Neapolitan Family December 2022

in every issue

7 From the Publisher

8 Your Community 13 Collier County Public Schools Update features 14 Holiday Family Fun. Our huge list of local events this season.

26 TV Guide. A quick guide to finding your favorite holiday shows and movies

27 Anxiety During the Holidays Signs and symptoms to look out for in your kids. by Gisel Mendez-Cordero, Ph.D.

28 Christmas Around the World. How Christmas is celebrated in other cultures. by Jan Pierce

30 Rewind Christmas to the 1980s. Join us on our journey back to big hair and Bananarama. by Katy M. Clark

32 ’Just Moms’ Helping. A Naples woman is bringing hope to Harmony Shores. by Andrea Stetson

34 Destination: Orlando. Check out all this city has to offer outside the theme parks. by Karen T. Bartlett

36 The Story Behind Victoria Park. Find out how this neighborhood became Naples’ favorite holiday destination. by Andrea Stetson

Children's Christmas Camp

December 27-29 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Naples United Church of Christ 5200 Crayton Road, Naples NaplesUCC.org • (239) 261-5469

Set the gifts aside and come to NUCC's Christmas Camp! All children, kindergarten through fifth grade, are welcome to participate. We’ll have games, crafts, snacks and more to celebrate Christ’s love coming into the world, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 27-29. This is free. Don’t miss this fun!

Contact Jeanne Snedeker, Interim Director of Christian Education, by email at: Jeanne@NaplesUCC.org

from the publisher…

the

P.O. Box 110656 Naples, FL 34108 info@neafamily.com

THIS MONTH Holidays

Co-Publisher

Leigh Ann Newman lanewman@neafamily.com 239-272-0529

Co-Publisher Stacy Nicolau snicolau@neafamily.com 239-370-5333

Travel Editor Karen T. Bartlett mostlykidsguides@gmail.com 239-595-9026

Digital Editor Emily Brockelsby Feature Writers Anna Snyder Andrea Stetson

Editorial submissions are welcome. We re serve the right to edit, reject, or comment editorially on all material contributed. We cannot be responsible for return of any un solicited materials. Articles and advertise ments in Neapolitan Family do not neces sarily reflect the opinion of the publisher nor does the publisher assume responsibility for statements made by our advertisers or edito rial contributors. Acceptance of advertising by Neapolitan Family does not constitute an endorsement of the products, services, or information. We do not knowingly pres ent any product or service that is fraudulent or misleading in nature. Neapolitan Fam ily is available free of charge at distribution points throughout Collier County, as well as digitally at https://neafamily.com. Nea politan Family is ©2022 by Neapolitan Family Publishing LLC. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Member of

As I was reminded recently, a substantial segment of our readership does not remember the 1980s because they had not yet been born. Yes, Stranger Things has provided a basic education on the era, and there is the recent unfortunate resurgence of the mullet, but my co-publisher Stacy Nicolau and I felt it was our duty to remind everyone of the greatness of the decade of our teen years, especially when it comes to the holidays. Writer Katy M. Clark’s article “Rewind Christmas to the 1980s” on page 30 prompted me to comb through my old photos of Christmases past, bringing back so many good memories

This December is jam-packed, as evidenced by our extensive list of local familyfriendly holiday events, which spans pages 14-25. We’ve noted which events are free and those that offer photo opportunities with Santa. Included in our list are the holiday light displays in Victoria Park. If you’ve ever wondered how it all started, turn to page 36 for Andrea Stetson’s article that explains the history of this massively popular Naples tradition.

Although it’s been two months since Hurricane Ian hit our shores, families still are suffering. Read on page 32 about how Naples mom Christine Brown and her teenage son Mack continue to help the community of Harmony Shores recover.

Finally, I am very proud to announce that Neapolitan Family garnered its fair share of awards at the annual Parenting Media Association convention, held last month in Denver. Our long-time travel guru, Karen T. Bartlett, took home the gold for her article about visiting the Kennedy Space Center, “Destination: Space.” Feature writer Andrea Stetson also captured the top honor for her piece “The Housing Crisis in SWFL”. Co-Publisher Stacy Nicolau won silver for her pub lisher notes, while writer Karen Hanlon also took silver for her profile of a mom who turned heartbreak into hope, “#OneChoice.” Stacy and I teamed up to win bronze for our feature layout of “Sober Solidarity.” We admire and respect our fellow members of PMA, so it is gratifying having our achievements recognized by our industry.

Wishing you all a peaceful and joyous holiday season—

Guadalupe Center Collecting Toys for Holiday Gift Shop

With

a goal of providing gifts for more than 2,000 children, the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee holding a toy drive through Friday, Dec. 9.

The center is accepting new, unwrapped donations of ageappropriate toys, games, and other gifts for infants through teen agers. The nonprofit’s annual Holiday Gift Shop provides gifts for Guadalupe Center students and their siblings based on financial need.

“Immokalee did not sustain significant flooding or wind damage during Hurricane Ian, but many parents work in agricul ture, hospitality, and tourism – three industries that were heavily impacted by the storm,” said Guadalupe Center President Dawn Montecalvo. “Many of our families were already struggling finan cially, and we want to make sure that all children will still have gifts to unwrap on Christmas morning.”

Guadalupe Center relies on support from individuals, busi nesses, residential communities, and civic groups to make the Holiday Gift Shop a success. With the help from volunteers, parents browse a selection of gifts, allowing parents the opportunity to surprise their children on Christmas.

Unwrapped gifts can be dropped off through Dec. 9 at two lo cations in Collier County: Guadalupe Resale Shop, 12980 Tamiami Tr. N., Unit 10, Naples; and Guadalupe Center’s van Otterloo Fam ily Campus for Learning, 3655 Westclox St., Immokalee. Monetary donations can be made online at GuadalupeCenter.org/donate.

Guadalupe Center also is seeking volunteers to act as mentors for teens in its college-preparatory Tutor Corps Program.

Each year, the center pairs 25-30 students with mentors who offer advice, support, and a listening ear. Mentors come from a va riety of professional, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and from Naples, Marco Island, Golden Gate, Immokalee, Bonita Springs, and other communities. The time commitment for men tors varies based on mentor and mentee schedules.

For more information contact Haley Thalheimer, community outreach and donor relations coordinator, at 239-657-7120 or HThalheimer@GuadalupeCenter.org.

a.m.

X SATURDAY MOVIE MATINEE

NAPLES LIBRARY

650 CENTRAL AVE., NAPLES

239-252-5135

• WWW.COLLIERLIBRARY.ORG

Classroom Plus Secures $350,000 in Donations for Lee Teachers

Hotel Transylvania 3, rated PG. Registration not required. Saturday, Oct. 1, 2-4 p.m.

X PRESCHOOL NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

SOUTH COUNTY REGIONAL LIBRARY 21100 THREE OAKS PKWY., ESTERO 239-533-4400 • WWW.LEEGOV.COM/LIBRARY

Hurricane Ian devastated Lee County schools and displaced many teachers and students. Ruined classrooms need count less supplies, and wish-list dreams began to be answered with a Classroom Supply Distribution event held in October at the South west Florida Event Center in Bonita Springs. Some 350 teachers attended the first-of-its-kind event initiated by Cyndi Markovich, owner of Naples-based Classroom Plus.

