This list of holiday shopping suggestions includes past, present, and future themes. And depending on how seriously you take soccer, each item could have historical significance.
Or you could call it a featured list, with some space adventures and some serious weather fronts, both real and imagined.
burst
Central Florida’s biggest theme park story of the year is the opening of Epic Universe at Universal Orlando. There is a lack of park goods bearing the 2025 brand, but this would be a touch typical of the debut year.
Instead, look for gifts, specifically popcorn containers, from the Mysteries of 2020s Collection to represent a slice of theme park life.
Universal is selling popcorn “buckets” shaped like the Epic Universe logo, which takes inspiration from a golden compass and gives off a Kronos vibe, the new attraction’s 78-foot-tall main gate portal. A carrying strap is included, and the cosmos pattern in the background lights up.
The collectibles retail for $34.99 each, which also includes a ton of popcorn. In addition to Universal CityWalk, you can purchase it at stores inside the theme parks. (Also check out shopuniversal.com.)
The same goes for emblems, but do you hate having things stuck in your teeth? The Epic Universe symbol also appears on T-shirts, mugs, caps, backpacks, beach towels, water bottle bags, and more. Other popcorn container options from Epic include Mario Kart and Toothless (of How to Train Your Dragon fame and Epic’s popular Berk Island character).
In the words of Epic Universe’s Exit Portal, “If you’re wondering which path to take, the answer lies within your heart.”
space case
Think very big, then go back to very small. What would happen if Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building, a boxy 526-foot-tall building, hung from a Christmas tree?
That’s possible, if only in a fanciful way, thanks to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which offers a small VAB, about 2.25 inches tall, as a holiday decoration. There is a small row of colorful light bulbs near the roof. It sells for $19.99.
The real version can be said to be much more expensive. Among its past roles was home to NASA’s space shuttle fleet.
There are several other ornaments sold by KSC, including an astronaut-style nutcracker, space shuttle Atlantis, and a Santa Claus with an Apollo 13 landing parachute (in peppermint stripes, of course).
Decorations are available for sale online at kennedyspacecenter.com and in-store at the Visitor Complex.
storm front
There’s no need to bend over, but the Orlando Storm T-shirt will put you on the cutting edge of your local sports scene.
The United Football League team has not yet played an official game, but merchandise is already on sale, including T-shirts with a stormy, hurricane-like logo. If you squint a little, you can make an OS out of it.
The Storm will debut in the spring as one of three new teams in the Pro League, playing primarily at Inter&Co Stadium, known as the home of Orlando City Soccer Club and Orlando Pride Soccer Club.
So far, the Storm T-shirt is available in orange or white (there’s also a purple version available only in the women’s cut). Sold at theufl.com for $39.99.
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
