disney at christmas

[Sherry E]

Anyone have a picture of the christmas tree in GC?

Mike- Yes, there are quite a few of those scattered throughout this thread. I'll find them for you so you don't have to search! In fact, I posted several of them myself (from 2008 and 2009), and funatdisney realized that one of the GCH tree photos I posted was the very first Christmas tree ever at GCH (it was taken in 2001, after the GCH opened!). I didn't realize at the time that I was 'capturing history' on camera, but I guess I was!!

I have to finish up something I'm doing, but I'll come back in a bit and find the pages on which I posted the GCH tree photos - and any other GCH tree photos posted by anyone else - in a bit.

 

[Sherry E]

Mike - I found my post with the first-ever GCH tree (below) - just to tide you over until I locate the other ones buried in the thread.

More oldies but goodies from holidays past at DLR:


December 1993:

Minor traces of the holidays in the background:

December 1994:

November 2001:

 

[Sherry E]

And more of the GCH tree below (from 2009):

GCH 2009 Tree:

DLH Wreath:

Goofy's Kitchen 2009 Tree:

IASW Holiday Sign:

Pooh Corner Tree (notice how the honey/hunny pots are spilling onto the ornaments):

 

[Sherry E]

And the December 2007 GCH tree -

And these are a little more current - well, they are from 2007, and things are pretty much the same or very similar during DLR holiday seasons now as they were in 2007:

2007 –

Photo of the ever-present GCH tree:

Ahhh….a December holiday sunset in California – taken from the balcony of our GCH room:

DTD Tree (this looks so much more festive and holiday-ish at night!):

This Sorcerer’s Hat looks so much better lit up at night, too:

IASW Holiday photos:

ToonTown – see the Dalmatian?:

Random Castle-in-the-Distance shots:

 

[Sherry E]

Continuing on with the GCH tree photos from the previous page....

This post below has a photo of the carolers by the GCH tree, as well as the "presents" by the GCH tree (2008) - in kind of rustic colors.

I can't find anyone else's GCH tree photos - I typed in "GCH tree" in the search feature for this thread, and I just keep finding my own posts!!

I thought I would throw these in, just to add further to the temptation of visiting DLR at Christmastime...and get us all in the mood for it since we still have 3 long months to wait! Sorry for the jumbo size of the photos - I loaded them to Photobucket and forgot to set the size/dimensions before I did, so when I tried to go back and resize each one individually, my computer was taking like 30 minutes per photo to resize, and I just couldn't do it!!

 

[Desert Dwellers]

I broke a toe today. Waiting for the x-ray, I cheered myself up by reminding myself I would be healed in time for our NYE celebration.

 

[KCmike]

Thanks Sherry for all the great photos!!!!

 

[Goofy_Mom]

Getting exicited, I have just over a month before I can add new Christmas themed memories.

 

[Sherry E]

I broke a toe today. Waiting for the x-ray, I cheered myself up by reminding myself I would be healed in time for our NYE celebration.

Uh-oh!! Did you drop something on your toe or bang it into something? I am a klutz, so I've banged my toes into things all my life and I'm sure I've done some damage. I always assumed there would be ongoing pain and that's how I would know if it was broken, but aside from the 'initial impact pain,' (along with a string of 4-letter words flying out of my mouth!) which lasts for a while, I've never noticed anything out of the ordinary in the following days. Then I've heard some people say that they've broken toes and didn't even realize it because it only hurt for a short time. Did you have lingering pain? Or what was it that caused you to realize it was necessary to see a doctor?

Thanks Sherry for all the great photos!!!!

You're welcome, Mike! I hope you get to pop into the GCH lobby for a quick peek when you do your whirlwind one-day DLR visit during the holidays. I know you will get some amazing photos. Your photos of the non-holiday GCH lobby are incredible, so I can only imagine what you will produce during Christmas time!!

Getting exicited, I have just over a month before I can add new Christmas themed memories.

Goofy_Mom - I can understand your excitement!! I can't believe the season starts in, oh...just over 4 weeks!!