Spooktacular stories, songs, and crafts. Wear your costume for a parade inside the library. Ages 3-5. Wednesday, Oct. 12, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Markovich conceived the event and secured more than $350,000 worth of teacher supplies and classroom decor, along with donations from her store. “My vendors were so touched by stories of extensive school damage in our area after Hurricane Ian,” she noted. “They wanted to help, and [they] sure came through for our community.”

X HALLOWEEN MAGIC WITH JOEY EVANS

SOUTH COUNTY REGIONAL LIBRARY 21100 THREE OAKS PKWY., ESTERO 239-533-4400 • WWW.LEEGOV.COM/LIBRARY

Spooky magic, mystery, and fun. Ages 6-11. Registration is required. Saturday, Oct. 15, 10-11 a.m.

X PRE-READERS SPOOKY DANCE PARTY

In 10 days, Markovich’s idea blossomed into an event center full of materials where teachers filled their bags with free supplies for their classrooms and students. The key partner for the event was nonprofit Kidz 4 A Cause, founded by the Shanahan family of Naples, who offered the use of their event center in Bonita Springs along with $4,500 in donations, $500 in Publix gift cards, treats, and T-shirts. Added support came from My Shower Door, South Florida Gas, Kona Ice, and individual donations.

BONITA SPRINGS PUBLIC LIBRARY 10560 REYNOLDS STREET, BONITA SPRINGS 239-533-4860 • WWW.LEEGOV.COM/LIBRARY

For more information visit www.classroom-plus.com or www. kidz4acause.org.

NEAPOLITANfamily • October 2022

www.naplesdancearts.com 239-513-6999

neafamily.com 19

SWFL Music Education Center Celebrates Grand Opening

Southwest Florida Music Education Center marked the debut of its newly renovated, state-of-the-art facility in Naples with a grand opening celebration last month, punctuated by performances and speeches from its talented students.

The SWFLMEC’s Artis-Naples campus is the center’s tempo rary home until its permanent campus opens in 2024. It includes specially designed classrooms, practice rooms, and informal performance spaces. The space is designed to reduce anxiety and enhance wellness through material selection, natural sunlight, and nontoxic furnishings.

“This center is the first of its kind in the world and provides postsecondary music education to neurodivergent young adults,” said Rob Moher, SWFLMEC’s founder and board chair. “This is not where the journey ends; it’s the beginning. We’re really excited about the future and know we’re going to touch a lot of lives.”

SWFLMEC provides first-of-its-kind postsecondary music certificate classes focusing on core areas of musical skill development for students who learn differently than their typical peers. The first students in the two- and four-year music certificate programs, a collaboration with Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education, began taking classes in September in the Toni Stabile Education Building at Artis-Naples, building a path toward independence, inclusion, and employment.

SWFLMEC’s future permanent campus in Naples will include practice rooms, classrooms, a recording studio, practice performance stage, and administrative space, eventually accommodating up to 50 full-time students. Long-term plans include the addition of student dormitory, performance site, and additional program space.

For more information visit SWFLmusic.org.

Scott Weinstein and his son Michael at the grand opening of the Southwest Florida Music Education Center, where Michael is a student.

Photo courtesy of SWFLMEC.

Discover Lely Elementary’s Library of Learning and Wonderment

Call him Mr. Magorium. Don Eckert, Lely Elementary School’s media specialist, has created a wonder emporium in his media center (school library). From interactive gel tiles on the floor as you walk through the doors to a gigantic Connect 4 game, mag netic blocks, coaster-making kits, a book vending machine, and an interactive cloud in the ‘sky’ that flashes bright colors as music plays in the background, Eckert continually is thinking of new ways to engage his young readers.

“What we’re trying to do is kind of redefine what a library is in elementary school,” said Eckert. “It should be a place of learning, period. And not just books and not just book learning, but all kinds of learning, all kinds of interactive discovering and wonderment.”

Have you ever seen a library with an aquaponics system? Eckert incorporated the system into his media center in a special area focused specifically on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). There, you’ll find fish tanks, a 3D printer, and, of course, the lettuce they are growing in the aquaponics system.

One of the most popular areas in the media center involves large building blocks. “They’re fabric, but they’re magnetized,” Eckert explains. “The kids didn’t realize that at first and then they stuck together, and they’re like, ‘woah!,’ which is exactly the reaction that we’re going for.”

Surprisingly, books are still a favorite in the space, chapter books in particular. “Sometimes, when I read them, I get so interested in them that I don’t want to put them down,” said Praia Jackson, a third-

grade student at the school, while checking out a Dog Man book.

Eckert also offers unique and creative seating that provides the setting for kids to enjoy such books. There are reading tents, rocking chairs, and wobble stools. Eckert’s take: “Kids don’t sit still. Their chairs shouldn’t either.”

And the bookshelves are getting a makeover as well. Think of the old record stores where you could sift through albums with the covers facing you. Eckert tested his theory by converting one of his bookshelves using the ‘record store’ model, “Circulation is way up with those books – the graphic novels especially.”

Eckert has even taken the library outdoors, adding a Garden of Readin’ to the school’s campus. Students are able to enjoy the tranquil elements of the space while catching up on a good book or participating in an outdoor classroom lesson.

“We like to put things up that make kids wonder and question and think,” Eckert concluded. “These kids have so much potential, and if we give them the right tools, they’re going to realize that potential.”

Photos, above left: Lely Elementary students find a com fortable spot to read on the magnetized building blocks in the school’s media center.

Above right: Don Eckert, Lely’s media specialist, leads a class to the Garden of Readin’.

By Jennifer Kupiec

Family Holiday Fun in SWFL

Johnsonville Night Lights in the Garden. Through Jan. 1, check for times. Closed Dec. 24, 25, and 31. Naples Botanical Garden. Stroll pathways illuminated with mil lions of lights while listening to live music. Visit www. naplesgarden.org

Victoria Park. Located in North Naples off Airport Road, south of Immokalee Road. The most over-the-top holiday lights displays in town. Be prepared for a very slow drive. Go to page 36 to learn how this tradition began. FREE

Magic of Lights. Through Jan. 1, 6-10 p.m. Collier Fair, Naples. A drive-thru holiday-themed light display. Visit www.magicoflights.com.

Holiday Lights. Dec. 9-23 & Dec. 26-30, 6-9 p.m. Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium, Fort Myers. After walking our 1/3-mile trail illuminated with twinkling lights, cozy up to the fire or catch our holiday laser show. Visit www. calusanature.org.

The Elf on the Shelf Is Hiding. All month, library hours. Immokalee Library. The elf will be hidden in different lo cation each day. Discover the elf’s hiding place and re ceive a small treat. All ages. Registration not required. Visit www.collierlibrary.org. FREE

White Christmas. Selected dates and times through Dec. 30. Broadway Palm Theatre, Fort Myers. The heart-warming Irving Berlin classic. Visit www.broadwaypalm.com.

