water and debris, the city replaced 118 furnaces and 118 water heaters. The cleanup took about two months and cost about $8 million to $10 million, according to officials from the city and the Great Lakes Water Authority. It was one of the largest water main breaks in a neighborhood in at least 10 years, officials said.
A water main break in February 2025 flooded a portion of southwest Detroit and affected hundreds of residents, who ended up receiving aid from the city of Detroit. (Andy Morrison, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS)
No one wants to deal with the inconvenience of long lines every time you have a flight to catch. Instead, you can take a leisurely stroll through airport security by enrolling in TSA PreCheck. This trusted traveler program allows people to access a separate security line at the airport and eliminates some of the hassles involved in clearing airport security … for a price.
A TSA PreCheck membership costs $77 and remains valid for five years, so it’s relatively affordable. However, you may get that fee back if you have one of the top travel credit cards. Many of these cards reimburse the TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee by granting a credit of up to $120. That means you can make the most of your card benefits and offset part of your annual fee by learning how to get TSA PreCheck with your credit card.
Here’s how to get TSA PreCheck by using your credit card.
How does TSA PreCheck work?
TSA PreCheck is an official trusted traveler program set up through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It requires you to go through a short online application and in-person interview where you’ll be fingerprinted and have your photo taken.
After you’re approved, you’ll have access to dedicated security lines and expedited security procedures at many U.S. airports, allowing you to keep your laptop and travel-sized liquids in your bag. Plus, you’ll keep your wait time to a minimum since 99% of TSA PreCheck members wait less than 10 minutes to make it through security, according to the TSA.
How to get TSA PreCheck free with a credit card
There are several ways a credit card can help you get TSA PreCheck for free:
—The easiest way is by paying for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application with a card that reimburses it. You’ll automatically receive a statement credit to cover the cost.
—You could use the rewards you’ve earned through an airline or hotel loyalty program to pay for it.
—You could use your credit card rewards to cover the fee.
Using a statement credit to get TSA PreCheck
Nearly 40 credit cards offer an application fee credit for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, and that includes business credit cards and co-branded airline and hotel credit cards. However, it is important to note that most travel credit cards that cover TSA PreCheck come with an annual fee of anywhere from $95 to $695.
While there are travel credit cards with no annual fee, it’s uncommon for them to include a TSA PreCheck benefit. That said, occasionally you may be able to find a travel card with this benefit and no annual fee — but there will likely be a catch.
For example, the Capital One Spark Miles for Business card, which comes with no annual fee the first year, offers an up to $120 reimbursement credit for Global Entry and TSA PreCheck every four years. However, this card charges an annual fee every year thereafter.
However, this method usually isn’t the best option since you’ll typically spend $100 or more in rewards — which is more than the cost of a TSA PreCheck membership. If you have a bank of points or miles that are about to expire, then it could be a decent option.
These loyalty programs also occasionally offer promotions and deals on TSA PreCheck, which may help you to get a discounted membership or a free membership with certain levels of elite status.
Using credit card rewards to get TSA PreCheck
If you’re not interested in a travel credit card or paying an annual fee, rewards from one of the top cash-back cards could help you cover your TSA PreCheck fee. These credit cards allow you to earn rewards or welcome bonuses that you can then redeem as statement credits to cover your TSA PreCheck application.
Bankrate’s take: If you travel internationally and would like to shorten your trips through customs, consider applying for Global Entry instead of TSA PreCheck. Global Entry includes all the benefits of TSA PreCheck plus expedited customs screening for travelers entering the United States, and membership costs $120 for five years.
Which credit card with TSA PreCheck credits is right for you?
You’ll also want to think about how it fits into your current spending habits and lifestyle. If a particular card is only appealing because it pays for TSA PreCheck, then you should consider a different card that better aligns with your spending habits and interests — even if that card is just a general rewards card that will help you to earn enough cash back to cover the application fee.
Keep in mind that many business, airline and hotel credit cards offer a TSA PreCheck benefit. If you own a business, you may want to consider a general business travel credit card (which offers more flexibility) or a credit card for an airline or hotel that you use frequently (which will offer airline- or hotel-specific perks).
The bottom line
If you want to get TSA PreCheck for free, there are a lot of credit cards out there that can help you cover the cost.
Whether you choose a card that reimburses your TSA PreCheck fee or a card that helps you earn rewards to cover the fee, you’ll have plenty of options to save on the cost of your TSA PreCheck membership. And once you’ve got that TSA PreCheck stamp on your boarding pass, you’ll be able to save time (and effort) at the airport.
A TSA Pre-check sign is visible as travelers move through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on June 28, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America/TSA)
The overriding theme defining television in recent years has been a fear of the new. Which is why reboots and spinoffs continue apace, with old titles brought back from the dead (“Scrubs”) or from the not-so-distant past (“The Night Manager”) and intellectual property milked within an inch of its life (somehow HBO has yet another “Game of Thrones” series coming our way).
It’s as if everyone in Hollywood ran out of new ideas all at once. Don’t blame writers, but executives who are rapidly shepherding their industry towards irrelevance with an over-reliance on reworked IP, while original ideas are left unproduced. In better news, the winter Olympic Games are this year, with the opening ceremony taking place Feb. 6 on NBC. (The Super Bowl is that Sunday as well.)
“The Pitt”
The Pittsburgh-set medical drama from “ER” showrunner John Wells is back for a second season, premiering almost exactly a year after it first debuted. Imagine, a streaming series returning on a reliable schedule! Dr. Robby (“ER” veteran Noah Wyle) is back once again, overseeing the managed chaos, student doctors and medical residents of his emergency department. One of the best examples of competency as comfort, something we could all use more of at the moment in real life. From Jan. 8 on HBO Max.
“The Night Manager”
Stylish and prestige-y as hell, Season 1 of this Tom Hiddleston spy drama premiered (squints) eight years ago. Welp, this is how TV works today. Season 2 follows Hiddleston’s character across the UK, Spain, Colombia and France as he “races to expose a conspiracy designed to destabilize a nation.” From Jan. 11 on Amazon.
“Hijack”
The first season of this “Die Hard” ripoff starring Idris Elba took place on a seven-hour flight from Dubai to London. For the entirely unnecessary second season, the setting is now a subway in Berlin that’s been taken hostage. If Elba’s character doesn’t say “Why does this keep happening to me?!” at any point, then what are we even doing here? From Jan. 14 on Apple TV.
“Ponies”
“Game of Thrones” alum Emilia Clarke stars in this 1977-set Cold War thriller about two women (the other is played by Haley Lu Richardson) who become CIA operatives after their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances in Moscow. The pair become “ponies” in the parlance — persons of no interest — in order to uncover the truth of what really happened. From Jan. 15 on Peacock.
Peter Claffey in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” (Steffan Hill/HBO/TNS)
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
Another “Game of Thrones” spinoff. A prequel, this one takes place a hundred years before the events of “GoT,” as two unlikely heroes wander through Westeros: “A young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.” From Jan. 18 on HBO.
“Steal”
Here I am typing “Game of Thrones” again because the show’s alum Sophie Turner returns to TV in this thriller about a heist at a British pension fund investment company: “But who would steal billions of pounds of ordinary people’s pensions and why? DCI Rhys (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) is determined to find out, but as a recently relapsed gambling addict, Rhys must keep his own money problems at bay while dealing with the secret agendas and competing interests at the center of this far-reaching crime.” From Jan. 21 on Amazon.
“Drops of God”
I really liked the first season of this emotionally engrossing drama about two young wine experts who battle for a massive inheritance. The series was also criminally underseen, likely because: 1) Apple’s approach to promotion leaves much to be desired; 2) there are no recognizable (American) stars; and 3) that title, which makes sense once you’ve seen the show, but otherwise … nope. It’s back for a second season and if you’ve been missing that frisson of discovery in your TV viewing, this one is worth seeking out. From Jan. 21 on Apple TV.
“Bridgerton”
Not a fan of this show, but plenty are, so mark your calendars. The Shonda Rhimes historical romance returns for Season 4, with a focus on the family’s second-eldest son, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), who falls for a servant who sneaks into a masquerade ball. Netflix is chopping the season into two parts. From Jan. 29 on Netflix; the second half premieres Feb. 26.
“Dark Winds”
This adaptation of Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels, with their stories of the Navajo Tribal Police in the 1970s, continues with a fourth season about a missing Navajo girl, which takes our investigators out of their usual setting and sends them to the underbelly of organized crime in Los Angeles. A tick or two better than your typical cop show, star Zahn McClarnon is reason enough to watch. From Feb. 15 on AMC.
“Scrubs”
The medical comedy from the early aughts is back, reuniting the old gang: J.D. (Zach Braff), Turk (Donald Faison), Elliot (Sarah Chalke), Carla (Judy Reyes) and John C. McGinley’s memorably tangy Dr. Cox. New cast members include Vanessa Bayer and Joel Kim Booster. The premise appears to be the same as it was, picking up where the show left off. From Feb. 25 on ABC.
“Scarpetta”
A crime thriller based on Patricia Cornwell’s book series about the forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta, played by Nicole Kidman. According to the marketing blurb: “With skilled hands and an unnerving eye, this unrelenting medical examiner is determined to serve as the voice of the victims, unmask a serial killer, and prove that her career-making case from 28 years prior isn’t also her undoing. Set against the backdrop of modern forensic investigation, the series delves beyond the crime scene to explore the psychological complexities of both perpetrators and investigators, creating a multi-layered thriller that examines the toll of pursuing justice at all costs.” From March 11 on Amazon.
Nicole Kidman plays Kay Scarpetta in “Scarpetta.” (Connie Chornuk/Amazon)
As technology distracts, polarizes and automates, people are still finding refuge on analog islands in the digital sea.
The holdouts span the generation gaps, uniting elderly and middle-aged enclaves born in the pre-internet times with the digital natives raised in the era of online ubiquity.
They are setting down their devices to paint, color, knit and play board games. Others carve out time to mail birthday cards and salutations written in their own hand. Some drive cars with manual transmissions while surrounded by automobiles increasingly able to drive themselves. And a widening audience is turning to vinyl albums, resuscitating an analog format that was on its deathbed 20 years ago.
The analog havens provide a nostalgic escape from tumultuous times for generations born from 1946 through 1980, says Martin Bispels, 57, a former QVC executive who recently started Retroactv, a company that sells rock music merchandise dating to the 1960s and 1970s.
“The past gives comfort. The past is knowable,” Bispels says. “And you can define it because you can remember it the way you want.”
But analog escapes also beckon to the members of the millennials and Generation Z, those born from 1981 through 2012 — younger people immersed in a digital culture that has put instant information and entertainment at their fingertips.