I'll spare all the details in this thread, but it's been a real struggle for me to figure out how I was going to pull off a Halloween Time DLR trip and a Christmas time trip this year, or if it was even possible to do both (I've done both for the last 3 years). I am still not 100% sure - Halloween Time is very tempting and I keep seeing Halloween Time photos that are luring me in, but I think I can live if I skip one year of Halloween Time and then return next year.

However, there is no way I am missing Christmas time at DLR - that is my absolute favorite time and it is a must. So I came to the conclusion that if I do a Halloween Time trip, I would probably only be able to do a one-day holiday trip again in December (like last year). But if I skip Halloween Time this year, I can probably get a hotel room again for the holidays and stay for a few nights (like I did for all my trips prior to last year) which means LOTS and LOTS of photos!!

So it's down to either...one day for Halloween and probably one day for Christmas, or...skip Halloween Time in 2010 and stay for a few days/nights at Christmas time. I don't want to miss Halloween this year, but really...my heart belongs to DLR at Christmas Time. I think it will be so much more rewarding for me if I just do up the holidays right with a multi-day visit!!

 

[Belle Ella]

Sherry, I hope you do get to go all out for a Christmas trip, hotel and all! I want to see your photos! And you'd better do another TR to boot.

It's hard, because I wont be able to get a final answer out of my boss for a while yet since we don't know how things are going to turn out. But at the very least I will be there around December 27-29.

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry, I hope you do get to go all out for a Christmas trip, hotel and all! I want to see your photos! And you'd better do another TR to boot.

It's hard, because I wont be able to get a final answer out of my boss for a while yet since we don't know how things are going to turn out. But at the very least I will be there around December 27-29.

Thank you, Jazz! As I said, Halloween Time is really, really tempting - every time I say, "I think I'll skip this year," then I see more photos that draw me into its evil web!! If I had had the $$$ to do Halloween Time in September, I would have definitely gone by now, but I knew I didn't want to scrunch my Halloween trip too close to my Christmas trip because it would be too hard to swing it money-wise. So I was trying to avoid an October trip if possible. I wanted space between the Halloween and holiday trips. So now, it's down to the wire and if going for a one-day Halloween bonanza means cutting the holiday trip shorter, I'm not sure I'm willing to do that this year. I think I want the longer holiday trip instead!!

Don't you just hate not being able to seal in a date and say, "This [X date] is when I'm going and now I can start planning my agenda"? As you say, at the very least you'll be there 12/27 - 12/29, but given your usual planning skills and patterns, I bet you'd like to have it all finalized for 100% sure and just dive into the plan full-force right now - with a countdown and everything!!

 

[Littleprincess2010]

Just wanted to post that my husband was able to book Nov. 12th Holiday tour at 3pm for us just this morning. He had to be persistant and get the CM to check with higher ups but it is available in the system.

So excited!!!

 

[Belle Ella]

Thank you, Jazz! As I said, Halloween Time is really, really tempting - every time I say, "I think I'll skip this year," then I see more photos that draw me into its evil web!! If I had had the $$$ to do Halloween Time in September, I would have definitely gone by now, but I knew I didn't want to scrunch my Halloween trip too close to my Christmas trip because it would be too hard to swing it money-wise. So I was trying to avoid an October trip if possible. I wanted space between the Halloween and holiday trips. So now, it's down to the wire and if going for a one-day Halloween bonanza means cutting the holiday trip shorter, I'm not sure I'm willing to do that this year. I think I want the longer holiday trip instead!!

Don't you just hate not being able to seal in a date and say, "This [X date] is when I'm going and now I can start planning my agenda"? As you say, at the very least you'll be there 12/27 - 12/29, but given your usual planning skills and patterns, I bet you'd like to have it all finalized for 100% sure and just dive into the plan full-force right now - with a countdown and everything!!

If I were you, at this point, I would focus mainly on a December trip and scrap the Halloween Time for this year. As much as we would all love to do everything, sometimes you have to give a little in order to get a little, right? I think if you want to do your all-out Christmas trip then sacrificing the Halloween trip wont be that bad. If I had thought for a second before this trip that I could have even considered a Christmas trip I would have done that instead, but then again, if I had missed this September trip I never would have a reason to try desperately to put in a December trip.