Christmas Festival. The first three Fridays and Saturdays in December, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Springtime Farm Adven ture Park, North Fort Myers. Maze, decorated trees, animals, and more. Visit www.springtimeplantfarm.com.

Photos with Santa. Through Dec. 24, check for times. Coastland Center Mall, Naples. Reservations encouraged. Call 239-262-2323 or visit www.coastlandcenter.com.

Teas and Trees Festival. Through Dec. 18 (closed Mon days), 1-9 p.m. Sugden Theatre, Naples. Sponsored by The Naples Players. Stroll through a wonderland of artistdesigned themed holiday trees while enjoying teas. Visit www.naplesplayers.org.

A Christmas Carol: The Musical. Select dates through Dec. 18. Sugden Theatre, Naples. A spectacular adapta tion of Charles Dickens’ most well-known story by the Naples Players. Visit www.naplesplayers.org.

Festival of Trees. Dec. 1-4, check for times. Santa’s Block Party on Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers. Beautifully decorated trees, activities, and live music. Visit www.sbdac.com.

Holiday Tree Lighting. Dec. 2, 6-8 p.m. Bell Tower Shops, Fort Myers. Tree lighting, visit and photos with Santa Claus, bounce house, face painting, games, and more. Visit www.belltowerfl.com. FREE

Christmas Walk and Tree Lighting Ceremony. Dec. 2 & 3, 5-10 p.m. Downtown Naples. Live music and performances, Santa Claus, and more. Visit www.fifthavenuesouth.com. FREE

Holiday Bazaar. Dec. 3, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Koreshan State Park, Estero. Arts & crafts, street food, and maybe even a visit from Santa! Visit www.friendsofkoreshan.org.

Breakfast With Santa. Dec. 3, 9-11 a.m. Immokalee Com munity Park. Cookie decorating, sweet treats, crafts, and photos with Santa. $5. Visit www.collierparks.com.

Holiday Market. Dec. 3, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. St. John Neu mann High School, Naples. Benefit the SJN music de partment. Shop from over 25 local vendors. Photos with Santa, raffles, food, and more. Visit www.facebook.com/ sjnceltics.

Build Your Own Gingerbread House. Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. South County Regional Library, Estero. Stop in

Winter Celebration. Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Golden Gate Community Center, Naples. All ages. Celebrate the beginning of the holidays with a Christmas show and cookie decorating. $3. Register at www. collierparks.com.

Winter Party. Dec. 3, 2-3 p.m. Vanderbilt Beach Library, Naples. Games, crafts, hot chocolate, and music. Ages 3+. Registration required. Visit www.collierlibrary.org. FREE

Sensitive Santa. Dec. 3, 2-6 p.m. We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym, Fort Myers. Meet Santa in a sensory-friendly, low-stress environment. Reservations required. Visit www.werockthespectrumfortmyers.com.

Make a Gingerbread House. Dec. 3, 3-4 p.m. Marco Island Library. Create a beautiful gingerbread house without the mess. Ages 8+. Registration required. Visit www.collierlibrary.org. FREE

SnowFest. Dec. 3, 3-9 p.m. Paradise Coast Sports Complex, Naples. Join us for an avalanche of whiteout fun. Snow, carnival games and rides, entertainment, hands-on arts & crafts, food vendors, and more. $2 per person; free for ages 3 and younger. Register at www. collierparks.com.

Holiday Festival of Lights. Dec. 3, 4-10 p.m. Cape Coral Parkway East. Photos with Santa, slide down a snow drift, ride the Tiny Tot train, watch the tree lighting, enjoy live entertainment, and shop in the holiday village. Visit www. holidayfestivalcc.com. FREE

Sensory-Friendly Photos with Santa. Dec. 4, 9-10 a.m. Coastland Center Mall, Naples. Family photos with Santa before the mall opens to the public. Reservations encour aged. Call 239-262-2323 or visit www.coastlandcenter. com.

Naples Moms Home for the Holidays Market. Dec. 4, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Paradise Coast Sports Complex, Naples. More than 60 vendors, bounce houses, face painting, photos with Santa, and more. Plus, live World Cup viewing party. Visit www.facebook.com/naplesmomsgroup. FREE

Pet Photos With Santa. Dec. 5, 4-7 p.m. Coastland Center Mall, Naples. Capture Santa photos with your pets. Call 239-262-2323 or visit www.coastlandcenter.com.

A Christmas Carol . Dec. 6, 3-4:30 p.m. Bonita Springs Library. An unforgettable performance by acclaimed actor Duffy Hudson, performing the timeless holiday classic. Visit www.leegov.com/ library.

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Tuba Christmas. Dec. 8, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Sugden Plaza, Naples. A remarkable evening of music from sousa phone, euphonium, tuba, and baritone players. Visit www.fifthavenuesouth.com. FREE

Christmas Celebration. Dec. 9, 7 p.m., Dec. 10 4 p.m., & Dec. 11, 4 and 7 p.m. First Baptist Church of Naples. Christmas songs, nativity presentation, Christmas village, and more. Free admission, reservations are required. Visit www.fbcn.org/ncc. FREE

Cookies & Milk with Santa. Dec. 10, 9-11 a.m. Donna Fiala Eagle Lakes Park Community Center, Naples. Enjoy a treat with Santa. All ages. $2. Registration required. Visit www.collierparks.com.

Merry Breakfast and Toy Drive. Dec. 10, 9-11 a.m. (breakfast), 9-2 p.m. (toy drive). Water side Shops, Naples. A breakfast filled with guests and surprises. Benefits Guadalupe Center. Visit www.watersideshops.com/santa. FREE

Science and Santa Holiday Cruise. Dec. 10, 9-11:30 a.m. Pure Florida, Naples. Holiday-themed science experi ments with Mr. Glen, crafts, and photos with Santa. Visit www.purefl.com.

Ornaments Craft Day. Dec. 10, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Immokalee Library. A table will be setup in the chil dren’s area with a variety of crafts to decorate and take home. Visit www.collierlibrary.org. FREE

Santa Paws. Dec. 10, 12-2 p.m. Third Street South, Naples. Bring your pet on its leash for your own photos with Santa. Visit www.thirdstreetsouth.com.

The Nutcracker . Dec. 10, 3 p.m. & 8 p.m. Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Fort Myers. The Gulf shore Ballet and the Gulf Coast Symphony present the timeless Tchaikovsky holiday classic. Visit www. gulfcoastsymphony.org.

Holiday Boat Parade Cruise. Dec. 10, 5-8 p.m Pure Florida, Naples. Enjoy sunset before the Naples Christmas Boat Parade starts. Visit www.purefl.com.

