Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5

[Sherry E]

Thank You, Sherry!!! I appreciate the Hallmark schedule! I hope the new ones this year, are better than last year!
I do like Cameron Mathison as you know! and Dermotte Mulroney..... not sure about Mariah Carey!

--Lori

Lori -- I thought of you as I was typing the list up. I know you like Cameron Mathison, and I know you like the movie "Christmas With Holly," whose lead actress, Eloise Mumford, is in one of the new movies this year.

You need to get back on Facebook -- Cameron Mathison runs his own Facebook page, and he sometimes responds to people, and he sometimes goes through and "Likes" everyone's comments. One time he posted photos of his family at California Adventure, standing in Cars Land. He "Liked" all of our comments under the photos. He posts a lot of photos of his family and their various trips. He seems to be a decent guy, husband and father! You need to get back to Facebook!!

I like Cameron Mathison, AND Dermot Mulroney, AND David Sutcliffe (he is the guy who gets together with Diane Lane at the end of "Under the Tuscan Sun," and he was in a really good Hallmark movie called "The Wish List," with Jennifer Esposito). I liked Julie Benz on "Dexter." I like Candace Cameron Bure.

So there is promise in this year's array of movies. There were a few gems in the bunch last year, but 2013 and 2012 were better overall years for the holiday movies.

Thank you! Looks like my DVR will be busy, especially over Thanksgiving week when we're in Disneyland. Do the onsite hotels get Hallmark by any chance?

Sadly, no. They are sure to get ABC Family, which has really plummeted in terms of original holiday movies in the last 2 years. But no Hallmark.

 

[Luisa]

Gosh, I hope we get all those new movies here too! I have a feeling they may have shown Family for Christmas last month as they did put a few on during July but I'm not 100% on that (an extended bought of bronchitis has left my brain a tad fuzzy!). I do know for sure they showed A Snowglobe Christmas as I like that one because it's a little silly.

 

[kylie71]

Sherry, I once saw Cameron Mathison in the Esplanade, I believe it was 2010, carrying his kid on his shoulders... I did not bother him, nore did I get a picture of his "backside", like you did our Beloved Kurt Russell... It was still exciting!

Facebook.... yeah, that place sacares me! lol!

--Lori

 

[OHBelle]

​

Okay, for Jamie and Tracy I will post the Hallmark Countdown to Christmas stuff, so everyone else forgive me for the temporary diversion from Disney-related info...






On the regular Hallmark Channel, some of the new Countdown to Christmas movies (and there are supposed to be 16 of them) will be:



"Family for Christmas" (with Lacey Chabert, which already debuted in July during the Christmas in July event)

"Just in Time for Christmas" (a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation starring Eloise Mumford, who was in "Christmas With Holly")

"Northpole 2: Open for Christmas" (starring Hallmark favorites Lori Loughlin and Bailee Madison, and Hallmark newcomer Dermot Mulroney, of "My Best Friend's Wedding" fame)

"An Ice Sculpture Christmas" (about an ice sculpting competition, starring Hallmark fave Rachel Boston of "A Ring by Spring")

"'Tis the Season for Love" (starring Sarah Lancaster, another Hallmark favorite, from "Fir Crazy")

"On Time for Christmas" (formerly titled "A Christmas to Remember," starring Hallmark mega-favorite Candace Cameron Bure)

"Charming Christmas" (starring Julie Benz, of "Dexter" fame, as well as the Hallmark movie "Uncorked," and David Sutcliffe, from the Hallmark movies "The Wish List" and "Before You Say I Do," as well as the film, "Under the Tuscan Sun")

"Crown for Christmas" (starring new Hallmark fave, Danica McKellar)





Also possibly slated for the Hallmark Channel (subject to change), but very little is known:



"The Secret Life of Mrs. Claus" (no one knows who is starring in this one)

"Christmas Neverending" (the title of this one may change)

"Better than Perfect" (title may change)

"The Ultimate Legacy" (this movie completes the trilogy that includes "The Ultimate Gift," with Abigail Breslin, and "The Ultimate Life")

"Mariah Carey's Christmas Project" -- No one knows what this is about.




And there are other movies yet to be announced, including whatever is going to premiere during Thanksgiving week (there will be 5 brand new movies premiering during the week of Thanksgiving).




