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GIFTS THAT DON’T COLLECT DUST Thoughtful Ways to Show You Care THE LEGAL NAVIGATOR DECEMBER 2025
We’re in the midst of the holiday season, and many Americans use the next few weeks to scoop up any last-minute gifts for their loved ones. We buy clothes, toys, video games, trinkets, perfume, and even gift cards, but what about those who don’t enjoy materialistic presents? Some people don’t need anything and worry that extra gifts they receive will just become clutter in their homes. You could also be on a tight budget, unable to spend extra money on gifts. Thankfully, many non-material gifts can fit any budget. When brainstorming non-material gifts for loved ones, you need to reflect on past experiences and conversations with them. Focus on things they might need to relieve stress or what could help them out. Not sure where to start? Here are three ideas! BABYSITTING One of the most common problems parents have is finding time for themselves. There is always a sporting event, dance recital, or other kid activity. Even when you get a free weekend, you still have to ensure the kids eat, get plenty of exercise, and stay out of trouble. It can be a lot, especially when you don’t get a break for months on end. Possibly the best gift you can give parents is assistance with child care. Offer to watch the kids a few times throughout the year. Just be sure to set expectations, such as advance notice, to ensure you can actually help out when needed. And if your friends or family members don’t have kids, you can always offer to watch their pets if they have to go out of town. It will be a huge stress reliever! MEMBERSHIPS AND TICKETS If you really want to make someone’s holiday season, consider gifting them experiences instead of physical gifts. This depends on what your area offers, but you can’t go wrong with zoo memberships, water or amusement park annual passes, or a movie theater subscription. If you know their interests, you can take this to the next level by providing them with classes or lessons on something they care about. This can be a great idea if you need
to come up with gifts for couples. Whether they love dancing, golf, cooking, or painting, you can easily find a class that will help them further their skills. SHARED MEMORIES While this gift still has a material component to it, it should be relatively affordable and has the potential to mean more than anything else you can give. If you want to touch a loved one’s heart, consider gifting a personalized letter or framed picture of the two of you. Those who want to go above and beyond can create a scrapbook filled with shared memories. You could even include personalized notes alongside each picture to emphasize how much the relationship means to you. If you want to avoid material goods, you can create your scrapbook entirely online through Canva or another graphic design platform.
You don’t have to empty your bank account or purchase extravagant gifts to make someone’s holiday season more special. Non-material gifts appeal to people with varying interests and passions. You just need to consider what your loved ones really need!
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FREEDOM IN A DECK OF CARDS
THE SECRET TOOLS OF WAR
James Bond gets the movie credit, but real spies in World War II were pulling tricks long before 007 hit the screen. Their work wasn’t flashy; it was desperate. The British intelligence agency MI9 and later the American MIS-X program were tasked with helping Allied soldiers escape Nazi prisons or avoid capture. That meant turning everyday objects into tools. Take the button compass. It looked like part of a soldier’s uniform, nothing more. But inside sat a tiny magnetic needle. Line it up on a string, and suddenly you knew which way was north. Hairbrushes carried folded maps or money. Monopoly boards weren’t just for killing time; they came with real bills mixed in, and if you saw a red dot on “Free Parking,” chances were good there was more than a game in the box. A few companies, including the U.S. Playing Card Company, also did their part. Soldiers could peel away the top layer of a card to uncover silk escape maps. Cigarette packs from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company carried radio parts. Gillette even made razor blades that acted like a compass if you balanced them on a stick. What’s remarkable is that the companies involved never asked for
recognition or payment. Gillette, R.J. Reynolds, and the Playing Card Company volunteered and helped. And the gadgets kept coming. Radios hidden in suitcases. Hollow heels in
boots with maps tucked inside. Even Ping-Pong paddles had secret compartments. Guards saw these items and didn’t give them a second thought. That was the point. Most of the devices were destroyed when the war ended. But enough stories survived to give us a glimpse. Clever
doesn’t even begin to cover it. For many prisoners, a deck of cards or a shaving kit wasn’t just a distraction. It was a shot at freedom.
Nature’s Coolest Survival Trick Frozen, Thawed, and Still Alive
The wood frog is the best-known example. As the air temperature drops, it burrows into fallen leaves, letting the cold take over. First, its skin freezes, and then ice spreads through its blood vessels until the heart stops. That should be the end, but when the warm weather returns, so does the frog. Glucose floods in from the liver and acts like antifreeze, keeping organs safe and cells intact long enough to make it through winter. Frogs are not the only ones. Painted turtle hatchlings also freeze, though their survival depends on slowing metabolism rather than flooding the body with sugar. Insects have their own tricks. Gall fly larvae freeze and thaw with every swing in the weather. Gall moth larvae skip freezing altogether; they can stay liquid even below zero because their blood is so saturated with sugar that ice crystals cannot form.
And then we have the microscopic tardigrades. They don’t freeze at all.
Instead, they dry out until almost nothing is left. Then, their eight legs pull in, their brains shut down, and they ride out the cold weather. Once conditions improve, they rehydrate and come back to life. These creatures are so resilient and resistant to temperature extremes that scientists have even dropped them into liquid nitrogen, and they come out just fine. The intriguing part is how these animal kingdom survival tricks may help humans. Scientists are hoping to apply the principles to organ transplants. Right now, a heart lasts about four hours outside the body. If we could use the same principles to improve organ storage, that window could expand significantly. Nature already knows how to pause life. The challenge is figuring out how to follow its lead.