Live Nativity. Dec. 10-12, 6-8 p.m. Seagate Baptist Church, Naples. Live animals, costumed characters, free gift for each family, Christmas story reenactment. Visit www.napleslivenativity.com. FREE

Naples Christmas Boat Parade. Dec. 10, 6:15-8:30 p.m. View the parade from: Naples City Dock (ticketed), Pinchers Tin City, Riverwalk, Naples Landing, Kelly’s Fish House, The Boat House, and Bayview Park. Check www.miacc.org. FREE

Marco Island Christmas Street Parade. Dec. 10, 6:30 p.m. Come out to the street parade for some great holiday fun. Visit www.christmasislandstyle.com. FREE

Happy St. Lucia Day - Visit Santa. Dec. 13, 6-7 p.m. Headquarters Library, Naples. Learn about the Swedish holiday St. Lucia Day and visit with Santa. All ages. Reg istration not required. Visit www.collierlibrary.org. FREE

Hanukkah Workshop. Dec. 15, 5-6 p.m. Headquarters Library, Naples. Celebrate Hanukkah with stories, songs, crafts, and an edible craft treat. All ages. Registration is required. Program provided by PJ Library and Jewish Federation of Greater Naples. Visit www.collierlibrary. org. FREE

A Contemporary Christmas. Dec. 15, 5-9 p.m. North Naples Church. Concert and light show, Santa, Christmas treats, story walk, crafts, and more. Visit www.nnchurch. org. FREE

Holiday Pops. Dec. 15-18. Check for times. Artis-Naples. Usher in the holidays with a program of timeless clas sics and modern hits of the holiday season. Visit www. artisnaples.org.

Candlelight Christmas Carols. Dec. 16, 5:30-8 p.m. Cambier Park, Naples. Caroling starts at 6:30. Visit www. carolsatcambier.com. FREE

Holiday Science Spectacular. Dec. 16, 6 p.m. Norris Center, Naples. Mr. Glen combines humor, action, and educational content on stage. $10. Visit www.naplesgov.com.

Rudolph and Friends. Dec. 16, 6-8 p.m. Vineyards Com munity Park, Naples. Festive fun and marvelous merry making. Registration strongly recommended. Register at www.collierparks.com.

Holiday-themed Kids’ Night Out. Dec. 16, 6-8:30 p.m Donna Fiala Eagle Lakes Park Community Center, Naples. Ages 5-11. Games, activities, dinner, movie. $10. Register at www.collierparks.com.

Grinchmas Family Event. Dec. 16, 6-9 p.m Big Corkscrew Island Regional Park. Photos with the Grinch and Santa. Music, games, crafts, raffles, cookie decorating, treats, and more. Registration is required. $7. Visit www.collierparks.com.

Pancakes & Pajamas. Dec. 17, 9-11 a.m. Immokalee South Park. Photos with Santa. Crafts, food, and music. $5. Register at www.collierparks.com.

Santa Paws. Dec. 17, 9-11 a.m. Veterans Community Park’s Rover Run, Naples. Bring your pet for photos with Santa. $10. Register at www.collierparks.com.

Cookies & Milk with Santa. Dec. 17, 10 a.m. to noon. Mackle Park Soccer Field, Marco Island. Santa will fly in by helicopter. Visit www.christmasislandstyle.com. FREE

Homemade Holidays Family Day. Dec. 17, 11 a.m.-2 p.m Collier Museum at Government Center, Naples. Fun holiday crafts for the entire family. Registration not required. Visit www.colliermuseums.com. FREE

Cowboy Christmas. Dec. 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch. Merry Ranchmas! Fun educational activities along with food and drinks. Visit www.colliermuseums.com. FREE

Gingerbread House Workshop. Dec. 17, 2-4 p.m. Immokalee Library, Immokalee. All supplies provided to create your own gingerbread house. All ages. Space is limited. Registration is required. Visit www.collierlibrary.org. FREE

Saturday Movie Matinee: How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Dec. 17, 2-4:30 p.m. Naples Regional Library. Rated PG. Registration not required. Visit www.collierlibrary.org. FREE

Christmas Carol Concert. Dec. 17, 5 p.m.; and Dec. 18, 4 p.m., Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church, Naples. This annual tradition features the church choir presenting be loved Christmas carols, enhanced by local musicians from the Naples Philharmonic. Donations welcomed. Visit www.trinitybythecove.com. FREE

Marco Island Christmas Island Style Boat Parade. Dec. 17, 6-9 p.m. Watch decorated boats sailing up and down the Marco River. Visit www.christmasislandstyle. com. FREE

Breakfast With Santa. Dec. 18, 9-11 a.m. Res ervations required. Shell Factory & Nature Park, Fort Myers. Visit www.shellfactory.com.

Marco Island Community Chanukah Celebration. Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m. Jewish Congregation of Marco Island. Join us for a candle lighting ceremony and Chanukah Mu sic. Chanukah holiday treats will be served. Visit www. marcojcmi.com. FREE

Chanukah at the Circus. Dec. 19, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Cambier Park, Naples. Rides, carnival booths, games, crafts, food, acrobats, jugglers, face painting, balloon twisting, and more. Visit www.chabadnaples.com.

Holiday Crafts for Kids. Dec. 19-23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, Naples. A different craft each day. No registration required. Included with admission. Visit www.rookerybay.org.

Holiday Cards. Dec. 20, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Naples Re gional Library. Create holiday cards for your family and friends. While supplies last. Registration not required. Visit www.collierlibrary.org. FREE

Avow Kids Cookies and Caroling. Dec. 20, 1-4 p.m. Avow Kids, Naples. For children of all ages. To RSVP call 239-261-4404 or email avowkids@avowcares.org. FREE

Movies on the Lawn: A Christmas Story. Dec. 20, 6 p.m. Mercato Shops, Naples. Gates open at 5. Movie starts at 6. Visit www.mercatoshops.com. FREE

The Nutcracker. Dec. 20 & 21, 7 p.m. Artis-Naples. Young dancers from Naples Ballet, professional solo ists, and the Naples Philharmonic bring this timeless tale to life. Visit www.artisnaples.org.

Preschool Program: Mid-Century Christmas. Dec. 21, 10-11 a.m Collier Mu seum at Government Center, Naples. Your little one will be able to design their own mid-century style ornaments, and enjoy toys, songs, and stories from that era. Elementary-age appropriate activities for older siblings. Visit www.col liermuseums.com. FREE

Community-wide Chanukah Celebration. Dec. 21, 5-6 p.m. Mercato, Naples. Join us as we celebrate Chanukah and light the Menorah. Enjoy the Naples Klezmer Revival Band, donuts, gelt, and balloon creations. Visit www. jewishnaples.org. FREE

Holiday Cookie Decorating and Craft. Dec. 22, 3-4 p.m. Golden Gate Library, Naples. Create a holiday craft and decorate cookies. Regis tration is required. Visit www.collierlibrary. org. FREE

Children’s Christmas Camp. Dec. 27-29, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Naples United Church of Christ, Naples. Games, crafts, snacks, and more for preschool through fifth grade. Email Jeanne@NaplesUCC.org. FREE

We buy & sell gently used kids stuff

• Clothing (newborn to size 16), toys, baby furniture, equipment, and more.

• We pay cash on the spot.

• No appointment necessary; clothes must be freshly laundered and brought in a plastic container.