Now... over on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. we have:



"Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through the Snow" (which, hopefully, will be better than last year's "Mr. Miracle")

Karen Kingsbury's "The Bridge" (no one knows anything about this one)

"The Christmas Note" (no one knows about this either)

"The Magic Stocking" (nope -- no info on this one either)

"Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery" (with Cameron Mathison of "The Christmas Ornament" and "All My Children," and Alison Sweeney)




I also noticed that Hallmark is putting out TWO Halloween or Fall-themed movies scheduled for October this year:

"Harvest Moon" (starring Jessy Schram -- who is she? Also starring Jesse Hutch, from "Let it Snow" and "Cedar Cove"!!!)

"Temporarily Yours" (starring Ashley Williams, who was in a really cute Lifetime Christmas movie in 2013, called "Christmas in the City")




That's all I know for now! Oh, and there will be a new non-holiday movie starring Kellie Martin -- star of "The Christmas Ornament" -- debuting on the Movies & Mysteries channel next month, called "Hello, It's Me."

​

Yay! Time for Countdown to Christmas information! I still have Family for Christmas on my DVR from last month; I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I think this weekend I will watch the Christmas movies I have on my DVR. I wasn't able to watch as much as I wanted to when they had Christmas in July, so I recorded a few.
I can't wait to see a little bit more about the movies coming up this year. Although last year, the ones I was looking forward to turned out to be my least favorite and the ones I was "so-so" about turned out to be my favorites! I still can't believe how much I loved Nine Lives for Christmas. I thought for sure I wouldn't like it.
I have Hallmark Movies and Mysteries this year too, so more movies for me! I read the Joanne Fluke, Hannah Swenson series, so I am looking forward to Murder She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery. I enjoyed the first movie that came out a couple of months ago, Murder She Baked: Chocolate Chip Murder.
Thanksgiving weekend will keep my DVR busy with all the movies coming out then!

Thanks for all the information!

 

[mommy2girls79]

So excited! Our trip is planned for November 16th to the 20th. Can't wait to learn more about the holiday season. We took our girls to the Halloween Party in 2013 and are looking forward to Christmas time this year.

 

[Sherry E]

So excited! Our trip is planned for November 16th to the 20th. Can't wait to learn more about the holiday season. We took our girls to the Halloween Party in 2013 and are looking forward to Christmas time this year.

Well, if you are a fan of the holiday season in general, I think you'll really enjoy what Disneyland does with it!

I don't know exactly what is in store for this year's array of holiday season decorations and offerings -- it seems like some things are certain to return, and other things probably won't return because of the focus on the 60th anniversary -- but I can say that, as a rule, Disneyland does a much bigger, grander job with the holiday season than they do with Halloween Time. I love Halloween and Halloween Time at DLR, but I think that anyone who has experienced both Halloween Time and the Holiday Season at DLR can agree that Halloween Time is very underdeveloped by comparison.

The Holidays at Disneyland Resort are a much more all-encompassing experience. There are (usually) themed decorations in almost every land in both parks, with the exception of Tomorrowland. Some of the lands have more elaborate decorations; some of them have very subtle, minimal decor; some of the lands have very whimsical, playful décor, etc. I really hope that Disney does not skimp on those decorations this year, in favor of blue bunting and random things that have the number '60' on them. Part of what makes the holidays so special at DLR is that there is so much attention to detail in the themed decorations, wreaths and Christmas trees. California Adventure is decorated as well, unlike during Halloween Time. The hotels have their own theme-specific decorations. Downtown Disney gets involved. There's just more going on in general.

​

Still no Candlelight Ceremony dates posted where they should be, but I have other news.

First of all, I already reported here that A Christmas Fantasy Parade is happening this year. Some auditions were already held, and more auditions for ACFP are going to be held in the next week or two.

Now... on to the next news. Keep in mind -- and this is important to note -- that I don't know for sure if this is going to be HOLIDAY SEASON news, but my guess is that it will be involved in the season somehow.....


Olaf's Snow Fest is coming back!! Remember, last year, I learned about auditions for lute players, guitar players, tuba players, etc.?? That was before Frozen Fun had been officially announced by Disney, but those musicians ended up performing at Olaf's Snow Fest.