Despite that convenience and instant gratification, even younger people growing up on technology’s cutting edge are yearning for more tactile, deliberate and personal activities that don’t evaporate in the digital ephemera, says Pamela Paul, author of “100 Things We’ve Lost To The Internet.”
“Younger generations have an almost longing wistfulness because because so little of their life feels tangible,” Paul says. “They are starting to recognize how the internet has changed their lives, and they are trying to revive these in-person, low-tech environments that older generations took for granted.”
Here are some glimpses into how the old ways are new again.
Keeping those cards coming
People have been exchanging cards for centuries. It’s a ritual in danger of being obliterated by the tsunami of texting and social media posts. Besides being quicker and more convenient, digital communication has become more economical as the cost of a first-class U.S. postage stamp has soared from 33 to 78 cents during the past 25 years.
But tradition is hanging on thanks to people like Megan Evans, who started the Facebook group called “Random Acts of Cardness” a decade ago when she was just 21 in hopes of fostering and maintaining more human connections in an increasingly impersonal world.
“Anybody can send a text message that says ‘Happy Birthday!’ But sending a card is a much more intentional way of telling somebody that you care,” says Evans, who lives in Wickliff, Ohio. “It’s something that the sender has touched with their own hand, and that you are going to hold in your own hand.”
This August 2025 photo provided by Billy-Jo Dieter shows Dieter as she writes cards to strangers in Ellsworth, Maine. (Billy-Jo Dieter via AP)
More than 15,000 people are now part of Evans’ Facebook group, including Billy-Jo Dieter, who sends at least 100 cards per month commemorating birthdays, holidays and other milestones. “A dying art,” she calls it.
“My goal has been to try to make at least one person smile each day,” says Dieter, 48, who lives in Ellsworth, Maine. “When you sit down and you put the pen to the paper, it becomes something that’s even more just for that person.”
The singularity of a stick shift
Before technology futurist Ray Kurzweil came up with a concept that he dubbed the “Singularity” to describe his vision of computers melding with humanity, the roads were crammed with stick-shift cars working in concert with people.
But automobiles with manual transmission appear to be on a road to oblivion as technology transforms cars into computers on wheels. Fewer than 1% of the new vehicles sold in the U.S. have manual transmission, down from 35% in 1980, according to an analysis by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Divjeev Sohi, 19, shifts gears in a Jeep Wrangler on the streets of San Jose, Calif., July 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Liedtke)
But there remain stick-shift diehards like Prabh and Divjeev Sohi, brothers who drive cars with manual transmissions to their classes at San Jose State University along Silicon Valley roads clogged with Teslas. They became enamored with stick shifts while virtually driving cars in video games as kids and riding in manual transmission vehicles operated by their father and grandfather.
So when they were old enough to drive, Prabh, 22, and Divjeev, 19, were determined to learn a skill few people their age even bother to attempt: mastering the nuances of a clutch that controls a manual transmission, a process that resulted in their 1994 Jeep Wrangler coming to a complete stop while frustrated drivers got stuck behind them.
“He stalled like five times his first time on the road,” Prabh recalls.
Even though the experience still causes Divjeev to shudder, he feels it led him to a better place.
“You are more in the moment when you are driving a car with a stick. Basically you are just there to drive and you aren’t doing anything else,” Divjeev says. “You understand the car, and if you don’t handle it correctly, that car isn’t going to move.”
Rediscovering vinyl’s virtues
Vinyl’s obsolescence seemed inevitable in the 1980s when compact discs emerged. That introduction triggered an evisceration of analog recordings that hit bottom in 2006 when 900,000 vinyl albums were sold, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. That was a death rattle for a format that peaked in 1977, when 344 million vinyl albums were sold.
But the slump unexpectedly reversed, and vinyl albums are now a growth niche. In each of the past two years, about 43 million vinyl albums have been sold, despite the widespread popularity of music streaming services that make it possible to play virtually any song by any artist at any time.
A shopper stands in front of Amoeba Music in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Liedtke)
Baby boomers expanding upon their decades-old album collections aren’t the only catalyst. Younger generations are embracing the lusher sound of vinyl, too.
“I really love listening to an album on vinyl from start to finish. It feels like I am sitting with the artist,” says 24-year-old Carson Bispels. “Vinyl just adds this permanence that makes the music feel more genuine. It’s just you and the music, the way it should be.”
Carson is the son of Martin Bispels, the former QVC executive. A few years ago, Martin gave a few of his vinyl records to Carson, including Bob Marley’s “Talkin’ Blues,” an album already played so much that it sometimes cracks and pops with the scratches in it.
“I still listen to it because every time I do, I think of my dad,” says Carson, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
After starting off with about 10 vinyl albums from his dad, Carson now has about 100 and plans to keep expanding.
“The current digital age of music is fantastic, too, but there’s nothing like the personal aspect of going into the record store and thumbing through a bunch of albums while making small talk with some of the other patrons to find out what they’re listening to,” Carson says.
Paul, the author of the book about analog activities that have been devoured by the internet, says the vinyl music’s comeback story has her mulling a potential sequel. “A return to humanity,” she says, “could turn out to be another book.”
This photo provided by Mel D. Cole shows Carson Bispels, left, posing for a photo with his father, Martin Bispels, who recently started Retroactv, a company that sells rock merchandise dating back to the 1960s and 1970s, on Aug. 1, 2025, in Asbury Park, N.J. (Mel D. Cole via AP)
LOS ANGELES — Even with inflation, endless air travel complaints and the recent flight cancellations caused by the government shutdown, millions of Americans, including me, will begin their holiday celebrations on a plane. And while some are already making their packing lists, I am more concerned about what I should watch. In addition to getting you where you want to go, those hours spent in uncomfortable seats — first at the gate and then on board — are a guilt-free opportunity to catch up on or revisit great shows and films.
In-flight viewing is a specific, and sometimes unintentionally communal, viewing experience; not everything works. Choose tearjerkers and musicals with care. Ugly crying over “The Notebook” or singing along with “Wicked” might feel great, but it can cause your fellow passengers unnecessary consternation and/or annoyance.
If you are traveling with or seated near children, you should avoid hard-R-rated fare — as I discovered while briefly attempting to watch “Game of Thrones” while seated beside my then-young son, nudity and beheadings don’t need the sound on to be inappropriate.
Likewise, avoid anything that involves tragic or problematic air travel — catch up on the “Final Destination” franchise another time — and you also might want to skip full-attention-demanding subtitles. The perfect airplane watch allows you to immerse yourself while also remaining aware of what’s happening around you. (Including and especially requests from flight attendants.)
With all these considerations in mind, here are some suggestions.
Watch at the gate
Comedy series are best, for obvious mood-sweetening reasons (should delays occur), but also because the episodes are short and tend not to have dramatic moments that might keep you watching even after your group number has been called.
“Schitt’s Creek” (Amazon)
Each episode of this perfectly addictive series about a once-rich (and very dysfunctional) family that finds itself forced to start anew in a small town will make you laugh no matter how many times you’ve seen it.
“Derry Girls” (Netflix)
Those unfamiliar with the Northern Ireland accent may find it necessary to use subtitles, which I just cautioned against. But this show is worth breaking the rules for. Living through the Troubles in 1990s Derry, five Catholic school friends and their families cope hilariously with everyday issues, including school life under the redoubtable eye of Sister Michael (Siobhán McSweeney).
“New Girl” (Hulu)
The shenanigans of friends/roomies Jess (Zooey Deschanel), Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), Winston (Lamorne Morris) and Cece (Hannah Simone) are always a delight.
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (Netflix)
Any time’s a good time to watch the greatest police comedy series since “Barney Miller.” Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta heads a misfit but inevitably successful team of New York detectives, headed by the driest, wisest chief in TV history — Captain Holt, played by the late, great Andre Braugher.
“Abbott Elementary” (Hulu)
Celebrate the holidays with this quick-witted, revelatory and very sweet teacher-centric mockumentary-comedy created by and starring Quinta Brunson. Compared with classroom chaos, even the airport will seem like an oasis of tranquility.
“What We Do in the Shadows” (Hulu)
If you somehow missed this hilariously unique comedy-horror mockumentary about a group of vampires living in modern-day Staten Island, now is the time to rectify that.
Watch on domestic flights
All of the above comedy series work here as well — but movies are best, especially if you can time it so the film begins when altitude is achieved and ends as you’re returning your seat backs and tray tables to their full upright positions.
FILMS:
“The Da Vinci Code” (AMC+)
The perfect in-flight film, “The Da Vinci Code” offers something like cultural edification (the Louvre! The Knights Templar! Biblical history!) while not forcing you to think too much. A tour of Paris, great action sequences, the always endearing Tom Hanks and a literally beatific conclusion.
“Spy” (Amazon)
Melissa McCarthy is an everywoman intelligence agent who chooses to go into the field for the first time in this strangely unsung hero of modern comedy. Guaranteed to make you laugh even if you’re stuck in the middle seat. (Also set in Paris, it’s a perfect double feature with “The Da Vinci Code” for those five-hour flights.)
“Crazy Rich Asians” (Netflix)
Jon M. Chu’s glorious romantic comedy will transport you into a world far beyond the dreary confines of contemporary air travel and make you feel, if only for a moment, that you too are flying in a first-class compartment that contains an actual double bed.
“Iron Man” (Disney+)
Travel back in time to the moment when Robert Downey Jr. jump-started the Marvel Cinematic Universe and remind yourself why. It really is that good.
“Sense and Sensibility” (Amazon)
The exquisite nature of the performances, writing, direction, cinematography and score has made one of the best Jane Austen adaptations a go-to comfort film for when you’re feeling ill. Which is why it’s perfect while flying.
“Paddington” and/or “Paddington 2” (Netflix)
Come for the adorable bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw), stay for the adventure and sweet hijinks (and, in “Paddington 2,” Hugh Grant!). You will reach your destination feeling more kindly to your fellow travelers, which can only improve any trip.
“Edge of Tomorrow” (Netflix)
Tom Cruise teams up with Emily Blunt to battle an alien invasion, with some help from time travel. Classic dystopian thriller with several clever twists. If you’re feeling hot and cramped, just think of Cruise and Blunt in those super suits.
“The Martian” (Netflix)
Feel bad that your flight got delayed and you might not make your connection? A little time spent with Matt Damon’s astronaut, stranded for years on Mars, will put everything in perspective. At least you don’t have to figure out how to grow potatoes in hostile soil.
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (Amazon)
The ultimate full-immersion movie sees four teenagers sucked into a survival adventure game in which their avatars are played by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan.
“Skyfall” (Amazon)
Honestly, most Bond films are a good choice but Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond and “Skyfall” features a more-than-usual presence of M (Judi Dench). Also, the song.