13560 Tamiami Trail N. #4, Naples 239-596-6096

Also in: Fort Myers at 239-274-0039 Port Charlotte at 941-764-8121 www.onceuponachildnaples.com

Holiday TV Guide

It’s that time of year again, when we Southwest Floridians make believe it’s cold by cranking up the A/C and gathering our families on the couch underneath blankets to sip hot chocolate while we watch Christmas and holiday specials until we can’t see straight. Here’s a quick guide to which shows and movies are available on which streaming service. Enjoy!

48 Christmas Wishes

Angela’s Christmas

A Boy Called Christmas Christmas Chronicles

The Christmas Chronicles: Part 2

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish Dash & Lily Elf Pets Collection

Happy Holidays From Madagascar

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey Klaus Let It Snow Pee-wee’s Big Holiday Trolls Holiday White Christmas

(some shows require a rental fee)

Arthur Christmas

A Bad Moms Christmas

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Story Christmas with the Kranks Deck the Halls

Die Hard Elf

Ernest Saves Christmas Fred Claus

Four Christmases

How the Grinch Stole Christmas If You Give a Mouse a Christmas Cookie It’s a Wonderful Life

Jack Frost

Jingle All the Way

Miracle on 34th Street

A Muppet Christmas Carol National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

The Nightmare Before Christmas Peppa’s Christmas and Other Stories

The Polar Express Prancer

The Smurfs Christmas Carol The Star Yogi’s First Christmas

Arendelle Castle Yule Log

Babes in Toyland

Beauty & the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas The Christmas Star

The Chronicle of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Decorating Disney Holiday Magic Disney’s A Christmas Carol

Disney Channel Epic Holiday Showdown

Disney Channel Holiday House Party Ernest Saves Christmas The Disney Holiday Singalong Home Alone

Home Alone 2 Home Alone 3 Home Alone 4

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Jingle All the Way 2

Mickey’s Christmas Carol

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas

Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas Mickey & Minnie’s Wish Upon a Christmas

A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa Noelle

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Once Upon a Snowman Prep & Landing

Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws The Santa Clause

The Santa Clause 2 The Santa Clause 3 Santa Paws

Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups The Search for Santa Paws Snowball Express Toy Story That Time Forgot The Ultimate Christmas Present Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year

The Holidays May Not Always Mean Cheer for Everyone

• Talk openly with your children about how they feel, especially when an event is coming up; for example, a prom, a football game, or a public presentation. Discuss what helps them to feel better. Be open to negotiate interactions and spaces dur ing events. It may be helpful to talk about what is expected from the celebration, get together, or activity, and discuss a plan.

• If necessary, determine how to pro ceed if your child presents any symptoms. It may help to anticipate a place where the child may go to relax, breathe, and calm down.

Imagine being surrounded by your fam ily. All your family. Siblings, nieces and nephews, in-laws, parents, grand parents … everybody. For some, this is a very happy, exciting, and enjoyable scene. However, for others this experience may trigger feelings of anxiousness that often can intensify around the holidays.

Anxiety problems are among the most diagnosed mental health disorders in children, and their prevalence continues to increase. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that from 2011-12, percentage of children experiencing anxiety disorders increased from 5.5% to 6.4%. In previous years, it was estimated that approximately 5.8 million children were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

Look for the following signs and symptoms if you believe your child or teen is experiencing anxiety.

• Clinginess or worry about being away from loved ones.

• Complaints of physical symptoms: stomachache, headache, nausea and/or vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath, and feeling shaky.

• Avoids and/or is very distressed about social interactions, conversations, and/or

eating in front of others.

• Altered sleep patterns: unable to fall asleep, waking up through the night, and/ or waking up very early.

• Hesitation and/or resistance about participating in activities and/or get to gethers.

The best way to help a child with anxiety is to provide them with tools to help them cope. Here are a few I recommend to my patients:

• Learn and teach your child relaxation skills like diaphragmatic/deep breath ing and progressive muscular relaxation exercises. Two videos I often share with patients to learn and practice these two behavioral skills are found in the following links: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xQ J2O4b5TM and www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ihO02wUzgkc. For more in formation on these and other practices, contact a clinical psychologist.

• Promote healthy habits, such as adequate sleep, healthy eating, and regular exercise. When the body is nurtured, rested, and you exercise, chemicals in your body get balanced, reducing the segregation of cortisol (“stress hormone”) and stimulating the production of endorphins (“well-being hormones”).

• Validate your child’s emotions, but not necessarily their behaviors. For ex ample, if your child disrespects or engages in fights, you may calmly bring them to a private space and talk to them about what is making them feel overwhelmed or upset. Implementing consequences for unaccepted behaviors always is im portant, even when managing anxiety symptoms.

• Be aware and look for signs of safety being compromised, such as withdrawal, signs of self-harm (e.g.: scratches on the skin), and verbalizations such as “I don’t want to continue suffering.” If you are concerned about the safety of your child, seek professional help immediately, and, if necessary, contact emergency services by dialing 9-1-1.

If you feel your child needs profes sional help managing anxiety, consider mental health counseling. Therapy can help your children understand their fears and teach them how to cope.

GISEL MENDEZ-CORDERO, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience working with pediatric patients at Healthcare Network, a nonprofit organization committed to ensuring primary healthcare is accessible to everyone in our community at locations throughout Collier County. Call 239-6583000 or visit HealthcareSWFL.org.

Christmas AroundtheWorld

Christmas is celebrated around the world. The religious significance of the holi day is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, while the secular festivities involve a gift-giving character who brings presents and treats to good chil dren. Holiday customs include decora tions, music, and specialty foods. Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting ways Christmas is celebrated across the globe.

In India, Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25 with church services for believers. A midnight service is very popular. People of all faiths decorate their homes and gardens with star-shaped paper lanterns, and some set up Nativity scenes. Father Christmas brings presents to children from a horse and cart. Special Christ mas cakes and sweets, such as newries (see recipe, facing page) and kulkuls, are baked, and open houses abound.

In Sweden, St. Lucia’s day is celebrated on Dec. 13. St. Lucia was a Christian martyr from 304 A.D. known for secretly tak ing food to persecuted Christians in the catacombs of Rome. To day young girls dress in white dresses with a red sash, and wear a crown of lights to help Lucia find her way. Special buns called lussekatts (see recipe, facing page) are served. Then on Christmas Eve a huge buffet known as julbord is eaten in courses. It begins with cold fish dishes and moves to cold meats, warm meat dishes, and desserts. Glogg, a sweet mulled wine, and coffee are favorite drinks. Homes are decorated with straw to remind everyone that Jesus was born in a manger. Gifts are brought by small gnomes called jultomten.

In Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa, it is very warm at Christmas time. Still, decorations include holly and “snow,” though neither exist there. Santa is known as Dadabe

Noely, and only small gifts are ex changed. On Christ mas Day people every where, even strangers, greet one another with “Arahaba tratry ny Noely,” which means Merry Christ mas, and then go to their fami lies to eat dinners of chicken or pork with rice and a special cake. Another favorite Christmas food is the lychee, a fruit that is peeled and eaten with great enjoyment.

In Hong Kong, Christians celebrate Christmas with home made cards bearing original artwork. The scenes show Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in Chinese settings. Poinsettias and Nativity scenes are used for decorations. The Chinese alphabet is put on streamers, and paper chains hang everywhere. Santa Claus is known as Lan Khong or Dun Che Lao Ren.