Well, you guessed it -- the lute players and other musicians are about to audition again. In fact, they are auditioning even before the next round of Christmas Fantasy Parade auditions takes place.

Given the timing of the auditions, I very strongly believe that Olaf's Snow Fest will return as part of this coming holiday season!!! Now that could mean that it starts in November -- which is when Olaf's Frozen Ice Rink in Downtown Disney goes up -- or it could start in December, right before Christmas (which is what happened with the Frozen Fun previews last year). Either way, I think that Olaf's Snow Fest will definitely be a part of this year's Holiday Season at some point. I think it will be back before January. The lute players gave it away!!!!!!

Stay tuned for more teeny bits of news as they come in!!!! And stay tuned for the 5th Annual Theme Week Countdown starting in 3 days, on Monday, August 10th!!!!!!

​

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I really hope the Snow Fest comes back as part of the entire holiday season. We missed it last year since it started so far after the season started!

 

[Sherry E]

I really hope the Snow Fest comes back as part of the entire holiday season. We missed it last year since it started so far after the season started!

I hope so too. I am not a huge "Frozen" fan, but I would like to see Snow Fest. Of course, Disney could always pull a fast one on us and not start Snow Fest until January again -- right after the holiday season ends -- but given that they are auditioning musicians within the next week, to me it seems like they are at least hoping to get it started by December, if not in November. Last year, if I am remembering the timeline correctly, I think that the auditions for lute players, etc., were in October. That sounds about right.

Seeing that the ice rink usually goes up in DTD in November, I wonder if Disney is aiming to get Snow Fest going by then as well. I do recall that the (rumored) original plan for Olaf's Snow Fest and Frozen Fun was to have an indoor ice rink -- but that plan seemed to get shelved in favor of just keeping the ice rink in DTD. I wonder if Disney is intending to keep the rink in DTD this year, or if they are going to put it indoors like it was supposedly planned to be.

I didn't see anything to indicate that Freeze the Night would be coming back -- no auditions for ice sculptors or anything yet -- so that might be something that returns in January instead of earlier in the holiday season... or maybe it won't return.

 

[petals]

Yay I have lots of pictures I can share for this years countdown although no disney trip planned any time soon which makes me sad

 

[Luisa]

Where was Snow Fest last time? Maybe that's what is going in in place of JJJ?

 

[Sherry E]

Where was Snow Fest last time? Maybe that's what is going in in place of JJJ?

In Hollywood Land, in DCA. That's also where Freeze the Night was. That's where the Frozen sing-along is, and the Anna & Elsa meet & greet. Most of the "Frozen Fun" was concentrated in Hollywood Land, but when Snow Fest closed (was it back in May or late April??) Olaf was still greeting guests in Hollywood Land... just without the snow and all of that.

 

[Kiwiprincess]

Hi all. I'm having lots of fun doing some trip planning (amazing what you do to avoid report writing!) and I just wondered if anyone would like to predict what time they think Disneyland will close on Thursday 17 December and Friday 18 December? We will be there from late afternoon dec 17 and leave morning of dec 26. I was thinking we should spend the evening of the 17th and all day 18th at Disneyland as I know it will be busy but assume even busier at the weekend! We have got a 10 day park hopper so will come and go over the days. (Plan to do some serious shopping at the outlets and shopping malls too.

 

[Sherry E]

Hi all. I'm having lots of fun doing some trip planning (amazing what you do to avoid report writing!) and I just wondered if anyone would like to predict what time they think Disneyland will close on Thursday 17 December and Friday 18 December? We will be there from late afternoon dec 17 and leave morning of dec 26. I was thinking we should spend the evening of the 17th and all day 18th at Disneyland as I know it will be busy but assume even busier at the weekend! We have got a 10 day park hopper so will come and go over the days. (Plan to do some serious shopping at the outlets and shopping malls too.

Well, in looking at last year's December hours, the Thursday (12/18) and Friday (12/19) of that specific week you are looking at closed at 12:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., respectively - http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/park-hours.cfm?month=12&year=2014.

I didn't remember Friday, 12/19 closing at 11 p.m. -- which seems odd for a Friday -- but the only reason I can think of why that happened is because the sneak preview of Frozen Fun was the next day -- Sat., Dec, 20th -- and maybe Disney needed the extra hour for preparation? I'm not sure. Or maybe there was a late, late, late night media preview?

In any case, I would expect/guess that on Thurs., 12/17 Disneyland will close at 11 p.m., but quite possibly midnight. And that Fri., 12/18, Disneyland will close at midnight. I think that last year's 11 p.m. closure on Friday was a rarity at that time in December.

California Adventure will probably close at 10 p.m. Maybe 11 p.m. if the crowds are substantial for the rest of the summer and fall.

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Oh boy, I'm excited!

We are coming back to our favourite place again this year. It will be just over 2 years since our last visit and we are super super excited! Arriving from Australia on November 14th with our first 3 days in San Francisco making a special trip to visit the Walt Disney Family Musuem. Then flying into SNA arriving Tuesday 17th November and staying through til December 3rd. I thinking that the Christmas make over should be up and running by the time we arrive! We are especially coming for the 60th Anniversary celebration and are very excited to see the new fireworks, parade and WOC. Plus all the bits and pieces that have happened over the last 2 years!
I have been following along paying special attention to any news re the Christmas parade. We will be so very disappointed if we miss the Paint The Night parade so I am hoping they will do the Christmas parade during the day and PTN in the evenings. Also waiting to see what they do with the castle.
I am just so so so so so happy ( did I mention I was happy??!!!! ) that Hattie will remain in the Mansion for the NBC overlay. The Haunted Mansion is my absolute favourite and I would have been so disappointed to miss him if they took him out for the overlay!

Looking forward to the countdown

 

[Sherry E]

Oh boy, I'm excited!

We are coming back to our favourite place again this year. It will be just over 2 years since our last visit and we are super super excited! Arriving from Australia on November 14th with our first 3 days in San Francisco making a special trip to visit the Walt Disney Family Musuem. Then flying into SNA arriving Tuesday 17th November and staying through til December 3rd. I thinking that the Christmas make over should be up and running by the time we arrive! We are especially coming for the 60th Anniversary celebration and are very excited to see the new fireworks, parade and WOC. Plus all the bits and pieces that have happened over the last 2 years!
I have been following along paying special attention to any news re the Christmas parade. We will be so very disappointed if we miss the Paint The Night parade so I am hoping they will do the Christmas parade during the day and PTN in the evenings. Also waiting to see what they do with the castle.
I am just so so so so so happy ( did I mention I was happy??!!!! ) that Hattie will remain in the Mansion for the NBC overlay. The Haunted Mansion is my absolute favourite and I would have been so disappointed to miss him if they took him out for the overlay!

Looking forward to the countdown

Welcome back to the Superthread, Minnie Sue Oz! I haven't seen you here in a long, long time!

Yes, you will most likely get the full holiday experience (whatever there is of it this year) during your trip. You will even be there long enough to see the trees and other decorations going up at the 3 Disney hotels. If the GCH gets a gingerbread house in the lobby again this year, you'll be there to see it.

I don't know for sure, of course, but my strong belief is that Paint the Night will run nightly all through the holiday season, and that the Christmas Fantasy Parade will run at least once every day. So there will be a Christmas parade for those who want a Christmas parade, and Paint the Night for the folks who want that.

Of course, now that I have found out that Olaf's Snow Fest is coming back, I am curious to see how it will play into the holiday season and if it will be up and running at least by Thanksgiving, if not earlier.

The Jingle Jangle Jamboree is up in the air -- since the Halloween Carnival appears to not be happening this year, I tend to think that the JJJ is on the chopping block too, which is unfortunate.

Hopefully Jingle Cruise will be back.

What will they do with the Castle is a very good question! It is still referred to as the Winter Castle in the Holidays section of the DLR website. So that implies to me that there will be some extra lights or fake snow or something wintry for the holidays -- and not just what it currently there. Not that the current version of the Castle isn't lovely, but it's not wintry enough to carry through the holidays.

Disney really goes all out for the holiday season, as you know -- it's not like it's a casual decision on their part, whether or not to decorate every year. So I believe that they take seriously and put a lot of thought into exactly how they are going to handle the holidays during the 60th anniversary. Halloween Time... other than the actual Halloween party, they don't really commit to the Halloween Time season 100%. I think they take the holiday season much more seriously, so a decision to not winter-fy the Castle would be really significant, as it is supposed to stand out and glow in the night, as if covered in icicles. I think they will make it shinier somehow, but I don't know if it will look exactly the same as it does every holiday season.