“Knives Out” (Amazon)
A classic manor house mystery, which revived the genre when it became a hit in 2019, “Knives Out” is the ideal blend of mystery and wit, with a cast of characters to keep you company.
SHOWS:
“Hawkeye” (Disney+)
If you’re looking for a five-hour (or so) miniseries with plenty of Marvel action and a holiday theme, look no further. A year after the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” Hawkeye super fan Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) teams up with her reluctant hero, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), to face down enemies new and old. Oh, and celebrate Christmas in New York.
“Black Mirror” (Netflix)
This sci-fi anthology series is perfect plane viewing because a.) It’s so very good and b.) Each episode is its own story, so you can construct however many hours you need (and, perhaps, catch up on a show so many people continue to talk about).
“Sherlock” (PBS)
Same principle — each episode is essentially a short film and you get to wallow in the wonder of Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Martin Freeman (Watson), Mark Gatiss (Mycroft) and all the rest as they solve crimes in modern twists on the classic tales.
Watch on international flights
For flights six hours and longer, you can hunker down and make your way through a film franchise or an entire season or seasons of a television series.
FILMS:
“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy (HBO Max)
Pick the director’s cut of all three and your journey through Middle-earth will take you almost 12 hours, which is about as long as it takes to fly from L.A. to New Zealand, where it was filmed.
“Hunger Games” (HBO Max)
The four films in which Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and friends attempt to wrest a shattered land from the tyranny of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) clock in at about nine hours total, which, with bathroom and meal breaks, should get you from L.A. to London or Paris.
“Mission Impossible” films (Amazon and other platforms)
Although they often include mishaps in the air, the fantastic (in both senses of the word) nature of “Mission: Impossible” makes these films an ideal high-altitude binge. From first to last, they run more than 18 hours, which is, quite frankly, far too many hours of consecutive movie viewing. But with plenty of installments to choose from, you can accept whichever assignments (and Cruise stunts) appeal to you.
“Harry Potter” (HBO Max)
However one feels about J.K. Rowling’s politics, this is a delightful film franchise that’s even longer than “Mission; Impossible” — about 20 hours. But you can start, and stop, the series wherever you want (though I would urge you not to skip the underrated “Order of the Phoenix”).
SHOWS:
“Black Doves” (Netflix)
Keira Knightley and Whishaw play highly unlikely but ruthlessly skilled mercenary spies who work for an ice-cold Sarah Lancashire. The six-hour-long series tells a complete tale (though Season 2 is in the works) and as the events take place in London as Christmas approaches, makes a fine holiday thriller.
“House”
Pick a season, any season (there are eight of them, with an average of 22 episodes each) and the wit, wisdom and scathing insanity of Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and his team will carry you through to any destination. And unlike other medical shows, most of the ailments are so bizarre that you won’t have to worry if that cough or twinge is a sign that you’re getting one of them.
“The Durrells in Corfu” (PBS)
It’s 1935 and young widow Louisa Durrell (Keeley Hawes) decides that the answer to her financial straits is to move herself and her four children to the island of Corfu. Sweet and scenic hilarity ensues, and includes the young Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”) and Callum Woodhouse (“All Creatures Great and Small”) as two of Louisa’s sons. Four seasons, 26 episodes. You’re welcome.
“Call the Midwife” (Netflix)
Seasonal purists could just download the dozen or so Christmas episodes of this long-running and still-exceptional drama about a group of midwives working out of a convent in London’s East End. (Between the nuns and the babies, the specials are always wonderful.) But if you haven’t seen the series, best to start with Season 1 and keep going.
“Mare of Easttown” (HBO Max)
If you somehow missed Kate Winslet’s turn as a small-town Pennsylvania cop (with a great Delco accent) who is trying to solve a brutal murder, then this is your chance. If you didn’t, well, it’s time for an eight-hour rewatch in which you can use the time you spent wondering who dunit to admire all the terrific acting.
“Slow Horses” (Apple TV)
The butt-numbing hours will fly by like minutes when you immerse yourself in the TV adaptation of the first five of Mick Herron’s Slough House novels. Gary Oldman is having a blast as Jackson Lamb, the greasy, rumpled, sharp-tongued and strategically flatulent keeper of a den of MI5 misfits. Who somehow manage to save the day.
“The Crown” (Netflix)
Think your flight is long? Consider the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth, played over the course of six seasons by Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton. For a full immersive experience, it’s tough to beat the royal settings, period clothes and changing times. And with 60 hours at your fingertips, you can move through history without ever leaving your seat.
“30 Rock” (Hulu)
Tina Fey’s send-up of a fictional “Saturday Night Live”-type show, and satirical look at the television business in general, is just as biting and gimlet-eyed as it was when it premiered almost 20 years ago. It got better as it aged, so for purposes of downloading, look to Seasons 4 and 5.
“Parks and Recreation” (Peacock/Amazon)
Life is always better when you spend some time with Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), April Ludgate (Aubrey Plaza) and the many fine public servants in Pawnee, Indiana’s city government. The mockumentary series found its feet in Season 2, so you might want to start there.
“The Wire” (HBO Max)
David Simon’s five-season Baltimore-based crime drama is definitely R-rated (thus breaking one of our earlier stated rules) but it is the show that is consistently listed as one of the best — if not the best — TV dramas ever. So if a long-haul flight demands that you binge, why not binge big?
Passenger seats with screens are pictured inside an Airbus A350-900 Leipzig of German airline Lufthansa during a press event at Munich International Airport on April 25, 2024. (LUKAS BARTH/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS)
Unseasonably warm weather may be the forecast for late December, but once winter finally sets in, it will be ice fishing season. Anyone looking for one of the country’s best fishing spots need look no further than the mountains along the Front Range of Colorado — more specifically, Lake Granby.
That’s according to FishingBooker, a website that connects anglers with guiding companies and excursions across the U.S. The site recently named its top 10 ice fishing destinations, in no particular order, and Lake Granby was the sole Colorado locale to make the list.
Located at nearly 8,300 feet in elevation, Lake Granby offers alpine serenity as well as plenty of lake trout and kokanee salmon to make your fishing excursion both peaceful and invigorating, FishingBooker said.
“The lake’s clear waters and high elevation make for a picturesque outing, and the experience often feels like a true wilderness escape,” the site said. “Local guides and outfitters will also help ensure your time on the ice is both safe and successful.”
Plus, there’s more to do than just fishing, FishingBooker touted, from snowshoeing to relaxing at a mountain lodge. “The combination of solitude and natural beauty makes it a standout location,” it added.
Lake Granby was one of 10 places featured on FishingBooker’s list, alongside Green Bay in Wisconsin and Flathead Lake in Montana. See the full list here. If you’re a newbie to the sport, don’t forget to check out these tips before you go.
Andrea Perry of Leadville caught 18 inch rainbow trout at frozen Antero Reservoir with the assistance of George Mingus, a professional guide at Tumbling Trout Fly Shop, on Jan. 5, 2019.
The holiday season is the perfect time to get lost in a good mystery or thriller.
A particularly well-crafted one can take your mind off the stress that comes with the end of the year, and the books make great presents for friends and family (or for yourself — you deserve it). They’re also a staple of airport bookstores, so it’s easy to find one to keep you company on your next flight. (Maybe don’t pick a T.J. Newman novel in that particular circumstance, though.)
Finally, you’ve got a lot to choose from — we combed through a bunch of bestselling mysteries and thrillers published this year, and found 32 standouts.
You’re bound to find something to keep you on the edge of your seat.
British author Feeney is one of the most reliable thriller authors in the game. Her new book follows Grady Green, a London author whose wife, Abby, goes missing near a cliff; a year later, Grady goes to a small Scottish island, where he spots a woman who looks exactly like Abby — and then things get even weirder.
“Best Offer Wins” by Marisa Kashino
This darkly funny novel follows a publicist desperate to find a house in Washington, D.C., and who keeps losing bidding wars. When she finds the perfect home, she decides she’ll stop at nothing to get it. Kashino’s debut novel became a bestseller after being selected for the “Good Morning America” book club.
The 20th novel in Penny’s massively bestselling series of novels featuring Armand Gamache, a Quebec police inspector, sees the lawman and his associates discover a terrorist plot involving domestic terrorism and officials in high places.
L.A. author Clark’s third book featuring Trevor Finnegan, an ex-LAPD cop who now works as a private investigator, finds his hero trying to find out who killed his half-brother’s girlfriend in Malibu — and uncovering a large-scale conspiracy.
“The Dentist” by Tim Sullivan
In this novel, British filmmaker and author Sullivan introduces his readers to Detective Sergeant George Cross, an investigator who’s on the autism spectrum. Already a success in the U.K., the series launched in the U.S. in October and will continue rolling out books in 2026 (the follow-up, “The Cyclist,” is in stores in January with more coming in February, March and beyond).
“Count My Lies” by Sophie Stava
Southern California author Stava’s debut novel follows Sloane Caraway, a habitual fabulist who lies her way into a job as a nanny for a rich family, and discovers they might not be who they seem. Hulu is developing a limited series adaptation of the novel, starring Lindsay Lohan and Shailene Woodley.
“Dead Money” by Jakob Kerr
Lawyer and debut novelist Kerr drew on the 15 years he lived in San Francisco for this novel, which follows Mackenzie Clyde, a problem solver who works for a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, and who tries to solve the murder of a tech startup CEO.
The latest novel from prolific British author Jewell hit the No. 1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list. It follows three women who are drawn into the orbit of a handsome, mysterious man who might be harboring dark secrets.
“Don’t Open Your Eyes” by Liv Constantine
Constantine is actually the pen name for two sisters, Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine, and their debut novel, “The Last Mrs. Parrish,” is in the works as a film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Jennifer Lopez. Their latest novel follows Annabelle Reynolds, a woman with a good life who is beset by nightmares that start to come true.
“Exit Strategy” by Lee Child and Andrew Child
The 30th novel featuring ex-Army police officer Jack Reacher — and the sixth since Andrew Child came on to write or co-write the series launched by his brother — sees the towering vagabond helping a young man with a gambling addiction who is being blackmailed by a shadowy criminal.
“The First Gentleman” by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
The third novel by the former president and the thriller king, following “The President Is Missing” and “The President’s Daughter,” tells the story of Cole Wright, a former professional football player who has been accused of killing his girlfriend almost two decades ago. Complicating matters is that Wright’s wife happens to be the president of the United States.
“Fog and Fury” by Rachel Howzell Hall
L.A. author Hall is known for her standalone novels and her series of books featuring Detective Elouise Norton. She kicked off a new series this year with this novel, which follows Sonny Rush, an L.A. cop turned private eye, who hopes to escape her former life by moving to a calm seaside town. Those plans go awry when the body of a teenager is found by a hiking trail.