And I wish I could start an actual countdown this second. Actually, I might since I'm 95% that I can do the first half of the week following Christmas. My job has me working predominately Thursday, Friday, Saturday and the rest of our work at that point is so light that I can't imagine I would actually be needed and if I am there are enough of us that work days that M/T/W can be covered if I do get scheduled for some insane reason. Which means I can drive down the day after Christmas after I sleep from my overnight shift and stay until Wednesday night or Thursday night depending on when I have to be back. And of course I will still hold onto the hope that I can get a weekend off. But if I can't, that week makes the most sense since somebody wont be working.

I think it's safe enough to do some kind of planning???!!!

 

[amamax2]

If I were you, at this point, I would focus mainly on a December trip and scrap the Halloween Time for this year. As much as we would all love to do everything, sometimes you have to give a little in order to get a little, right? I think if you want to do your all-out Christmas trip then sacrificing the Halloween trip wont be that bad.

Sherry,

I have to agree with Belle Ella! As you have said many times in this thread, there is no Halloween at DCA and the stuff at DL is pretty much the same old, same old, just a bit more elaborate in some areas (Round-Up and window displays). Most of the awesome pictures are coming from the MHP, so unless you were to go specifically for that, and spend that extra money, you are not really missing much.

But with Christmas, there are so many things day and night, that it can't possibly be done satisfactorily in only one day. I'm going for three days and have planned out a tentative schedule, and am still having to pick and choose, lol. You don't want to shortchange yourself.

Better to go for it for Christmas and then, with the knowledge that the MHP was great this year (which you did not know prior to it's start), maybe save to go next year to it and Christmas when hopefully everything will fall into place for you.

Anyways, my 2 cents.


Belle Ella - yes, I think you can start planning, absolutely. If you plan, it will happen.

 

[Belle Ella]

Belle Ella - yes, I think you can start planning, absolutely. If you plan, it will happen.

I like the way you think! Methinks I will have a new ticker up by the end of the day before Disney on Ice!

 

[Sherry E]

Just wanted to post that my husband was able to book Nov. 12th Holiday tour at 3pm for us just this morning. He had to be persistant and get the CM to check with higher ups but it is available in the system.

So excited!!!

Littleprincess2010 - Woo hoo! That's wonderful that you have your tour all booked up! From everything I have heard, I think you will love it. How exciting it will be to be there at DLR on opening day of the holiday season!!

If I were you, at this point, I would focus mainly on a December trip and scrap the Halloween Time for this year. As much as we would all love to do everything, sometimes you have to give a little in order to get a little, right? I think if you want to do your all-out Christmas trip then sacrificing the Halloween trip wont be that bad. If I had thought for a second before this trip that I could have even considered a Christmas trip I would have done that instead, but then again, if I had missed this September trip I never would have a reason to try desperately to put in a December trip.

And I wish I could start an actual countdown this second. Actually, I might since I'm 95% that I can do the first half of the week following Christmas. My job has me working predominately Thursday, Friday, Saturday and the rest of our work at that point is so light that I can't imagine I would actually be needed and if I am there are enough of us that work days that M/T/W can be covered if I do get scheduled for some insane reason. Which means I can drive down the day after Christmas after I sleep from my overnight shift and stay until Wednesday night or Thursday night depending on when I have to be back. And of course I will still hold onto the hope that I can get a weekend off. But if I can't, that week makes the most sense since somebody wont be working.

I think it's safe enough to do some kind of planning???!!!

Sherry,

I have to agree with Belle Ella! As you have said many times in this thread, there is no Halloween at DCA and the stuff at DL is pretty much the same old, same old, just a bit more elaborate in some areas (Round-Up and window displays). Most of the awesome pictures are coming from the MHP, so unless you were to go specifically for that, and spend that extra money, you are not really missing much.

But with Christmas, there are so many things day and night, that it can't possibly be done satisfactorily in only one day. I'm going for three days and have planned out a tentative schedule, and am still having to pick and choose, lol. You don't want to shortchange yourself.

Better to go for it for Christmas and then, with the knowledge that the MHP was great this year (which you did not know prior to it's start), maybe save to go next year to it and Christmas when hopefully everything will fall into place for you.

Anyways, my 2 cents.