Since you will be at DLR over Thanksgiving, are you considering having a Thanksgiving day meal (such as the feast at the Disneyland Hotel -- which is where DIS'ers Orbitron and dolphingirl47 ate last year)??

The Countdown starts this coming Monday!!! Time for a photo bonanza!

 

[Minnie Sue Oz]

Thanks Sherry for the welcome back, it's so very nice to be back!!! I can't wait to countdown with everyone and I am looking forward to this trip I think more than any other


Do you know Sherry, one of the things I am MOST looking forward to is our Thanksgiving feast at the Disneyland Hotel! I have been dreaming of it since the beginning of our trip countdown which started a very very long time ago!! I will be up an some unlawful hour of the morning here to ring up and make our booking! We have been for Christmas and for Halloween but we have never been in the USA actually on Thanksgiving. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time as I just love all things American ( especially the people! ) and I think it will something very special to enjoy.
We were looking at one stage at staying a few nights at the DLH, but, with the Australian dollar so low against the US currency, it was just not an option. The Thanksgiving dinner alone, if priced at $75.00USD per head, will be around $210.00 Australian for the 2 of us Still, I have budgeted for it being expensive and it will be a very special treat

 

[Kiwiprincess]

Thanks Sherry. That's what I thought. You are so kind helping so many people with your knowledge!
Minnie Sue Oz I so understand what you mean with converting to the oz dollar. However be thankful you're not converting it to the kiwi dollar! Yikes!

 

[pudinhd]

I just read about a Charlie Brown Christmas 50th Anniversary Special hosted by Kristen Bell... So excited!!!
http://www.chipandco.com/kristen-be...g-charlie-brown-christmas-special-abc-216949/

 

[Sherry E]

Surprise surprise -- still no Candlelight dates where they should be! Since the auditions for A Christmas Fantasy Parade and Olaf's Snow Fest have either begun or are about to begin, you can see why it is particularly strange that the Candlelight dates have not been posted in their usual place. My guess is now that the info is purposely being kept off of the site where it would normally be -- and that could be because there is a change in dates or in location, or some other detail that Disney doesn't want to make public. Interesting....


Anyway... the 5th Annual Theme Week Countdown begins in 2 days!!!!!! Sometime on Monday morning (8/10/15), I will post the intro to the theme, and then all of the participants will have until the night of Sunday, August 16, to submit their photos. For each theme week to which you contribute, you will get one entry into the random draw to win a Disney gift card. Whether you post one photo or 20 photos to a theme, it doesn't matter. It's still just one entry per theme week. Previous winners will not be eligible to win again -- which means that we will have all new winners this time around, but, of course, previous winners are encouraged to share photos anyway.

So, what will be the first theme? Remember that I may be combining some themes this time around -- even themes that don't necessarily make sense together, or themes that make a sort of abstract sense together. That means that I could be combining what would normally be several major themes into one giant Theme Week, or I could be combining a major theme with what would have been a mini-daily theme. I think that on Monday I will kick off the Countdown with a combo theme. I won't tell you now if it's a giant, mega-theme comprised of multiple major themes, or if it's a major theme combined with a minor theme. But Monday's kick-off will be a combo.

We will keep the Theme Week Countdown rolling all the way up to the beginning of November -- and since we don't have an official date for the start of the Holidays yet (we can only assume that it will be 11/12 or 11/13, but I have learned that just when I think Disney can be nailed down to a pattern they will switch things up and prove me totally wrong! ), I will just have to roughly guess exactly how many days or weeks we have when I am actually counting down.

To those of you out there who have never been to DLR for the holidays, you'll still be able to enter at least once.

If you have been to Disneyland for Halloween Time, keep a close eye on this thread as there may be a couple of themes that pop up to which you can contribute, surprisingly.

