4 DECEMBER 2025 EDITOR’S NOTE I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I’ve never seen Die Hard . My Die Hard . My Die Hard coworker let me know that there are in fact five separate Die Hard films, and Die Hard films, and Die Hard I’ve never seen any of them, but I do love to hear people argue about whether it’s a Christmas movie. We took a poll within the Arcadia News office and half of us say yes, it is, and the other half say no. Me? I’ll continue sitting calmly on the sidelines, watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas for the 150th time. The December edition is always a favorite of mine to put together, mainly because there’s a jolly angle to almost all of the content: holiday offerings, of course, but also themed eats and drinks, giving campaigns and celebrations of all kinds. The Ingleside Ambassadors are a group of seventh and eighth grade student leaders who represent their school by giving campus tours, supporting events, volunteering in the community, and sharing their IMS pride. Selected through recommendations, applications, and interviews, this year’s cohort includes 40 students from a pool of 70 applicants – a giant hype-squad, if you will. Xavier Prep’s all- female engineering team, Access Play, won Tier 1 honors in the 2025 Makers of Change Assistive Technology Challenge for creating a 3D-printed, magnetized game board to help a Phoenix-based youngster with cerebral palsy play more easily with his siblings. The students’ innovative design, research, and presentation impressed judges and highlighted how STEM creativity can make a meaningful impact in real lives. Wishing you a December wrapped in warmth and holiday cheer – thank you for being part of the Arcadia News community, and we’ll see you next year! – Mallory Gleich – Mallory Gleich UPCOMING THEMES: No one has better coverage in the areas of Arcadia, Biltmore and the Camelback Corridor. Promote your business to 45,000 loyal Arcadia News readers. For more: call/text 602-840-6379 or email ads@arcadianews.com .       1. My name is Goose and I live in Camelback Canyon with my wingman and big brother who is a tricolor collie. Oh yes: some humans live there too; but I pretty much run the show. I’m hoping to attend U of A to complete my PhD in sock destruction. The title of my thesis is “I’m so darn cute, I get away with everything.” See you at Postino’s! – Jeffrey T. 3. I’m Freya , a six-year-old Husky- Australian Cattle Dog mix. I love a good W-A-L-K, road trips with my family, herding my best friend Callie Cat, playing my version of fetch, and nothing is better than a good belly rub. – Amy A. 2. Zoe is a 12-year-old German shepherd. Her favorite toy is a trusty tennis ball, and while she’s mostly fearless, she’s scared of horses. Zoe is quite the explorer, having traveled all across Arizona – even visiting Montezuma Castle! Her birthday falls on the Fourth of July, which means extra treats and belly rubs while we try to avoid fireworks. – Kari B. 4. Thumper is a 2.5-year-old domestic shorthair tabby who loves to hang out in my desk drawer when I’m working from home. Anytime she hears a treat bag opening she will zoom to the kitchen – that’s her favorite part of the day! – Beth J. 1 3 4 2 ARCADIA 'S PETS Would you like to share your pet? Send a photo and a description (50 words max) of your pet to editor@arcadianews.com or text it to 602.840.6379 . Include your pet’s name and age, along with any fun facts about them you’d like to share. All animals are welcome!           Serving the Arcadia area since 1958            •  •    •   •          BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY BOARDING TODAY!! Member Since 1959 4855 E Thomas Rd, Phoenix AZ 85018 | ingleside.com HOSPITAL 602-840-3446 BRIAN A. SERBIN, DVM • FELICITY GESINA, DVM • MOLLY R. KLEIN, DVM HEBAH MOHAMED, DVM • EMMA SMITH, DVM • ASHLEY BROWN, DVM

Gratitude in an Inflated World… T here’s something about this season that feels different every year, yet always familiar. The holidays seem to slow the world down – or maybe they just remind us to notice what’s been moving too fast. Here in Arcadia, the neighborhood takes on a gentler rhythm. Leisurely walks with family and friends, the glow of holiday lights on familiar homes, and the faint hum of laughter rises from porches and patios. As the sun sets casting its signature golden reflection on Camelback Mountain, you can almost feel the day take a deep breath. It’s in that soft light that reflection comes easiest. This past year, more than most, has invited reflection. Conversations across kitchen tables and coffee counters have carried a common theme – the economy, inflation, the feeling that everything costs more than it used to. Not just in dollars, but in energy, time, and attention. Inflation has a way of creeping beyond economics; it starts to touch how we define value itself. We measure what we’ve earned, what we’ve spent, what it’s all worth – and sometimes find that the math doesn’t quite add up like it used to. And maybe that’s because it isn’t only prices that inflate. Maybe ambition does too. Humanity’s formula for happiness – success divided by ambition – proves true in nearly every generation. When ambition grows faster than achievement, satisfaction and joy disappear. No matter how much we’ve built, it can begin to feel small. Ambition has a way of expanding quietly, like air filling a balloon – stretching expectations until even victories lose their weight. Anyone who’s grown up over the years in Arcadia has lived this, felt it, and watched it unfold with each new family that moves in. You see the energy, the pride, the endless motion – new projects, remodels, startups, goals, and dreams. It’s part of what makes this community so special. Arcadia is built on the spirit of people who create, who work hard, who see what could be and lean into it. But even in a place so full of purpose, there’s a quiet wisdom in slowing down. Because left unchecked, the same drive that builds beautiful things can also outrun the ability to appreciate them. That’s where gratitude steps in. Gratitude is the ballast – the counterweight that keeps achievement from drifting away. It doesn’t come naturally in a fast-moving world; it has to be practiced. It’s found in the pauses – a shared meal that lingers past the last bite, a neighbor’s wave as you pull into the drive, the warmth of a home full of familiar laughter. It’s in realizing that value doesn’t always increase with effort – sometimes it deepens with awareness. The older one gets, the more apparent this becomes. The memories that endure aren’t the milestones, but the in-betweens – the moments that ask for nothing and give everything. The smell of orange blossoms in March. A golden evening spent with friends without an agenda. The gentle sound of sprinklers on a still night. These are the small dividends that gratitude pays to those who slow down long enough to notice. So as this year draws to a close, perhaps the real reflection is not only on what has inflated – prices, ambitions, expectations – but on what has held its value. Gratitude, unlike currency, appreciates with time and attention. It grows stronger the more it’s shared, and steadier the more it’s practiced. In a year when the cost of nearly everything seems to rise, it’s a comfort to know that the richest things – love, kindness, family, friendship, community – remain available without price. And in that, Arcadia continues to be one of the most treasured places of all. Aaron Klusman Owner, Arcadia News OWNER'S LETTER: