Countdown to Magic & Merriment and Disapalooza!!! **What to Wear 12/7**

[cdotla]

Countdown to Magic & Merriment and Disapalooza!!! My first ever Christmastime Visit!


It is hard to believe, but in less than 2 weeks I am heading off to Walt Disney World for my first-ever Christmastime visit. Needless to say, I am very excited.

While I will be meeting up with Carrie (lurkyloo) while I am down there, technically I still regard this as a "solo" trip because I am traveling without the rest of the family. While I love our family trips, I have also become quite spoiled by having taken my fair share of adult solo trips. I travelled solo to WDW in June 2008, October 2008, October 2010, and May 2011, and I have to say...the solo trips are becoming rather addictive.

Solo trips allow me to do more of the hard-core, jammed-packed park touring that I would never be able to pull off with my family. When traveling with the family, our normal practice is to hit rope drop, returning to the resort by 1pm. At least half of the time we will also return to the parks at night after dinner. On my solo trips, I tend to be on the go from early morning until late at nite. Unlike the family trips, I tend to spend very little time at the room or resort, although I usually schedule at least one afternoon poolside to take full advantage of sunning without the obligation or responsibility of supervising children. Pure heaven...with young children, you can easily forget how relaxing it can be to read and doze off in the sun.

Being able to take in some of the more adult-oriented attractions without fidgeting or restless children, and lingering as long as I want over all of the special touches and details that make this place so magical is a real treat. I also tend to spend a significant chunk of my solo trips photographing and videotaping in the parks - something that can be very difficult to do with a restless family tugging you along to the next big attraction. While even when traveling with the kids we still tend to eat at the signature dining restaurants most evenings at WDW, there is no question that solo trips allow for a more leisurely, indulgent pace at dinner, as well the opportunity for more partaking of adult beveridges. And there is nothing wrong with that!

Adding to all of the benefits of a regular solo Disney trip, this trip will also have the added excitement of seeing the Parks and Resorts at Christmastime for the very first time! Needless to say, I am beyond excited!!!

Topping the list of things I am most excited to see and do during my upcoming December trip are:

1. Seeing the Christmas Lights/ Icicles on Cinderella's Castle.

(Photo - Disney Photopass)

(Photo - Disney Photopass)


2. Witnessing the Candlelight Processional...with Neil Patrick Harris, a true Disney fan to boot!

(Photo: AllEars)


3. Attending Disapalooza, meeting the Podcast crew and a bunch of other Disers, and seeing Harry Potter Land for the first time.

(Photo - Carrie, aka lurkyloo)


4. Touring backstage at the Magic Kingdom and learning about all of the Christmas decorations as part of the D23 Magic & Merriment events.

(Photo - Disney Photopass)


5. Walking through the grandeur of the Grand Floridian Lobby decked out in all of its Christmas finery, including the large majestic tree and gingerbread house.

(Photo - Disney Photopass)


6. Seeing the Osborne Lights, and paying homage to their creator, Jennings Osborne, who passed away earlier this year.

(Photo - Disney Photopass)

(Photo - Disney Photopass)


7. Walking down a snowing Main Street during the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.

(Photo - Disney Photopass)

(Photo - Disney Photopass)


8. Participating in WDW Today's Reunion events and All Ears' December to Remember.

9. Sitting by the fire in the Wilderness Lodge soaking up the atmosphere with the large Christmas tree, decor and music in the background.

(Photo -Disney Photopass)

10. Sipping Hot Cocoa while watching Holiday Wishes.

(Photo: Disney Photopass)


Yep....it's going to be a jam-packed 4 days. Lots of excitement and plenty of "first-time" experiences. And once again I get to share the trip with Carrie, my good friend and fellow WDW addict.

So please help me countdown these last 12 days as I get ready for what is sure to be a Magical Holiday trip!

 

[cdotla]

Table of Contents

1. Christmas Decorations

2. Our Elf on the Shelf

3. Holiday Recipes

4. Halifax Loves Boston

5. What to Wear

 

[disneylovin24]

Looks like Im going to be down there around the same time because Im seeing NPH at the Candlelight Processional too

I saw the castle lights for the first time last year, I was in tears! The castle in those lights is one of the most beautiful things you can imagine!

Now Im heading back to read your older TR's!

 

[cdotla]

Looks like Im going to be down there around the same time because Im seeing NPH at the Candlelight Processional too

I saw the castle lights for the first time last year, I was in tears! The castle in those lights is one of the most beautiful things you can imagine!

Now Im heading back to read your older TR's!

Thanks so much for posting, and Welcome!

I absolutely can't wait to see the Castle Lights....it is one of those things that I never thought I would see for a long, long time as December is not typically the time when our family cares to be away from home. However, the opportunity for this weekend trip presented itself and I jumped on it.

Maybe we will see you down there!

 

[cdotla]

Christmas Decorations

Every trip, the closer I get to departure day, the more panicked I get about all of the things that need to get done before I leave. The panick is heightened this trip given that I will be away and out of commission during one of the peak times leading up to the Christmas holidays.

I am working away furiously trying to get as much done, both at work and at home, before I go.

Because I will be away for part of December, this year I have felt the urge to get my Christmas decorations much earlier than normal. But, since we always get a real tree, it really isn't possible to put the tree up much before the first weekend in December. Otherwise, we would have a bare tree and a truckload of needles on the floor by Christmas Day.

Until it is time to put up the tree, I haven't had the inclination to pull out all of our various boxes of Christmas decorations, only to have them sitting in limbo taking up space in the house for the next week or so. So in the meantime, I have done a couple of small things to get ready for the holidays. First, I switched out our regular throw pillows on the couch in our living room for some more festive colors. In addition, I also bought some poinsettas.

I find it is amazing what a little pop of color will do. Here is the before:

And the after:

Slowly but surely, we are starting to get a little more festive. I can't wait to come out in full force with the tree and the rest of our decorations over the next week or so.

 

[Aburns8]

Subbing in! Can't wait to hear about your adventure.

 

[Native NYer]

Joining in!
Sounds like a fun trip.

 

[mrsksomeday]

You will love WDW in December it is so festive and truly amazing. We just love it.

 

[chrisw127]

How fun! We go evefy year during this time and it's the best time of year to go, I think.

Have a great time.

 

[cdotla]

Subbing in! Can't wait to hear about your adventure.

Hey Andrea! Glad to have you along! Say hi to Brian!

Joining in!
Sounds like a fun trip.

Yay! Thanks for coming over!

You will love WDW in December it is so festive and truly amazing. We just love it.

Oooohhhh....I can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!!!!

How fun! We go evefy year during this time and it's the best time of year to go, I think.

Have a great time.

Welcome! And thank you! I really can't wait to see the parks during the holidays, which is my favorite time of year anyway. I am really looking forward to it!

 

[cdotla]

Our Elf on the Shelf

This year, just before American Thankgiving, our household received a visit from a very special houseguest. He will be staying with us right up until Christmas, and has already brought much excitement and fun to our countdown to Christmas.

He is our very own Elf on the Shelf. If you haven't heard about Elf on the Shelf yet, here is a link to the website that tells all about them:

http://www.elfontheshelf.com/Home.aspx

Basically, a group of select Elves are chosen each year to visit households around the world to keep an eye on the children for Santa. Each night the Elf uses his or her magical powers to fly back to the North Pole and report to Santa on everything that took place in the house that day, and in particular whether the children were "naughty" or "nice". All good deeds are duly noted, and likewise, any errant behaviour is also reported so that at the end of the day, Santa can make his final judgment about each child on Christmas Eve.

Every night, after our Elf arrives back at our house following his trip to the North Pole, he picks a new hiding spot in the house, and the kids must find him when they wake up each morning.

Here is where he was "hiding" when the kids woke up this morning:

Of course, the kids can only talk to the elf, but cannot touch him. Otherwise, he will lose his special magical powers, and will not be able to make his special journey to the North Pole each evening.

When the Elf first arrives at your home, the family is tasked with picking a name for the Elf. Declan came up with the name for our Elf, who is called Thomas.

There was also a recent Christmas animated show broadcast on CBS called, what else but "Elf on the Shelf", which explains the whole story behind the Elfs, and which followed one family's adventure with their Elf, which they named Chippy. It was really cute!

For a great deal of family fun lasting the whole season leading up to Christmas, I highly recommend looking into adopting your own Elf for the holiday season!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Present and accounted for!

Great start and I'm looking forward to seeing Christmas at Disney through your eyes.

And I love Neil Patrick Harris!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I'm in! Will be following along on your adventures one way or another!

 

[swwake]

I'm here, following and all caught up. Your trip sounds like a whirlwind of fun! I sure wish they had Elf on the Shelf when Katie was little. That would have been a fun tradition.

 

[disneylovin24]

I love the subtle changes you made to your living room for the holidays! I know there's more to come but you have started off very nicely!

My aunt just spent all weekend looking for an elf for my little cousins! I never even knew they exsisted until today! Its sucha cute little thing for kids

 

[Charleston Princess]

I am here for all the festive fun!!! Your trip sounds fantastic -- love all the Christmas pictures, your living room looks stunning with the red pillows and poinsettas, and Thomas looks like a lot of fun. Our elves, slightly different than Elf on the Shelf, will be arriving later in the week.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

I'm tagging along for this PTR. I probably won't ever go at Christmas time, so this is a great way for me to share in the season!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Now, I'm just plain jealous! Getting to go without DH & no children, plus going to Harry Potter land! How cool is all of that!?

 

[zipadeepixie]

I can't wait to hear all about your trip! It sounds like so much fun. I was able to go to Disneyland last year the week before Christmas for the first time and it was so festive!

 

[WDW2012]

I'm fairly new to posting but I've enjoyed reading your trip reports. Looking forward to the current one and the holiday one We also have an Elf. The kids love it but were wondering the other day why he was still in the same spot.