“Gone Before Goodbye” by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben
Witherspoon has long been connected to literature as the founder of her mega-popular book club. She teamed with thriller author Coben on this novel about a former Army surgeon who takes a job treating a Russian oligarch. Complications, needless to say, ensue.
“Happy Wife” by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores
A pick for Jenna Bush Hager’s “Today” show book club, this novel follows Nora Davies, a 29-year-old woman in Winter Park, Florida, who marries Will Somerset, a wealthy lawyer and single dad. The day after Nora throws a birthday party for her husband, he disappears, and she goes in search of him.
British television host Osman scored a huge hit with his debut mystery novel, “The Thursday Murder Club,” which Netflix recently adapted as a movie. His latest novel, the fifth in his series of cozy books about crime-solving retirees, sees them trying to find a man who has disappeared and possibly been kidnapped.
“The Intruder” by Freida McFadden
Physician and author McFadden is having a big year: A film based on her bestselling thriller “The Housemaid,” starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, is scheduled to open on Christmas Day, and she’s published three novels in 2025 alone, including this one about a woman who finds a young girl, covered in blood and grasping a knife, outside her isolated cabin.
“Julie Chan Is Dead” by Liann Zhang
This debut novel by the Canadian author shot up the bestseller lists shortly after its release; it tells the story of the title character, a supermarket cashier who discovers the body of her identical twin sister, a popular influencer, and proceeds to pretend to be her — only to discover she was keeping some seriously dark secrets.
“King of Ashes” by S.A. Cosby
One of the most prominent breakout authors of the past several years, Cosby has developed a reputation as a master of the Southern noir genre. His latest novel follows a family being stalked by a dangerous drug gang; it is being developed as a Netflix series backed by the production companies of Steven Spielberg and Barack and Michelle Obama.
Canadian author Prose took the mystery world by storm in 2022 with her bestselling novel “The Maid,” about Molly Gray, a hotel housekeeper suspected of murdering a wealthy guest. In her latest book, Molly learns that she owns a lucrative artifact, just before it’s stolen in a brazen heist.
“Murder Takes a Vacation” by Laura Lippman
Lippman is best known for her novels featuring Baltimore private eye Tess Monaghan (soon to be a television series). Her latest book focuses on a side character from those books, Muriel Blossom, who meets a man on her flight to a vacation to France; he turns up dead not long after.
“Nemesis” by Gregg Hurwitz
L.A. author Hurwitz launched his popular Orphan X series of thrillers, featuring Evan Smoak, an ex-assassin who now helps people who need it, in 2016. The 10th installment in the series finds Smoak trying to track down his former best friend to get revenge after a betrayal (and an 11th is coming in February).
“The Proving Ground” by Michael Connelly
Attorney Mickey Haller is back in the eighth installment of Connelly‘s The Lincoln Lawyer series of novels, which has been adapted into a Netflix series starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. In this novel, Haller files suit against an AI company after its chatbot advises a teenage boy to murder his ex-girlfriend.
“Not Quite Dead Yet” by Holly Jackson
Jackson is well known to young readers for her popular A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder books. This year, she made her adult fiction debut with this novel — a “Good Morning America” book club pick — about a woman assaulted by an intruder, who learns that she will die of an aneurysm, and has only a few days to solve her own murder.
Rose had a massive hit with her 2020 novel “The Perfect Marriage,” about Sarah Morgan, a defense lawyer whose husband is suspected of killing his mistress. In this follow-up, Sarah is dealing with infidelity on the part of her new husband, just as the case against her first one is reopened.
“She Didn’t See It Coming” by Shari Lapena
Lapena had a breakout hit in 2016 with her thriller “The Couple Next Door.” Her latest novel tells the story of a woman who disappears without a trace from the luxury condominium she lives in with her husband and daughter.
“The Unraveling of Julia” by Lisa Scottoline
Beloved legal thriller author Scottoline’s new novel follows Julia Pritzker, a woman still reeling from the murder of her husband in a mugging, and who is shocked when she finds out that she has inherited a large sum of money, a vineyard, and a villa in Italy from someone she doesn’t know — and finds herself embroiled in a deadly conspiracy.
“Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)” by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Sutanto introduced her titular amateur sleuth — an elderly owner of a San Francisco tea shop — in the 2023 novel “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.” In this follow-up, Vera is determined to solve the murder of a social media influencer with a shadowy past.
“We Are All Guilty Here” by Karin Slaughter
You might know Slaughter as the author of the Will Trent series of novels that have been adapted into the ABC show starring Ramón Rodríguez. Her latest novel kicks off a new book series, focusing on Emmy Clifton, a sheriff’s deputy in a small Georgia town searching for two missing teenage girls.
Reese Witherspoon gave her imprimatur to this novel about a man and his children who live on a remote island near Antarctica, and who discover a woman who has washed ashore after a storm — and who might not be who she says she is. Amazon named this the best book of 2025.
“The Widow” by John Grisham
Grisham needs no introduction to legal thriller fans who have long read his novels like “The Firm” and “The Pelican Brief.” This year, he published his first-ever whodunit, about a lawyer representing Simon Latch, an elderly widow who is murdered, leaving Simon as a suspect.
“You Belong Here” by Megan Miranda
In her latest thriller, the “All the Missing Girls” author tells the story of Beckett Bowery, a woman who has done her best to stay away from the Virginia college where her parents taught, and where a tragedy upended her life. When her daughter receives a full scholarship to the school, she realizes that she can’t escape her past.
There are plenty of great mysteries and thrillers out in 2025. (Courtesy of the publishers)
I call this the “So This Is Christmas Cocktail.” But the drink, from my cookbook “The Full Plate,” is perfect for any family celebration, whether it’s actually Christmas or not.
In the cold winter months, the Champagne keeps you warm and the rosemary reminds you of the crisp, fresh air.
First, make the rosemary simple syrup, then combine with the other ingredients.
Rosemary Simple Syrup
Combine ½ cup water, ½ cup sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 2 cardamom pods and 2 small fresh rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Strain, transfer to a lidded jar, and refrigerate; the syrup will keep for up to 2 weeks.
So This Is Christmas Cocktail
This image released by Voracious shows a recipe for a Champagne cocktail made with pomegranate juice, from the cookbook “The Full Plate: Flavor-Filled, Easy Recipes for Families with No Time and a Lot to Do” by Ayesha Curry. (Voracious via AP)
Ingredients
½ ounce (1 tablespoon) Rosemary Simple Syrup
½ ounce (1 tablespoon) pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon fresh pomegranate seeds
Champagne, for topping glass
Rosemary sprig, for garnish
Directions
In a Champagne flute or highball glass, combine the rosemary syrup, pomegranate juice and pomegranate seeds. Top off the glass with Champagne and add a rosemary sprig for garnish.
This cover image released by Voracious shows “The Full Plate: Flavor-Filled, Easy Recipes for Families with No Time and a Lot to Do” by Ayesha Curry. (Voracious via AP)
Ayesha Curry is the bestselling author of “The Seasoned Life” and “The Full Plate,” and is an entrepreneur, television host and restaurateur. She is mom to four children, and wife to basketball star Stephen Curry. She lives in the Bay Area.
Excerpted from “The Full Plate” by Ayesha Curry. Copyright (copyright) 2020 by Ayesha Curry. Photograph by Eva Kolenko. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
This image released by Voracious shows a recipe for a Champagne cocktail made with pomegranate juice, from the cookbook “The Full Plate: Flavor-Filled, Easy Recipes for Families with No Time and a Lot to Do” by Ayesha Curry. (Voracious via AP)
ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) — Getting ready for the holiday season has never been stressful for Christel Dauwe — after all, her holiday period lasts all year long in her Christmas ornament shop in the Belgian city of Antwerp.
Her collecting began in her teenage years, and she now has more than 64,000 ornaments in her personal collection and another 18,000 displayed in her shop, the Christel Dauwe Collection.
“My personal wish is to have a Christmas museum, where ornaments and the idea of Christmas can be on permanent display,” she told The Associated Press. But until that day comes, her small shop uses every corner to display its vast inventory.
Holiday ornaments are seen through the window of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
A holiday ornament of a British phone cabin hangs on a shelf in the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Owner of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop, Christel Dauwe, takes a holiday ornament out of a display case at her shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Owner of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop, Christel Dauwe, shows an ornament of the Horse Bayard, a folkloric Belgian event, at her shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Owner of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop, Christel Dauwe, wraps boxes of holiday ornaments at her shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
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Holiday ornaments are seen through the window of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Its wares include birds of every feather, fruit arrangements, cars, angels, snowmen and other figurines, ranging from a few euros for a wood laser-cut Cathedral of Antwerp to more than 500 euros ($580) for a special ornament of Alexander the Great on horseback.
The store began 35 years ago as an antiques shop, selling a few ornaments on the side, but Dauwe wanted to try selling more.
On the suggestion of a Polish au pair, Dauwe and her husband traveled to Poland and found a factory that could produce exactly the ornaments she wanted. The only catch was that 200 pieces of each design had to be ordered at a time.
They returned home deflated.
“After second thoughts though, we decided to order 20 shapes of 200 each, and one day they arrived — all 4,000 of them. We gave some away and the rest we put in the shop and, well … That’s the story from there,” she said.
The original Polish factory still supplies many of the shop’s ornaments, in addition to 32 other European companies.
“There is an ornament here for everyone. We’ve had people come in who say they have a new pet or even a new car and we try to match an ornament to them. In the end the goal is not to have some kind of posh tree decorated all with the same colors and Christmas balls. The goal of ornaments is to make you smile,″ she said.
Some ornaments are more personal. And one year there was an ornament of Christel herself, designed by her husband as a surprise.
She’s been asked to provide ornaments for weddings and other events as well.
As far as having Christmas all year round, Dauwe says she is never bored with it. Twice a year she goes around the shop and dusts each ornament individually. She has met people from all over the world, and entertains die-hard locals who stop into the store just for a morning chat.
“There are two ways to go with Christmas. It’s either the nostalgia of the past or the hope for the future,″ she said. ″Hope is what is the most important to me. It’s what keeps you going.”
Owner of the Christel Dauwe Collection ornaments shop, Christel Dauwe, wraps boxes of holiday ornaments at her shop in Antwerp, Belgium, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
If you’ve tried flying with seven swans a-swimming and six geese a-laying during the holidays, you know how Grinch-like the airlines get by Day 7 of Christmas. And TSA? It turns downright frosty by the top of the second week. Limiting eight maids a-milking to just 3.4 ounces doesn’t make anyone happy — least of all the cows with swollen udders.