In Zimbabwe, Christmas Day is known as Kisimusi and begins with a church service. Then people spend the day visiting all of their friends and family, eating, and exchanging gifts. Favorite meals are chicken with rice, which is a special treat. Often music is played loudly from large speakers in the streets. People wear their best clothes, and decorate homes with ivy draped around the top of the rooms. Christmas cards may have wild animals on them, and children receive small gifts on Christmas morning.

In New Zealand, Christmas falls in the hot summer months. Families are often celebrating their summer holidays by camping or staying at the beach. There are parades and Christmas trees. The Christmas meal is barbecued meats or seafood. Desserts such as hot fruit pudding or meringues are served. Pavlova is a favorite dessert. Presents are opened on Christmas Day before the special lunch.

In Ethiopia, Christmas is celebrated by the Orthodox church. It is called Ganna and held on Jan. 7. People fast on Jan. 6, and then the next morning they wear a traditional garment called a shamma.

New Zealand Pavlova

Ingredients

4 egg whites

1 8 t. cream of tartar

1 cup superfine sugar (or granulated that is made fine in food processor)

1 T. cornstarch

1 t. vanilla

1 cup sliced fruit (kiwi and/or berries)

1½ cups sweetened whipped cream

¼ cup miniature chocolate chips or other small candies

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking pan with parchment pa per. Sprinkle cream of tartar over egg whites and beat until stiff. Whisk cornstarch and sugar. Combine the two mixtures and fold in vanilla. Form mounds of meringue about 6” in diameter. Reduce heat in oven to 200 degrees and bake one hour. Turn oven off, leaving meringue inside to cool. When cooled, fill each mound with whipped cream and top with fruit and candies.

Indian Newries

Ingredients

Dough:

4½ cups flour

3 T. butter (ghee)

1½ cups milk

Filling: 1¾ cup semolina flour (coarse rice or wheat flour)

7 8 cup sugar ¼ cup raisins ¼ cup chopped cashews 3 cardamon pods 1 t. cinnamon

1 T. butter (ghee)

Combine flour, butter, and milk into a stiff dough. Refrigerate. Gently cook raisins and nuts in a small amount of butter and set aside. Use rest of butter to gently fry semolina until light brown. Add sugar, spices, raisins, and nuts. Mix. Roll out small pieces of dough into 2-inch rounds. Place a tablespoon of filling in the middle, and then fold and seal the edges of the dough. Heat oil and fry until golden brown.

This thin white cotton toga-like outfit is worn to a special service held in the circle-shaped church. Candles are held in a procession, and Communion is taken. At the time of Ganna men and boys play a game similar to hockey, also known as ganna. Special foods eaten at this time of year are meat and vegetables called wat and flatbread known as injera. Children usually receive gifts of clothing.

In Wales, carol singing is the highlight of the festivities. Carol ers sing at dawn of Christmas morning and are invited in for snacks. Taffy-making is also a favorite family activity. There is a prize for the best new Christmas carol written that year, and it is added to the list of carols sung in future Christmas celebrations.

Swedish St. Lucia Buns (Lussekatts)

Ingredients

1 cup milk

¼ t. saffron

½ cup butter

4½ cups flour

1 T. yeast granules

½ cup potato flour or flakes

1½ t. salt 1 3 cup sugar

3 large eggs (one separated) 1 t. vanilla

Glaze: 1 egg white + 1 T. water Pearl sugar Sultana raisins (golden)

In a saucepan heat the milk and saffron. Remove from heat and add butter. Cool to lukewarm. In a bowl whisk yeast, flours, salt, and sugar. Separate one egg and save the white. Pour milk over the dry ingredients and add two eggs plus the extra yolk. Mix well and knead until smooth. Allow to rise one hour. Deflate and cut into 12 pieces. Form dough into S shapes and let rise another 30 minutes. Apply glaze and bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

In Russia, Christmas is celebrated by the Orthodox church. Once banned by the communist regime, Christmas is again cel ebrated with special church services as well as meat and cabbage pies, called pirogi, and meat dumplings, known as pelmeni. A por ridge, kutya, is served along with honey and poppy seeds to bring happiness, success, and peace. Children carry a star and go house to house in the cold winter snows singing carols and receiving sweets. Children love to hear about the ways other children celebrate. Why not share some of this information in your holiday discus sions? You may even want to include some of the foods or traditions in your own family festivities. Happy holidays!

Rewind Christmas to the 1980s

Feeeeed the woooooorld. Let them know it’s Christmas time!” I sing a song from Christmas in the 1980s in the car. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my 13-year-old daughter look at me. She is unimpressed. “Why is that even a Christmas song?” she asks.

She has a good point. Amidst all the holiday songs of glad tidings and joy, it is a bit odd to hear a song about relieving famine in Ethiopia.

“This song was a huge deal in the 80s,” I reply. Then I explain how Bob Geldof mobilized the big gest pop stars of the decade to perform this song and how he used MTV to spur everyone, including a young teen in Arizona (me!), to help.

I tell her how I purchased the 45 record of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid and how the proceeds went to relief efforts. Then I remind her what a 45 record is. Next I try to convince her that MTV was relevant and trendy when I was a young teen.

Mall shopping

Talking about this iconic 80s Christmas song also prompts me to reminisce about the era and share my memories of Christmas in the “old days.” In the 1980s, I would spend hours flipping through catalogs to find my dream gifts. I circled what I wanted or folded down the pages. In my house, it was the Toys ‘R’ Us Big Book, but some of my friends also had the Sears catalog. One year, I wanted a Cabbage Patch doll for Christmas. My mom had to be determined and patient to make my dream come true, because she had to physi cally go to a store, stand in line, and do her best impression of a linebacker to wrestle that toy off a shelf for me.

No, she couldn’t order it on the computer, be cause our family didn’t have a computer. I guess some wealthy folks may have had a Macintosh, but it wouldn’t have mattered, because there was no internet. Imagine that, a world without Amazon Prime.

I loved visiting the mall at Christmas, when it was brimming with shoppers and decorated to the hilt. When I was little, my mom would take my

sisters and me to the mall to see Santa. When I became a teen, I still waved at Santa while shopping for stir rup pants at Express, dining on sausage samples at Hickory Farms, and buying Bananarama and Prince cassettes at Sam Goody.

Christmas in the ‘80s meant every gift was wrapped in wrapping paper at my house. Gift bags did not exist yet. My grandma and aunt yelled at me if I ripped the paper when opening a gift. They would carefully save every scrap of holiday wrapping paper to reuse, year after year. They also used yarn ribbon, like Raggedy

Ann’s hair, so that they could reuse that, too.

“Who’s Rag gedy Ann?” my teen interrupts. Yikes. That’s a story for another time.

I tell my daughter how I baked cookies from recipes writ ten by my grandma’s hand, rather than ones I found on TikTok. I still have those recipes. And prefer them leaps and bounds over anything I find online. I tell her I will pass them on to her one day.