Some animals don’t merely survive the winter. They freeze their brain, heart, and everything else completely solid. Then, when spring returns, they thaw and go about their life like nothing happened. This might be hard to believe, but several species of animals manage this every year.
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From Carpools to Coastlines THE ULTIMATE EMPTY NESTER ROAD TRIPS
The empty nest stage marks a new chapter for parents, eliciting wide-ranging emotions, from grief or nostalgia to a thirst for adventure. But one common impulse unites many empty nesters: the desire to hit the open road in search of freedom, a relaxing break, or a fresh perspective. Here are three ideas for great road trips to rekindle an empty nester’s zest for life. SOUTHERN BARBECUE AND MUSIC If you are no longer acting as Mom or Dad every day, could you be … a country music star? This road-trip favorite follows the Americana Music Triangle from New Orleans to Nashville, encompassing the birthplace of the country’s greatest jazz, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll traditions. Savor New Orleans’ jazz and Cajun cuisine, roll on to Memphis for blues, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll, and finish up in Nashville, the home of honky-tonk and country. Take in cultural landmarks along the way, and feast on the savory barbecue defining each region! A NOSTALGIA TRIP Hungry for a glimpse of history, one mom trekked south with her husband after selling their Massachusetts home. Blogging as the Preppy Empty Nester, she and her spouse visited historic lodgings, including the Homestead Resort in Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains,
a beautiful vacation destination for the past 250 years. Winding her way farther south, this mom gave the Read House, an iconic Jazz- era hotel in Chattanooga, a glowing review. A bastion of Southern hospitality, the Read House even has its own haunted room, No. 311, where a female guest was reportedly beheaded in a bathtub in 1927. Refreshed by their road trip, the couple arrived at their destination, Dallas, ready to start a new chapter. EXPLORE THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL Curious about the cosmos? Explore the mysteries of UFO lore by driving the Extraterrestrial Highway, a unique 100-mile stretch of Nevada Route 375 named in 1996 for its rumored alien sightings. It has since become a magnet for anyone interested in UFOs or government secrets. Prepare for alien murals and kitschy roadside attractions like the Little A’Le’Inn motel. The town’s lone postal drop is a gathering place for UFO seekers. Also, Route 375 skirts the perimeter of Area 51, a top-secret, highly classified U.S. Air Force facility that has long intrigued paranormal enthusiasts. Other great road trips abound, from the Pacific Coast Highway in California and Oregon to Route 66, an adventure in Americana from Illinois to California. Whatever your empty-nest state of mind, there’s a road trip for you!
CRISPY PROSCIUTTO AND CHEESE SLIDERS
Ingredients
• 3 oz thinly sliced prosciutto • 1 package dinner rolls, halved lengthwise • 1/4 cup fig preserves • 3/4 cup shredded fontina cheese • 3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese • 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce • 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme • 2 chopped garlic cloves • Black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 2. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, arrange prosciutto and bake for 8–10 minutes. 3. On a separate lined baking sheet, place the bottom halves of the rolls and spread fig preserves over them. 4. Layer with fontina and Swiss cheese. Top with crispy prosciutto. 5. Place the top half of the rolls over the prosciutto and gently press down. 6. In a bowl, mix butter, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, garlic, and black pepper. 7. Pour butter mixture over rolls. Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. 8. Remove foil and bake an additional 10–15 minutes, and separate before serving.
TAKE A BREAK
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Non-Material Gifts That Make a Big Impact
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Disguised Devices of WWII The Animals That Outfreeze Death
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The Allure of an Iconic Road Trip for Empty Nesters Crispy Prosciutto and Cheese Sliders
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Pancho Becomes Lifesaver in Wilderness Rescue Tiny Pup, Big Hero TRAILBLAZING CHIHUAHUA LED SEARCHERS TO LOST OWNER 4
When 85-year-old Barbara Crosby went missing in the California wilderness, no one expected her travel companion, her loyal dog Pancho, would become her savior. Spotted by residents
embankment off the road. After hiking to the bottom, they found him hiding under some brush and followed him to where Barbara lay sleeping nearby. Due to the rugged terrain, the team had to utilize a litter and rope system to lift Barbara to safety and promptly take her to a nearby hospital. Though she was no longer in harm’s way, the crews couldn’t stop to celebrate too long. Pancho pulled a hound-ini act and ran off before rescuers could lift him out. Residents spotted the runaway dog the next day, just a short distance away. Dehydrated and exhausted from the ordeal, Pancho was taken to a veterinarian for treatment and is back to his old self. The county sheriff’s office recognized Pancho’s life-saving act in a special thank-you online, stating that his “loyalty and presence near Barbara’s location helped lead us to her, truly the unsung hero of this rescue.” They also thanked the search and rescue crews and the community members who shared their Pancho sightings. This Chihuahua’s keen instincts guided rescuers through tricky terrain, proving heroes come in all sizes. Thankfully, this duo’s adventure ended in tail wags and plenty of treats.
in the area, the adventurous pup led rescuers straight to his owner, navigating a steep embankment that could have spelled disaster. The pair went missing on an early Saturday morning when Barbara, who has dementia, wandered away from her senior living home with the Chihuahua mix. Search and rescue teams immediately began to look for the at-risk adult but saw no sign of her throughout the day. As they were about to pack up for the night, multiple residents reported that they had spotted Pancho in the area. Thanks to details from these glimpses of the would-be hero, rescue crews could pinpoint Pancho’s travel path, which led down a 70-foot steep
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