In an effort to bring sanity to the act of giving true loves gifts that travel better than two turtle doves and three French hens, we’ve rounded up some favorite on-the-go goods for a holiday shopping guide. It’s not the whole sleigh, but it’ll get your gift-giving gears in motion.
And to all the Scrooges out there, kindly curb your cynicism: Aside from receiving samples and trials for review, we receive no compensation from these companies. Our holiday wish is simple — to take the guesswork out of shopping for the travelers in your life. Or go ahead and gift yourself. Whoever these 12 portable picks are for, each is sure to shine under the Christmas tree, beside the menorah or wherever thoughtful presents are exchanged.
Machine-washable TripTrays help make plane travel safer hygienically. (Photo by David Dickstein)
Don we now, our tray apparel: TripTrays makes placemat-sized table covers that are a first-class upgrade for passengers who don’t quite trust that planes are cleaned between flights. Once at cruising altitude, simply whip out your tray table and lay the 100% cotton, machine-washable mat on top. It’s a more sanitary and elegant way to eat and drink in the air, and what traveler in your life wouldn’t love a gift that does that? Plus, the non-skid backing helps keep devices in place during turbulence. Made in Sacramento, TripTrays (triptrays.com) come in 27 designs, each priced at $25.
Manta Pro Sleep Mask. (Photo by David Dickstein)
Sleep in heavenly peace: The Manta Pro Sleep Mask won’t block airplane noise (that’s where Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 shine), but for visual serenity, it delivers a 100% blackout seal with zero pressure on eyelids or lashes. Even side sleepers will find it comfortable — ideal for those curled up in a window seat. The premium version runs $85, but the benefits are priceless for us in-flight insomniacs. If your holiday budget is tight, Manta (mantasleep.com) offers a $39 alternative that’s not quite as plush.
Walking in a tourist wonderland: GPS is a travel godsend, but VoiceMap (voicemap.me) goes further by acting as a professional tour guide with storytelling, literal step-by-step directions and friendly course correction if you stray. Just pop in your earbuds, tap start and let the app guide you on walks, bike rides, drives, even boat tours. With nearly 2,000 tours across 600 destinations, there’s something for every traveler. VoiceMap’s one walking tour in Knoxville, Tenn., had this visitor ambling through downtown for 75 minutes, stopping at such key historical sites as the 1790s home of territorial governor William Blount, who was a symbol of the city’s early political roots, along with the majestic, century-old Tennessee Theatre and the iconic Sunsphere tower. Gift vouchers range from $25 for three tours to $100 for 20.
KeepGoing First Aid Go-Kit. (Photo by David Dickstein)
Ow Christmas tree, ow Christmas tree: Owies aren’t fun anywhere, but they’re a real pain while on holiday. A well-stocked, up-to-date first-aid kit can be a lifesaver. KeepGoing First Aid (keepgoingfirstaid.com) offers a full line of travel-ready kits in multiple sizes and styles, including a collection for kids. Each compact pouch is water- and stain-resistant, and refillable when supplies run low or expire. The carry-on-friendly KeepGoing First Aid Go-Kit ($42) is a bestseller, packing 130 essentials into a creatively designed and tidy case.
ReadBright Take Home Backpack materials. (Photo by David Dickstein)
O learn, all ye faithful: The ReadBright Take Home Backpack is a smart holiday gift for parents invested in early literacy — and for children eager to catch up or get ahead. Geared for kindergarten through second grade, each ReadBright (readbright.com) toolkit supports reading fluency with phonics-based books, practice drills and progress tracking. The Level 1 set sent for review is excellent (my first-grade teacher-wife agrees), focusing on short vowels, digraphs and blends — essential building blocks for young readers. Inside are 19 decodable books with colorful illustrations and engaging plots that reinforce phonics and high-frequency words. The stories follow a cumulative learning path to build confidence. Also included: a homework book with fluency cards and activity sheets, plus a progress chart that turns reading into a celebration. Kids can color, sticker and smiley-face their way through each book, tracking milestones and momentum. Priced from $50 to $100, depending on level, these travel-friendly kits give the gift of literacy long after the holidays.
Say “bah humbug” to passport panic: Just over half of Americans now hold valid passports — a sharp rise from 30% in 2008 thanks to increased international travel and the rise of passport expediting services. One standout is ItsEasy.com, whose mobile app made passport renewal refreshingly painless for this citizen who in the past had used a brick-and-mortar agency that charged half a grand for their services. With ItsEasy.com (itseasy.com), clear instructions simplified even the trickiest parts, like taking an acceptable photo at home and paying the correct fees. Went rush, too, with no hiccups. Fees start at $40, and while there’s no process to surprise someone else with this service, when dealing with bureaucracy, convenience is a gift you should give yourself.
Hemlock UPF 50+ Lifeguard Straw Hat. (Photo by David Dickstein)
Deck the halls and head: Sure, Santa’s got his signature red cap, but when he’s catching rays on his annual after-Christmas vacation in the Southern Hemisphere, he swaps it out for a handcrafted, high-performance hat with strong built-in sun protection. Hemlock Hat Company (hemlockhatco.com), based in Carlsbad, makes one that puts the “fun” in functional. Available in over 30 cool styles, the Hemlock UPF 50+ Lifeguard Straw Hat ($45) is lightweight, breathable and durable, and features a uniquely designed under-brim that shows off one’s personality and fashionably shields the face, ears and neck.
Dashing through the sew: For the traveler who appreciates the journey as much as the destination, on-the-go kits sold at Needlepoint.com (needlepoint.com) make thoughtful gifts that make even more gifts. The website’s stock of travel-related products include a Hawaii-inspired travel coaster that brings island vibes to your stitching. Another fine choice among the massive selection of designs for all skill levels and budgets is the collection of destination-themed luggage tags ($48). Just beware — in a classic situation of beauty and the beast, once attached, these colorful crafts are at the mercy of suitcase-sadistic baggage handlers.
Powerball gyro exercisers. (Photo by David Dickstein)
Ho ho ho gyro: Playing Powerball has weak odds, but using Powerball is all about strength. And, yes, we’re talking about two very different things. The non-lottery Powerball (mydfx.com) is a gyro exerciser — a dynamic spinning handheld tool that after three to five minutes on an airplane, in a hotel or wherever, provides a solid workout geared to tone forearms and boost wrist endurance. They start at $35, but for splurging Santas, there’s the top-of-the-line DFX Powerball Iron Forearm Muscle Builder that costs $140. This model, engineered for athletes and advanced users, is capable of spinning up to 16,000 RPM, generating 50 to 60 pounds of dynamic gyroscopic resistance. The metallic protective case makes for an even more impressive gift.
Nichols Farms pistachios and CirC Protein Bites. (Photo by David Dickstein)
Nutty and nice: When it comes to protein-packed pistachios, the only brand to crack this list is Nichols Farms, located in the San Joaquin Valley, which produces over 99% of U.S. pistachios. Let me shell out some reasons why they make great gifts. Nichols Farms (nicholsfarms.com) grows its pistachios sustainably and roasts them without oils — no added fat, just 6 grams of protein per serving. Their flavors let the nut shine, from such organic no-shell picks as habanero lime, rosemary garlic, hot honey and maple butter to nonorganic standouts that include jalapeño lime and garlic garden herbs. The cocoa cookie flavor? Think nutty Cocoa Puffs. Purists will appreciate the shelled and unshelled sea-salted classics. Gift sets start at $40.
Jingle all the whey: You don’t need to be as wise as the Magi to know that protein bars can be messy. If it’s not crumbs all over the place, it’s melted chocolate left on the wrapper and possibly your face. But they are smart to bring on a trip and make great stocking stuffers. CirC (circbites.com) offers a tasty and healthy solution: five poppable, protein-packed bites in a resealable tray, perfect for on-the-go lifestyles. Each tray of Protein Bites delivers 18 grams of whey protein for muscle and metabolism. The peanut butter-banana flavor is awesome. So is the chocolate mint from CirC’s Energy Bites line that contains 10 grams of balanced nutrition for sustained energy per serving. A giftable 12-pack costs around $40.
Pristine Toilet Paper Spray. (Photo by David Dickstein)
Comfort and joy: One of the quiet indignities of travel is surrendering your bathroom routine to unfamiliar plumbing and paper-thin toilet rolls. Enter Pristine Cleansing Sprays (pristinesprays.com), which is in the business business to relieve some of this discomfort with a spritz of grace. They make the travel-size Pristine Toilet Paper Spray (from $7) that turns ordinary bathroom tissue into a flushable wet wipe — scented or fragrance-free — offering a touch of your own abode in a foreign commode. Plant-based and TSA-friendly, this pocket-sized present restores dignity to the most basic necessity.
Having just the right items with you can be a lifesaver on vacation. Here are some ideas for things to get the traveler on your gift list. (Photo by Getty Images)
I’ve planted the potted mums in the garden and packed away the scarecrows — now it’s time to deck the halls.
That means filling vacant pots with evergreen branches foraged from my trees and shrubs, hanging cedar swags on the porch and placing a wreath on the door.
They’ll look great at first, of course, but that threatens to change as December marches on. And since nothing says “The Addams Family” like a house adorned with crispy spruce boughs, my challenge will be to keep them fresh for as long as possible.
The best way to do that would be to treat them like produce. After all, both evergreen stems and vegetables are clipped from a plant, at which time their countdown clocks start ticking.
The secret to longevity for both is moisture. Just as supermarkets use misters to keep produce fresh, we can keep holiday greenery fresh longer with water.
Holiday greenery is displayed at a Home Depot store in Jericho, N. Y., on Dec. 2, 2025. (Jessica Damiano via AP)
How to cut them
If harvesting stems from your garden, cut them in the morning, when they are the most hydrated and the least stressed. Make cuts at a 45-degree angle, which will provide a larger surface through which water can enter.
If bringing them home from the store, clip the end of each stem in the same manner. The fresh cut will remove the dried-out layer of tissue that would otherwise block water absorption.
How and where to soak them
Whether purchased or harvested, immediately place the cut ends of your branches into a bucket of room-temperature water and set it outdoors in a shady spot. Allow them to soak for at least 2 hours (24 would be ideal) until you are ready to use them.
How to arrange them indoors and out
A holiday arrangement of greenery is displayed at a home on Long Island, N.Y., on Dec. 2, 2025. (Jessica Damiano via AP)
When arranging branches in vacated plant containers outdoors, moisten the soil first, then insert the freshly cut ends. Check moisture levels between freeze-thaw cycles and amend, if needed.
Wreaths and garland used outdoors are exposed to drying winter winds, which hasten dehydration. Combat that with a light misting two or three times a week. But be careful not to overdo it, as that would encourage mold.