And if you have never been to DLR for Halloween Time either, never fear -- the final Theme Week of the Countdown (on Monday, November 2nd) will be Holiday Cornucopia. That theme can include any kind of holiday photo, as long as it's yours. If you visited another Disney park for the holidays, anywhere in the world, you can use those photos. If you went on a ski vacation for the holidays, you can use those photos. If you went out to see a beautiful light display somewhere, you can use those photos too. If you have a great family picture by the Christmas tree, that counts as well.

Also, if you miss one of the Theme Weeks before November 2nd, you can post whatever photos you didn't get to submit when we get to Holiday Cornucopia.


To those of you who don't want to participate or post any photos, please stay tuned anyway as I will continue to post any bits of news I find out (as I have been doing), and we will still be discussing any new rumors or breaking announcements, as well as answering questions to help people plan their trips and learn about the season.

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Thanks Sherry for the welcome back, it's so very nice to be back!!! I can't wait to countdown with everyone and I am looking forward to this trip I think more than any other


Do you know Sherry, one of the things I am MOST looking forward to is our Thanksgiving feast at the Disneyland Hotel! I have been dreaming of it since the beginning of our trip countdown which started a very very long time ago!! I will be up an some unlawful hour of the morning here to ring up and make our booking! We have been for Christmas and for Halloween but we have never been in the USA actually on Thanksgiving. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time as I just love all things American ( especially the people! ) and I think it will something very special to enjoy.
We were looking at one stage at staying a few nights at the DLH, but, with the Australian dollar so low against the US currency, it was just not an option. The Thanksgiving dinner alone, if priced at $75.00USD per head, will be around $210.00 Australian for the 2 of us Still, I have budgeted for it being expensive and it will be a very special treat

You know, one of the things on my Disney bucket list is to actually be at DLR on Thanksgiving as well. I have been there over Thanksgiving weekend (Fri-Sun) in the past -- that was the first year of the Grand Californian Hotel, with the first GCH Christmas tree --but never actually on Thanksgiving. I would like to try the Thanksgiving feast at the Disneyland Hotel one of these days! It is not inexpensive -- this is true -- but for a special occasion I suppose it is worth it. I think you'll have a good time!

Thanks Sherry. That's what I thought. You are so kind helping so many people with your knowledge!
Minnie Sue Oz I so understand what you mean with converting to the oz dollar. However be thankful you're not converting it to the kiwi dollar! Yikes!

You're very welcome! It is my pleasure to share info and knowledge about the Holiday season at Disneyland Resort, since it is a favorite subject of mine.

I just read about a Charlie Brown Christmas 50th Anniversary Special hosted by Kristen Bell... So excited!!!
http://www.chipandco.com/kristen-be...g-charlie-brown-christmas-special-abc-216949/

I love Peanuts and Charles Schulz. (I kind of wish that Disney owned them, so they could appear at DLR instead of Knott's! ) Charles Schulz seemed like the sweetest, kindest, most gentle and humble man when he did interviews. He truly loved the characters he created, and it touched him that his characters meant so much to so many people.

You know, the actual Peanuts specials are hard to keep up with. It seems like in some years, some of them end up on CBS. In other years some of them end up on ABC. It was either last year or this year when a couple of them didn't air at all -- I think one of the ones that did not air on any channel was the "Easter Beagle" special. The same thing happens with the Rankin-Bass specials every year -- some of them end up on CBS; some of them end up on ABC; a lot of them end up on ABC Family; and a lot of them don't end up on any channel, anywhere!

 

[pudinhd]

I love Peanuts and Charles Schulz. (I kind of wish that Disney owned them, so they could appear at DLR instead of Knott's! ) Charles Schulz seemed like the sweetest, kindest, most gentle and humble man when he did interviews. He truly loved the characters he created, and it touched him that his characters meant so much to so many people.

You know, the actual Peanuts specials are hard to keep up with. It seems like in some years, some of them end up on CBS. In other years some of them end up on ABC. It was either last year or this year when a couple of them didn't air at all -- I think one of the ones that did not air on any channel was the "Easter Beagle" special. The same thing happens with the Rankin-Bass specials every year -- some of them end up on CBS; some of them end up on ABC; a lot of them end up on ABC Family; and a lot of them don't end up on any channel, anywhere!

Disney with Disney characters, Marvel superheroes, and the Peanuts?!?! A girl can dream!!! A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown are two absolute musts for me! I am really looking forward to the special!