‘80s Christmas Movies

I never watched a Hallmark Christ mas movie in the 1980s because there was no Hallmark Channel. And the holiday movies we watch every year – like “Home Alone,” “Polar Express,” and “Elf” – had not yet been filmed. I watched “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein deer,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and “John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together.”

And it required some effort, too. I had to flip through the TV Guide, find the show’s air date and time, and make sure I parked my butt in front of the TV so I could watch it the one time all season it came on. There was no DVR or streaming service. If I missed the one airing, I had to wait an other year to see it.

Just then “Frosty the Snowman” comes on the ra dio. I look at my daughter, who smiles back at me. “I know this one, Mom,” she says. And then we start singing the time less holiday classic.

Now if only Taylor Swift’s cover of “Last Christmas” could come on so I could tell my daugh ter why the version by Wham! is the best. Because it’s from the ‘80s, of course.

Hope for Harmony Shores

Every evening Christina Brown drives down a small, narrow road almost hidden from sight off U.S. 41 in east Naples. There, less than a mile from the government center and not far from the mansions of Naples, sits the Harmony Shores trailer park that almost seems for gotten among the city’s bustle. But dozens of hardworking people live there and now are struggling after about 4 feet of water flooded their homes during Hurricane Ian. Brown doesn’t want these families to

be forgotten. So each night she delivers hot meals to grateful families. She also hands out towels and wash cloths and other donated items. She recently held a bicycle drive that brought in bikes for all the children in the neighborhood.

“We have been providing them with home-cooked meals and fruit because some of them still don’t have electricity,” Brown said. “They lost all their vehicles and all their bikes. We were trying to see what things we can do. We can’t get them

a car, but I coordinated a big bike drive.”

It all began after Hurricane Ian, when Brown and her son Mack, 15, par ticipated in events to help victims of the storm. The volunteer efforts of Seacrest Country Day School, which her son at tends, sparked a greater interest in Brown to help.

“You think ‘Oh, I can make a dif ference,’” she explained. “That got me motivated.”

She went to Harmony Shores with a freezer of ice cream to hand out, and while she was there she asked the resi dents what they needed the most.

“They said they need a hot meal,” Brown said. “Another asked for ice. A little kid asked for strawberries. These are three things we can do.”

To raise money to buy these items and more for Harmony Shores, Brown and her son prepared and sold break fasts at Seacrest, bringing in about $75 a day with this fundraiser. Brown started online signups for various volunteers to cook meals for the community, and made dinners herself.

For the bike drive, she partnered with Seacrest, the Community School of Naples, Bikes for Tykes, Naples Velo Bi cycle Club, and Naples Pathways Coali tion. Now she is holding a fundraiser to raise money to buy propane cooktops so residents of Harmony Shores can cook.

On a recent night, Brown and her band of volunteers handed out dozens of meals and offered tables full of donated supplies. There are more than 70 trailers at the park now, and the grateful resi dents gathered around her as she handed out all the donated goods.

“I have a crock pot,” she called out. “I want it to go to somebody that doesn’t have a way to cook anything.”

Next she handed out bicycles, as well as helmets, lights, and locks for the bikes.

“The story right now is the kids,” she stressed. “If you just look at their faces when they see the bikes, you see how much it means. Before only one of them had a bike and two had scooters. Now they all have bikes, and they can ride to gether. The kids have a little hope.”

Titiana Aguilon, 12, has hope. She

recently received a new white bicycle from Brown. Now she volunteers almost every evening to help hand out food and supplies. She also helps translate for some of the residents who speak only Spanish.

“I am thankful,” Aguilon said.

Valerie Orfila is another resident who now is helping Brown.

“She helps us so much,” Orfila said about Brown. “A lot of people feel like we are not alone. Everybody cares so much. Everybody feels so grateful. She is spread ing the love.”

Mack Brown not only helps deliver food, he has also become a mentor to some of the children. He enjoys hand ing out toys and playing with the young kids.

“It’s amazing how much we can help this community,” Mack said.

Brown is not part of any big organi zation. She is just a Collier County mom who wanted to help.

“We call ourselves Just Moms,” she joked. “I want people to feel the love for a community they don’t know. I want to encourage people to help people they don’t even know. This is a community

that

Facing page: Christina Brown teaches Jonathan Diaz, 9, how to ride his new bike Above: Benjamin Lopez, 6, and Mack Brown, 15, play with some of the toys Mack has collected for the children of Harmony Shores following the devastation of Hurricane Ian. Photos by Andrea Stetson.

clearly needs support and a little bit of compassion. You don’t need to have

Destination Orlando: Touristy with a Twist

Irecently had a chance to shine on the dance floor with John Travolta. He was a bit stiff, but I almost melted under that bad-boy “Let’s dance” stare. That was after I declined to sit beside President Lincoln in his box at Ford’s Theatre (too creepy) and before my excel lent encounter with E.T. in his bicycle basket under Steven Spielberg’s watchful eye. Shrek and Princess Fiona were there, as were Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and others in the Justice League. Beyonce, Ariana Grande, and other sizzling-hot stars and sports figures – all life-size, even 7’1” Shaq in his size 22 shoes – beckoned us for selfies on stage, on the basketball court, or to assist in various perilous acts of saving the world. I’m talking about Madame Tussauds – that collection of famous and infamous likenesses the wax artist started as a downright spooky little museum 200 years ago in London. Madame undoubt edly would be shocked at the polished-up tourist attraction versions around the world: in London, Princess Di holds court, along with The Beatles, James Bond (all of them), Sherlock Holmes, and even Jack the Ripper, each designed to send chills of one kind or another down one’s spine.

Madame Tussauds wasn’t on our radar last summer when we planned “The Old Guy’s Excellent Birthday Adventure.” We were

Photos, above: WonderWorks is a science-based indoor amusement park with more than 100 hands-on exhibits, including the Astronaut Training Gyro to experience zero gravity Left: A young visitor gives Steve Jobs a peek at the latest iPhone at Madame Tussauds. Photos by Karen T. Bartlett

headed to Orlando to suit up and jump out of an airplane. Well, technically, our des tination was iFLY, a skydiving simulator with all the thrills but none of the stomachroiling vertigo of freefall without a para chute. But we had a whole weekend to play, and Madame Tussauds is just a stroll away at ICON, in the International Drive entertainment district, so why not? It’s possible to zip through the attraction in 45 minutes, but go in feeling playful as we did, and it will easily stretch to an hour or more.

iFLY

Anyway, here’s how the betterthan-skydiving adventure works: After your small group’s preflight training, you take turns entering the clear vertical wind tunnel for one-on-one flights with your instructor. You’ve learned how to use your arms and legs to control your ascents and descents, and the prompts are simple. The instructor also can use one of the conve nient handles on your flight suit to keep you on track. Spectators, and the videog rapher in the booth outside, get to capture your first wide-eyed “I’m flying!” moment. In your personal flight group, it’s instant camaraderie: People you’ve just met highfive and applaud as you exit each flight. Each turn is 60 seconds (feels longer than you’d think) and a typical package of two to five flights, including preflight training and the certificate ceremony, takes just un der two hours.