In the South, heat and sunlight can quickly turn greenery brown, so place wreaths, garlands and pots in the shadiest available spot. When making container arrangements, push stems deeply into moistened soil and water every day or two in the morning or evening, when the sun is at its weakest.
Keeping indoor greenery fresh is even more of a challenge. Inserting branches into moistened floral foam helps. Water as needed to keep the foam moist. And display all evergreen decorations away from radiators, forced-air heating vents, fireplaces and drafts.
Will these tips guarantee fresh greenery on New Year’s Day?
Not exactly. Even with the best care, two important factors remain out of our control: the weather and the age of the branches at the time of purchase. But keeping them moist and shaded will ensure they stay fresh for as long as possible.
Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.
We tend to think that fall is when the garden winds down, and spring is when the work begins. But there are several chores that, if completed now, will make your spring job much easier.
For starters, pulling up weeds by their roots in the fall will dramatically reduce their reappearance when the weather warms up again. I’m practically addicted to a long-handled tool called Grampa’s Weeder, which makes easy work of the task.
While you’re at it, thoroughly rake beds and borders where fungus, black spot or mildew diseases emerged this year. This will help prevent the pathogens from taking hold in the soil and infecting next year’s plants. Dispose of the leaves and debris in the trash.
Other disease-preventing measures include removing shriveled, “mummified” fruit from tree branches, and disinfecting tomato cages and plant stakes before storing (use a solution made of 1 part bleach and 9 parts water, or spray with a household disinfectant spray and allow to air dry.)
Clean, sharpen and oil tools now so they’ll be ready when you are. There’s little worse than heading out to plant your new seedlings only to find your spade has rusted over the winter.
Protect your trees and property
This Nov. 10, 2025, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows a coiled plastic trunk guard wrapped around a young peach tree to protect it from rabbit and mouse damage over winter. (Jessica Damiano via AP)
If you planted new fruit trees this year, install protective guards around them to prevent mouse and rabbit damage. I’m partial to coiled-plastic trunk wraps, but mesh, wire and higher-end metal tree surrounds are also highly effective.
For safety’s sake, examine tree branches now, and remove any that are split, dead or broken, lest they rip off during winter storms and threaten people and property.
Prepare for new beds
If you’re planning to start new beds next year, save yourself the back-breaking labor of digging up the lawn (or the money spent on renting a sod cutter) by smothering the grass over winter.
Define the future bed and cover the area with large pieces of cardboard or thick layers of newspaper, using landscape staples or rocks to hold it in place. Then, cover it with a few inches of mulch or compost.
The cardboard may be entirely decomposed by spring, but if not, just leave it in place and dig planting holes right through it.
Clear out the old beds
Clear out spent vegetable beds, then lightly turn the soil, incorporating compost, well-rotted manure and, if indicated by a low pH test result, lime. The amendments will work their way deeply into the soil by spring, enriching the root zone to give next year’s crops a natural, nutritional boost.
And for an early-spring gift to yourself, don’t forget to get flower bulbs (and garlic!) into the ground. The longer you wait, the bigger the risk of delayed blooms, but you can keep planting them as long as the soil is soft enough to dig.
Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.
This Oct. 16, 2021, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows garlic bulbs and cloves resting on a cleared garden bed in advance of planting. (Jessica Damiano via AP)
Dorie Greenspan is a James Beard Award-winning author of more than a dozen cookbooks whose latest production, 2025’s “Dorie’s Anytime Cakes,” is a homage to simple but show-stopping baked treats.
Greenspan’s recipe for a citrus loaf cake – which is lovingly illustrated by Nancy Pappas, like other recipes in the book – relies on winter’s bounty of fresh lemons, grapefruits, clementines and other fruits. In other words, it’s timed perfectly for the holiday season. A feature is that it can be made completely dairy-free, thanks to the use of olive oil, which bakes it to a deep golden-brown color.
What citrus should you use? Greenspan adds these notes: “The most play-aroundable ingredient in this recipe is the citrus, of course. See what you like most — maybe it’ll be the sharpness of lemons and limes or the sweetness of oranges, or a mix of both. I like a mild olive oil in this cake, but you might want to play up the olive flavor by using a stronger oil. And you might want to add a little vanilla or maybe a shot of dark rum or an aromatic orange liqueur.”
Mix-It-Up Citrus Loaf Cake
Makes 8 to 10 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
About 3 citrus fruits (see above note on what to use)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil OR – to make a version with dairy – 1/2 cup olive oil plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Citrus marmalade for glazing, such as Korean honey-citron marmalade (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan or coat the interior with baker’s spray and place it on a baking sheet.
Put the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large bowl and whisk to blend.
Put the sugar in another bowl. Finely grate the zest from the citrus over the sugar – you want about 3 tablespoons of zest – and then reach in and use your fingers to smush and press the ingredients together until the sugar is moist and fragrant.
Halve the fruits and squeeze to get 1/3 cup juice.
Add the eggs and honey to the sugar and whisk until smooth, then blend in the juice. Add the egg-sugar mixture to the dry ingredients in three additions, using a flexible spatula to gently mix the batter. Then slowly incorporate the olive oil (or the blend of oil and melted butter). You’ll have a thick, smooth batter with a light sheen. Pour it into the pan and gently jiggle the pan to even the batter.
Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the cake is tall, dark and handsome and a tester inserted deep into the center comes out clean; check the cake after 30 minutes, and if it’s getting too dark too quickly, tent it lightly with foil or parchment. Transfer the cake to a rack and let sit for 5 minutes, then unmold it and turn it right side up onto the rack. If you want to glaze the cake, do it now; otherwise, just allow the cake to cool to room temperature.
To make the (optional) glaze: Bring a few spoonfuls of marmalade with a splash of water just to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to melt the jam, or do this in a microwave. Brush the glaze over the warm cake.
Storing: Wrapped well, the cake will keep for about three days at room temperature. If you have the patience, wrap it and wait a day before slicing and serving. You can freeze it for up to 1 month, but if it’s been glazed, the jam might get a bit watery – not fatal. Thaw the cake in the wrapper.
A Mix-It-Up Citrus Loaf Cake is one of the recipes in Dorie Greenspan’s 2025 cookbook, “Dorie’s Anytime Cakes,” published by HarperCollins Harvest. (Illustration by Nancy Pappas)
Mark Van Osdal is a tree whisperer. Owner of Carolina Bound Adventures, he is leading a small group of us on the Deep Creek hike on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Bryson City.
During the hike, we will see waterfalls, a picturesque bridge over Deep Creek, the last of the summer wildflowers, and one rather belligerent squirrel, angry that he dropped the black walnut he was munching on right in the middle of our group.
Oh yes, and trees … lots of them. Van Osdal says that the national park (America’s most visited) has some 100 native species of trees, more than the entire European continent. And he appears to be on a first-name basis with all of them.
Deep Creek fall shot. (Handout/Swain County Tourism Development Authority/TNS)
Van Osdal is just one of the people waiting to welcome visitors to Bryson City, known as “the quiet side of the Smokies.” Although just 45 miles from Gatlinburg, across the Tennessee line, it seems a world apart in its peaceful serenity.
And in its welcoming residents who can’t wait to make your stay as authentic as possible. People such as Rita Jones, director of the Swain County Visitor Center & Heritage Museum.
Make it your first stop — you can’t miss the imposing white-columned building on Everett Street, which doubles as both a resource for visitors seeking the area’s best hiking, rafting, canoeing and biking spots and a museum of western Carolina heritage.
Swain County Visitors Center & Heritage Museum. (Handout/Swain County Tourism Development Authority/TNS)
And then there’s Rita, pink-cheeked and smiling, looking just like the adorable elf she dresses up as during the town’s celebrated Christmas festivities.
Make a stop at Nantahala Outdoor Center, starting point for all of the adrenaline-boosting adventures people come here for. If you’re lucky, you will meet marketing manager Betsy Bevis and reservations manager Chris Aldridge, who joined me for lunch at the Riverside Restaurant overlooking the Nantahala River.
Munching on my catfish sandwich, I noted that the Nantahala is much more benign from a window table than from an overturned canoe, courtesy of my last experience on it.
The 500-acre NOC is a one-stop shop for all things outdoor — whether it be rafting, mountain biking, zip lining, etc.; eating at one of the two restaurants; buying outdoor gear, or overnighting in the new mountaintop Hemlocks bungalows.
The leaves were just starting to turn during my excursion, and I could only imagine what this would look like in peak season, the view a tapestry of gold, orange, scarlet and russet. (Handout/Swain County Tourism Development Authority/TNS)
Guests wanting to be closer to the river and trails can book private cabins, and for the truly adventurous, there are primitive campsites within the Nantahala National Forest.
Fun fact: NOC’s founder Payson Kennedy was a stunt double in the film “Deliverance,” and if you remember the scenes filmed on the nearby Chattooga River, you’ll understand why Burt Reynolds and the other actors were keen to leave the paddling to those stunt doubles.
Although the movie may suggest otherwise, Bevis and Aldridge say the 1971 film was responsible for a surge in the popularity of whitewater rafting.
Back on dry land, you would be fortunate indeed if you crossed paths with Scott Mastej and experienced a dose of his southern hospitality. Along with his partner Ron LaRoque, he is the owner of the Everett Hotel, a luxury 10-room boutique property repurposed from a 1908 bank building.
While I didn’t stay at the Everett, I did enjoy a dinner (lobster bisque and Carolina mountain trout) and a conversation with Scott in the chic Everett Bistro, the hotel’s in-house restaurant.
Downtown Bryson City, North Carolina. (Handout/Swain County Tourism Development Authority/TNS)
Dinner another night was at the historic Fryemont Inn, a Bryson City fixture and a nostalgic trip back to the 1920s, where there are no TVs in most of the rooms and no air conditioning as the mountain breezes provide natural cooling.
This is rustic luxury at its best, with the large fireplace in the lobby and even larger open porch off that lobby competing for favorite guest hangout.
Dinner included an entrée plus choice of soup or salad and two family-style sides of the day.
If you can, track down co-owner Monica Brown, and ask her about the lavish Halloween festivities she organizes where repeat guests return every year for the spooky fun.
Should you opt for a stay in a bed-and-breakfast, you will find a charming one in the Folkestone Inn. Those charms include a serene garden for sipping your morning coffee, the 15-minute driving distance to the Smoky Mountains National Park and innkeeper Toni Rowe’s delectable breakfast Croque Madame.
Since I had my two sisters on this trip with me, we opted for one of Bryson City’s many cabin accommodations. Our cabin in the Bryson City Village lived up to its name, Creekside Delight.
The two-bedroom, two-bath cabin had a large kitchen/dining area and a large living room with a deck and hot tub overlooking a small creek.
While many visitors prefer a cabin nestled in the mountains, this one had definite advantages, being just a short walk into town and the train depot.
The latter is important as it makes it easy if you book the area’s top attraction, the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad Nantahala Gorge Excursion.
Fall overview of mountains and Fontana Lake. (Handout/Swain County Tourism Development Authority/TNS)
The 44-mile excursion is a four-and-a-half-hour trip (including a stopover at the Nantahala Outdoor Center). The scenery from your car’s window is breathtaking – the Nantahala River and along the shore of Fontana Lake before crossing the 426-foot Fontana Trestle into the Nantahala Gorge.
The leaves were just starting to turn during my excursion, and I could only imagine what this would look like in peak season, the view a tapestry of gold, orange, scarlet and russet.
If you book a first-class car like Harper, you’ll get lunch and a chance to engage with Steven, the personable host.
Finally, there’s no better trip-ender than toasting the sun setting behind the mountains with a not-to-be-forgotten experience at Long View Resort.
The Nordic-themed experience features a massage on the deck of the spa, where birdsong was the only music needed to lull me into a semi-slumber as every muscle in my body went along for the ride.
Post-massage, I had only to cross the deck and ease into the hot tub facing the mountains in preparation for my 90-minute sunset soak. To say that this is a transcendental experience is not overstating the case.
The only interruption to my zen-like solitude was the attendant bringing me a glass of ice water and a small charcuterie board to nibble on.
After four days in this part of the Smokies, I left feeling relaxed, reinvigorated and wanting to return soon to this authentic mountain destination.
The scenery from your car’ s window is breathtaking– the Nantahala River and along the shore of Fontana Lake before crossing the 426-foot Fontana Trestle into the Nantahala Gorge. (Handout/Swain County Tourism Development Authority/TNS)
NASHVILLE (AP) — Richard Casper shakes his head as he touches one of the boarded-up windows in the once-abandoned church he plans to transform into a new 24-hour arts center for veterans.
The U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Purple Heart recipient said he was an arm’s length away from military officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at Marine Barracks Washington when he learned the former church his nonprofit CreatiVets just purchased had been vandalized.
The physical damage to the building and its stained glass windows saddened Casper. But what worried him more was that the church had remained empty since 2017 without damage. That vandalism came just weeks after CreatiVets bought it, suggesting that maybe he and the veterans in his program were not welcome.
“I almost just left,” Casper said. “It put me in a weird headspace.”
However, Casper, 40, a CNN Heroes winner and Elevate Prize winner, needed more support for the center — “a place to go when the PTSD hits.” Like so many veterans, he said his PTSD, caused by seeing a close friend die on patrol in Iraq, would generally come in the middle of the night, when the only places open are bars and other spaces that can be ”destructive.”
He figured a 24-hour center where veterans could engage in music, painting, sculpture, theater and other arts could help. It could “turn all that pain into something beautiful.” The artistic element factored in when Casper, who suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq, returned home and found it hard to be in public — unless he was listening to live music.
So he completed his mission that night in Washington, introducing new people to CreatiVets’ work. Then, Casper returned to Nashville to practice what he has preached to hundreds of veterans since his nonprofit opened in 2013. He asked for help.
And help came.
Within weeks, CreatiVets’ Art Director Tim Brown was teaching a roomful of volunteers how to create stained glass pieces to replace those that were vandalized. Brown said the volunteers wanted to give back to the organization, “but also because of the impact that these activities have had on them.”
Gary Sinise, left, and CreatiVets executive director Richard Casper, right, pose for a photo in the Gary Sinise Foundation offices on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Franklin, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Army veterans David Booth, left, and Clay Jensen, center, watch as musicians and sound technicians prepare to record a song based on their military experiences on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
A church building, which will be the future home of the CreatiVets Art and Music Center, is shown on on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Army veteran Clay Jensen, left, talks about events in his military career as songwriter Brian White, right, puts them into lyrics as they work in a dressing room in the Grand Ole Opry House as part of the CreatiVets program on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Songwriter Brian White, left, meets Army veterans Clay Jensen, center, and David Booth, right, in the entrance of the Grand Ole Opry House on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Army veteran Charles Elliott, bottom center, works on a piece of stained glass in the CreatiVets headquarters on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Glass artist Martha Morales Purucker, left, helps Marine veteran Chase Huddleson as he works on a piece of stained glass in the CreatiVets headquarters on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Navy veteran Brooks Herring works on a piece of stained glass in the CreatiVets headquarters on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
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Gary Sinise, left, and CreatiVets executive director Richard Casper, right, pose for a photo in the Gary Sinise Foundation offices on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Franklin, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Gary Sinise values that impact. The actor, musician and philanthropist had already signed on to donate $1 million through his foundation to help CreatiVets purchase the building. Sinise’s involvement encouraged two other donors to help finalize the purchase.
The “CSI: NY” star said he believed in CreatiVets’ work and had already seen a similar program in his hometown of Chicago help veterans process their wartime experiences.
“In the military, you’re trained to do serious work to protect our country, right?” Sinise said. “If you’re in the infantry, you’re being trained to kill. You’re being trained to contain any emotion and be strong.”
Those skills are important when fighting the enemy, but they also take a toll, especially when veterans aren’t taught how to discuss their feelings once the war is over.
“Quite often, our veterans don’t want any help,” Sinise said. “But through art – and with theater as well – acting out what they are going through can be very, very beneficial.”
David Booth says he is living proof of how CreatiVets can help. And the retired master sergeant, who served 20 years in the U.S. Army as a medic and a counterintelligence agent, wishes he participated in the program sooner.
“For me, this was more important than the last year and a half of counseling that I’ve gone through,” said Booth. “It has been so therapeutic.”
After years of being asked, Booth, 53, finally joined CreatiVets’ songwriting program in September. He traveled from his home in The Villages, Florida, to the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, to meet with two successful songwriters – Brian White, who co-wrote Jason Aldean’s “Blame It on You,” and Craig Campbell, of “Outskirts of Heaven” fame – to help him write a song about his life.
Booth told them about his service, including his injury in Iraq in 2006 when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device and detonated it.
He suffered a traumatic brain injury in the explosion, and it took months of rehab before he could walk again. His entire cervical spine is fused. He still gets epidurals to relieve the nerve pain. And he still suffers from nightmares and PTSD.
In Iraq, Booth’s unit was once surrounded by kids because American soldiers used to give them Jolly Rancher candies. Snipers shot the children in hopes the soldiers would become easier targets when they tried to help.
“Things like that stick in my head,” Booth said. “How do you get them out?”
He also told them about his desire for a positive message and Combat Veterans to Careers, the veteran support nonprofit he founded. Those experiences became the song “What’s Next.”
Booth hopes “What’s Next” becomes available on music streaming services so others can hear his story. CreatiVets has released compilations of its veterans’ songs since 2020 in cooperation with Big Machine Label Group, Taylor Swift’s first record label. This year’s collection was released Friday.
“It’s almost like they could feel what I was feeling and put it into the lyrics,” said Booth, after hearing the finished version. “It was pretty surreal and pretty awesome.”
Why Lt. Dan from ‘Forrest Gump’ launched a nonprofit
Sinise has seen the unexpected impact of art throughout his career. His Oscar-nominated role as wounded Vietnam veteran Lt. Dan Taylor in “Forrest Gump” in 1994 deepened his connection to veterans. His music with the Lt. Dan Band expanded it. In 2011, he launched the Gary Sinise Foundation to broadly serve veterans, first responders and their families.
“I think citizens have a responsibility to take care of their defenders,” he said. “There are opportunities out there for all of us to do that and one of the ways to do it is through multiple nonprofits that are out there.”
Sinise immediately connected with CreatiVets’ mission. When the idea came to dedicate the performance space at the new center to his late son Mac, who died last year after a long battle with cancer, Sinise saw it as “a perfect synergy.”
“Mac was a great artist,” he said. “And he was a humble, kind of quiet, creative force… If Mac would have survived and not gone through what he went through, he’d be one of our young leaders here at the foundation. He would be composing music and he’d be helping veterans.”
Mac Sinise is still helping veterans, as proceeds of his album “Resurrection & Revival” and its sequel completed after his death, are going to the Gary Sinise Foundation. And Gary Sinise said he discovered more compositions from his son that he plans to record later this year for a third album.
After the new center was vandalized, Casper said he was heartbroken, but also inspired knowing part of the center was destined to become the Mac Sinise Auditorium. He decided to take pieces of the broken stained glass windows and transform them into new artwork inspired by Mac Sinise’s music.
“I told you we’re going to go above and beyond to make sure everyone knows Mac lived,” Casper told Sinise as he handed him stained glass panes inspired by Mac Sinise’s songs “Arctic Circles” and “Penguin Dance,” “not that he died, but that he lived.”
Sinise fought back tears as he said, “My gosh, that’s beautiful.”
As he examined the pieces more closely, Sinise added, “I’m honored that we’re going to have this place over there and that Mac is going to be supporting Richard and helping veterans.”
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
Gary Sinise talks about the Gary Sinise Foundation and his involvement with CreatiVets on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Franklin, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Mechanical birds, bears and princesses have chirped, growled and sung in Orlando’s theme parks for more than 50 years. The animatronic trend shows no signs of fading, as new figures arrive in new places at Walt Disney World, and Epic Universe introduces batches of lifelike characters.
The additions range from a planned electronic version of Walt Disney at Magic Kingdom to a lumbering Frankenstein’s monster figure that debuted with Epic in May.
“People still enjoy seeing lifelike figures of their heroes, villains and others come alive,” said Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services. “I think this is one area that continues to evolve, and I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet.”
Technological advances are enabling the improved illusion of the figures, said Brian Orr, show systems studio executive with Walt Disney Imagineering.
“The way that we can now simulate, the way that we now design, the way that we now can generate content for these and in style — like it is moving like the character that everybody sees and recognizes from the film … I think that’s really the appeal of like, ‘Wow, not only did I see Elsa on the ride, but I felt like it was Elsa. It moved, it performed, it looked at me,’” Orr said.
In Zootopia: Better Zoogether!, the Tree of Life Theater at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park is the epicenter of a citywide celebration with a livestream watch party of the Zoogether Day festivities. Among the audience of mammals big and small is an all-new Audio-Animatronics figure of off-duty ZPD officer, Benjamin Clawhauser. Guests can see Clawhauser in his new look – sporting glow-in-the-dark necklaces and his favorite Gazelle tee shirt – when the “4D” show opens Nov. 7, 2025. (Walt Disney Co.)