The Old Guy starts out a bit nervous, but as for the 5-year-old in his group? Not a bit. He earned his wings on his fourth birthday. Surprisingly, even 3-year-olds fly. The system is designed to release gentle

For more information...

www.madametussauds.com/orlando www.wonderworksonline.com/orlando www.iflyworld.com/orlando www.visitorlando.com www.iconparkorlando.com

winds for beginner floats, but also can ramp up to 170 mph for instructors to show off and real-life skydivers to come practice their fancy maneuvers. Regular flights in the package take you about halfway up the tunnel. I recommend adding at least one High Flight to soar all the way to the top.

When it’s over, the 5-year-old is practi cally dancing out as he chirps about next year’s flight. Meanwhile, the Old Guy is at the cash register buying a flight package for a gift. Right now, iFLY Orlando’s 35% off holiday package may be the best stocking stuffer of the year.

WonderWorks

Imagine a secret laboratory in the Bermuda Triangle where a wacky scientist is trying to create his own tornado. What could possibly go wrong? Perhaps a similar outcome to the one Nikola Tesla experi enced in 1899 when he attempted to cre ate his own lightning. That massive bolt of electricity shot out of his lab and fried the Colorado Springs power station, wiping out all power in the city. The citizens were not amused.

The tornado story is definitely more amusing. The twister scooped up the

entire (fictional) lab, swirled it around, and plopped it upside down on International Drive in the tourist capital of the world. Coincidentally, it also landed upside down in other tourist towns including Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

WonderWorks is a mashup between C’mon in Naples (young family-focused), IMAG in Fort Myers (more sophisticated science), and extreme energy game rooms with added outrageousness like dizzying 4DXD virtual roller coaster rides. This is a totally weird interactive gallery where the art speaks to you, and where you can per sonally generate 100,000 watts of electric ity with an actual Tesla coil. Oh, and lots of noise – except, thankfully, on scheduled Sensory Days. You can take the young ones as a family outing or let the teens loose for a half-day adrenaline fix while you grab a relaxing meal nearby.

The Orlando Wheel

With its 64,000 color-changing LED lights, this stunning 400-foot-tall Ferris wheel is the second tallest in the U.S. The ride lasts 18 minutes, and night views from the top are spectacular. Near by is the family-friendly, 450-foot high StarFlyer, the world’s tallest swing ride.

Wrapping it up

Avoid holiday weekends. Arrive early or near closing for attractions like Madame Tussaud’s. On iFLY’s booking site, choose one with many open slots. Pick a hotel within walking distance of ICON and the gazillion surrounding restaurants and shops, so you can ditch the car till it’s time to head home.

Victoria Park Lights Up the Holidays

It’s a holiday tradition that keeps get ting bigger and more elaborate every year. Victoria Park has been known for decades as the place to go to see lights and decorations. Almost all of the 300 homes in the North Naples community decorate. Neighbors and entire streets compete to see who has the best decorations.

Lindsey Manring grew up in Vic toria Park and has seen the explosion of holiday spirit. She lived there as a child in 1988 and moved back with her husband and five kids in 2014.

“There have always been a lot of Christmas lights, but it wasn’t until 1992 that they really started synchronizing ev erything,” she said.

Martha and Rob Anderson agree.

“We moved here in 1994, and I would say even back then it was a Christ mas light destination,” Martha Ander son said. “But not to the extent that it is now.”

In 2007, a college student from Victoria Park was home for the holidays and, with some buddies, created a few lighted archways over Windsor Way. That soon grew to more than a dozen arches set up over the street each holiday season. Other streets added their own themes. Candy canes sprouted on Sussex Street, followed by Christmas trees on Whitehall Street, organized by the Andersons.

“The candy canes popped up first and we were jealous. We thought, ‘We are a great street; we can do that,’” said Martha Anderson. “One of my kids said ‘How about a tree? That’s just a triangle.’ Rob built one and put it up on our mail box. He went door-to-door and asked people to look at it, and everybody unan imously said, ‘Yes, do it.’”

The Andersons bought the supplies, and the neighbors worked assembly-line style to make lighted trees to glow from the top of every mailbox on the block.

Other streets now decorate mailboxes with snowmen, snowflakes, shooting stars, angels, candles, and more.

When Dayanna and Blaise Ciabaton and their four children moved to Victoria Park in 2019 they already knew about the decorating tradition from their years of visiting during the holidays. As soon as they moved in, Dayanna started buying holiday decorations. Her favorites are the Santa and sleigh on her roof and all her inflatables. The Elf on the Shelf inflatable is her favorite, because so many children comment on how much they enjoy it. She and her family enjoy sitting by their fire pit in their driveway watching all the people enjoy the lights.

“It’s the coolest thing to give that much joy to so many people,” Ciabaton said.

Michael and Michele Standish moved to Victoria Park in 2000. They like to sit in their driveway by a fire pit

and watch all the people drive by. Often traffic backs up all the way onto Airport-Pulling Road.

“During the middle of the week is better,” Michael Standish advised for avoiding crowds. “You can start on Huntington and work your way back up and down.”

Standish said the least crowded times are right after sunset and after 9:30 p.m. Most residents shut their lights off between 10 and 11 p.m. Of course there is no avoiding traffic on Christ mas Eve, when almost every home has luminaries lining their lawns and driveways. There is so much traffic that it backs up all the way to Immokalee Road, and deputies have to help direct drivers.

Residents know their glowing community means lots of ve hicles. It’s so popular that the Naples Trolley and many gated communities organize tours.

“We do not leave the house the month of December after 5:30 p.m.” Anderson said. “It is an understood thing. We love it. We sit outside most nights. People wave and shout ‘Merry Christmas’. It is just amazing. It is such a fun thing.”

“I feel like it is really special for our kids,” Manring added. “We have made it into a scavenger hunt. People have hot choco late and Santa hats. My daughter has her birthday in December and she has her friends over to look at the lights. They can’t want to invite their friends over.”

“It’s something that really brings the community together,” Standish added.

Holiday lights have been around for a long time. In 1882, Edward Hibberd Johnson set up a tree by the window of his parlor in a townhouse on East 36th Street in New York City. He hand-wired 80 red, white, and blue light bulbs, strung them together on the tree, and placed the trunk on a revolving pedestal, all powered by a generator. He called local reporters, hoping to showcase his invention. None of the local papers responded, but a Detroit newspaper published the story and word spread from there. Johnson turned his stunt into a yearly tradition, adding more lights each year. The lights started attracting crowds as people stopped to admire the glowing marvel. Johnson’s lights were a novelty, since electricity was not yet routinely available and the lights were expensive. A string of 16 bulbs in brass sockets sold for $12 (about $350 in today’s money). In 1894, President Cleveland put electric lights on the White House tree, and by 1914, a 16-foot string cost just $1.75. By the 1930s, colored bulbs became more commonplace. Today, about 150 million light sets are sold in America each year to light 80 million homes.

Facing page: Lawns, trees, and bushes sparkle with lights every holiday season at Victoria Park.

Above: The crowds often are the biggest on Windsor Way, which is known as the arch street for its lighted arches.

Photos by Andrea Stetson