Other planned figures include Buddy, a support-bot, in the ongoing update for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Rangers Spin at Magic Kingdom; Scooter and other Muppets in the retheming of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; facelifts for Frozen Ever After figures at Epcot; and the addition of Walt Disney himself at the beginning of Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom.
These come on the heels of the first animatronic to represent Walt Disney, which debuted at Disneyland in California this summer.
“I think that has breathed a lot of life back into the animatronics and from the highest level,” Speigel said.
Figures frightening, formidable
Universal Orlando installed animatronics inside Epic Universe’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Ministry of Magic, Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment ride and elsewhere.
“Everyone has their normal lives that they’re going through, and that comes with people wanting to be transported,” said Gregory Hall, assistant director, creative design for Universal Creative. “We have the opportunity to bring new technology and use it for good and use it to entertain and inspire people.”
The Monsters Unchained ride is peppered with figures in action, including Dracula, Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Frankenstein's monster and Dr. Victoria Frankenstein are focal points of the preshow leading up to Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment at Epic Universe. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
A crowd-pleasing scene happens in the Unchained preshow with new character Victoria Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster, who strides into the room. It’s a moment that prompts applause from Epic visitors, Hall said.
“That was the first time we made a figure on that scale walk,” Hall said. “And then he’s right next to Victoria, and they’re using extremely different technology.”
Another big animatronic project was the “erumpent,” a charging beast in the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry ride.
“We’re really all about, how do we get the fastest, smoothest motion moving this giant thing?” said Anisha Vyas, director of projects for Universal Creative. “It needs to be really visceral. It needs to move really fast. It needs to be moving really fluid,” she said. “Getting it to move and stop is not hard. Getting it to look pretty and gorgeous and realistic? That’s hard.”
And the motion must be repeated for each load of passengers.
“We ensure every guest has the same experience,” Vyas said.
It all started with a bird?
The seed for Disney’s animatronics — the company trademarked the term Audio-Animatronics in the 1960s — goes back to Walt and Lillian Disney’s purchase of a miniature caged-bird decoration that tweeted. That eventually led to Enchanted Tiki Room attractions such as the one at Magic Kingdom, which opened with the park in 1971.
Animatronics got a major boost from “Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln,” developed by Disney for the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. Guests watched the faux former president give a speech, and Speigel witnessed this on a high-school trip to the event.
“When he put his arms on that chair and he stood up and talked, the whole audience, I remember, just gasped,” he said.
The 1960s technology propelled the show’s status, said Bob Rogers, chairman of BRC Imagination Arts. Otherwise, it might have been forgotten quickly, he said.
“The fact that it was just a robot, not a human, was the charm,” Rogers said.
Waiting for Walt
Fast forward to 2025 and the installation of the Walt Disney animatronic at Disneyland. “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” is temporarily taking the place of the Lincoln animatronic presentation there. Some fans have criticized the look of the new figure.
“It looks fine to me from a distance,” said Jeremiah Good, the Florida correspondent for LaughingPlace.com, “But people that were there for the opening that were in the front row filming every bit of it were going that doesn’t look a thing like Walt.”
Critics are more forgiving about animatronic looks for animated beings as opposed to actual humans, Good said. He awaits the Walt Disney figure slated to join Carousel of Progress next year.
“That is supposed to be a little bit older of a Walt, so that’ll be interesting to see,” Good said.
“I think there are some opportunities there for the point in Walt’s life,” said Imagineering’s Orr, who noted that Florida’s animatronic would be seen in shorter but more frequent bursts at Magic Kingdom than its counterpart in California. “I also think there are things just logistically about the run time of shows — if you just look at the run time of the Disneyland, the frequency of that show, versus something like Carousel of Progress that is cycling through.”
Louis the Alligator, Tiana and critters perform inside Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Tech talk
After pneumatic and hydraulic phases, animatronics are now settling into an all-electric era with computerized programming.
Last year, Walt Disney Imagineering gave a public peek into the process with an episode of “We Call It Imagineering” on YouTube. This preceded the debut of figures for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the retheming of Splash Mountain at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.
A big challenge was the development of Louis, the trumpet-toting alligator, considered one of WDI’s largest and most dynamic figures.
“There’s a lot of moving parts. “So you have all of these layers, you’ve got fabric and it all has to be in sync,” said Sonny Chapman, principal illusion maker, in the episode. Louis’ big belly, upper torso and arms must work together with the costuming, all while he’s bouncing, looking happy and blinking.
Imagineering has expanded into “stuntronics,” creating figures that can perform elaborate aerial acrobatic feats, including one dressed as Spider-Man at Disney California Adventure theme park. The company has also developed knee-high DBX droids, which made appearances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this summer.
“They’re wonderful not just because they’re robots, but because they are animated and they are written with stories.” Rogers said. “They express emotions. They’re doing things. They get frustrated when they can’t do what they’re trying to do. … That’s just wonderful.”
Animatronics have proven, multigenerational staying power.
“A lot of our engineers went to school just to work on animated figures. … That’s their thing,” Hall said. “They’re studying their whole lives, and they make their entire lives, and it’s time for their generation to show the next generation how to pass the baton. This is one of those moments that’s even bigger than just [theme] parks.”
Vyas points to their entertainment value.
“I just think they bring so much life to the environment,” she said. “I absolutely love that at Epic Universe we’ve doubled down on that. I really think that it just takes it to the next level.”
“Walt Disney — A Magical Life,” featuring an Audio-Animatronic representation of the visionary Disneyland founder, opened May 16, 2025, as part of the park’s 70th anniversary celebration. (Brady MacDonald/Orange County Register/TNS)
While driving to a new restaurant, your car’s satellite navigation system tracks your location and guides you to the destination. Onboard cameras constantly track your face and eye movements. When another car veers into your path, forcing you to slam on the brakes, sensors are assisting and recording. Waiting at a stoplight, the car notices when you unbuckle your seat belt to grab your sunglasses in the backseat.
Modern cars are computers on wheels that are becoming increasingly connected, enabling innovative new features that make driving safer and more convenient. But these systems are also collecting reams of data on our driving habits and other personal information, raising concerns about data privacy.
Here is what to know about how your car spies on you and how you can minimize it:
How cars collect data
It’s hard to figure out exactly how much data a modern car is collecting on you, according to the Mozilla Foundation, which analyzed privacy practices at 25 auto brands in 2023. It declared that cars were the worst product category that the group had ever reviewed for privacy.
The data points include all your normal interactions with the car — such as turning the steering wheel or unlocking doors — but also data from connected onboard services, like satellite radio, GPS navigation systems, connected devices, telematics systems as well as data from sensors or cameras.
Vehicle telematics systems started to become commonplace about a decade ago, and the practice of automotive data collection took off about five years ago.
The problem is not just that data is being collected but who it’s provided to, including insurers, marketing companies and shadowy data brokers. The issue surfaced earlier this year when General Motors was banned for five years from disclosing data collected from drivers to consumer reporting agencies.
The Federal Trade Commission accused GM of not getting consent before sharing the data, which included every instance when a driver was speeding or driving late at night. It was ultimately provided to insurance companies that used it to set their rates.
Be aware
The first thing drivers should do is be aware of what data their car is collecting, said Andrea Amico, founder of Privacy4Cars, an automotive privacy company.
In an ideal world, drivers would read through the instruction manuals and documentation that comes with their cars, and quiz the dealership about what’s being collected.
A custom made Chevrolet Corvette C8 is seen with other show cars on a carpet during a carwalk at a preview of the Essen Motor Show in Essen, Germany, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
But it’s not always practical to do this, and manufacturers don’t always make it easy to find out, while dealership staff aren’t always the best informed, Amico said.
Privacy4Cars offers a free auto privacy labeling service at vehicleprivacyreport.com that can summarize what your car could be tracking.
Owners can punch in their car’s Vehicle Identification Number, which then pulls up the automaker’s data privacy practices, such as whether the car collects location data and whether it’s given to insurers, data brokers or law enforcement.
Tweak your settings
Data collection and tracking start as soon as you drive a new car off the dealership lot, with drivers unwittingly consenting when they’re confronted with warning menus on dashboard touch screens.
Experts say that some of the data collection is baked into the system, you can revoke your consent by going back into the menus.
“There are permissions in your settings that you can make choices about,” said Lauren Hendry Parsons of Mozilla. “Go through on a granular level and look at those settings where you can.”
For example, Toyota says on its website that drivers can decline what it calls “Master Data Consent” through the Toyota app. Ford says owners can opt to stop sharing vehicle data with the company by going through the dashboard settings menu or on the FordPass app.
BMW says privacy settings can be adjusted through the infotainment system, “on a spectrum between” allowing all services including analysis data and none at all.
You can opt out…
Drivers in the U.S. can ask carmakers to restrict what they do with their data.
Under state privacy laws, some carmakers allow owners across the United States to submit requests to limit the use of their personal data, opt out of sharing it, or delete it, Consumer Reports says. Other auto companies limit the requests to people in states with applicable privacy laws, the publication says.
You can file a request either through an online form or the carmaker’s mobile app.
You can also go through Privacy4Cars, which provides a free online service that streamlines the process. It can either point car owners to their automaker’s request portal or file a submission on behalf of owners in the U.S., Canada, the European Union, Britain and Australia.
… but there will be trade-offs
Experts warn that there’s usually a trade-off if you decide to switch off data collection.
Most people, for example, have switched to satellite navigation systems over paper maps because it’s “worth the convenience of being able to get from point A to point B really easily,” said Hendry Parsons.
Members of the media and guests look at Toyota’s Corolla concept during the press day of the Japan Mobility Show, in Tokyo, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
Turning off location tracking could also halt features like roadside assistance or disable smartphone app features like remote door locking, Consumer Reports says.
BMW advises that if an owner opts to have no data shared at all, “their vehicle will behave like a smartphone in flight mode and will not transmit any data to the BMW back end.”
When selling your car
When the time comes to sell your car or trade it in for a newer model, it’s no longer as simple as handing over the keys and signing over some paperwork.
If you’ve got a newer car, experts say you should always do a factory reset to wipe all the data, which will also include removing any smartphone connections.
And don’t forget to notify the manufacturer about the change of ownership.
Amico said that’s important because if you trade in your vehicle, you don’t want insurers to associate it with your profile if the dealer is letting customers take it for test drives.
“Now your record may be affected by somebody else’s driving — a complete stranger that you have no relationship with.”
Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.
This story has been corrected to show that the Mozilla representative’s first name is Lauren, not Laura.
This photo provided by BMW shows the 2025 BMW X3. It offers sporty driving dynamics, advanced tech, and ample space for passengers and cargo. (Courtesy of BMW of North America via AP)
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