Belle Ella - yes, I think you can start planning, absolutely. If you plan, it will happen.

Jazz & amamax2 -

I am pretty sure at this point that I will go along with what you are both suggesting. See, I could do a one-day Halloween trip and be fine with it. I have done multi-day Halloween Time trips before and a one-day trip before, and I know that I won't feel like I missed too much if I only went for one day. It would be fine. I mainly would want to focus on the Round-Up, the window/store displays, the MHP and the tram path display. I could do that in one day.

But...after having done multi-day holiday time trips and a one-day holiday trip, I KNOW I will feel like I missed out on a lot if I do another one-day trip in December. I would much rather have the extra time to really roam around and explore every nuance, be able to take mid-day breaks and recharge my batteries (literally and figuratively!). I feel like I didn't explore the holiday touches enough in DCA on my last trips and I would like to do that....that is, if they don't rob us of Christmas in DCA because of World of Color like they did with Halloween!!

So it's quite simple, really...if splitting up my trips into two one-day trips for Halloween and Christmas means seeing and doing less on either trip, then this year I would rather put all my eggs in the Christmas basket and do/see more for the holidays...without rushing...being able to navigate and plan to avoid crowds at peaks time...being able to have a MM to take advantage of...being able to really get in there and get the photos I was not able to get last year...being able to really absorb all the details.

I think my problem is when I have too much time in between checks from clients, I start rethinking. I start thinking, "Well...maybe I should just go for one day each..." If I had the check from the client in hand right now, I would book a room at a hotel right now (at least put down a deposit, if not more) and then my fate would be sealed - a holiday trip would be a-comin'.

I have to wait another 2 days to get my check, so I am trying to stick to my decision and not waver!!

I was curious to go to the MHP in Disneyland, and I wonder if it will be in Disneyland again next year. I hope I get another opportunity to do it. And I hope Halloween Time will be even bigger and better next year and that DCA won't be forgotten again.

Jazz, it sounds like it's safe to start some sort of countdown. I think that starting the countdown will start the ball rolling and you can begin the Jazz's Merry Adventure Pre-TR (or whatever you call it!)!!

 

[Desert Dwellers]

Uh-oh!! Did you drop something on your toe or bang it into something? I am a klutz, so I've banged my toes into things all my life and I'm sure I've done some damage. I always assumed there would be ongoing pain and that's how I would know if it was broken, but aside from the 'initial impact pain,' (along with a string of 4-letter words flying out of my mouth!) which lasts for a while, I've never noticed anything out of the ordinary in the following days. Then I've heard some people say that they've broken toes and didn't even realize it because it only hurt for a short time. Did you have lingering pain? Or what was it that caused you to realize it was necessary to see a doctor?

Sherry, I slam my foot on stuff all the time. This time I hit the ottoman and I heard a snap. When I looked at my foot, my second toe pointed in an odd angle. Urgent care confirmed the break with an x-ray, but referred me to an orthopedist. Now I'm waiting for the doctor's office to call back for an appt.

It would be nice for a Halloween and a Christmas visit, but I vote for a Christmas holiday, too. Your holiday pictures are so beautiful and fun to look to at, I know that Christmas at DL is special for you. I'm going to go back through the last few pages and revisit those pictures now!!

 

[Littleprincess2010]

Littleprincess2010 - Woo hoo! That's wonderful that you have your tour all booked up! From everything I have heard, I think you will love it. How exciting it will be to be there at DLR on opening day of the holiday season!!

Thanks Im very excited. the 12th is the only "Holiday" day we have. Being able to do the Holiday tour and skip the lines for HMH and ISAWH and then get priority seating for the parade are going to be priceless to make our last day magical. We're also planning to see Santa and the reindeer and watch the Holday fireworks that night. Its going to be a loooooooong day

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks Im very excited. the 12th is the only "Holiday" day we have. Being able to do the Holiday tour and skip the lines for HMH and ISAWH and then get priority seating for the parade are going to be priceless to make our last day magical. We're also planning to see Santa and the reindeer and watch the Holday fireworks that night. Its going to be a loooooooong day

Well, I've always wondered what it's like in the wee overnight hours between a 'regular' day at DLR and when a holiday season begins (whether it's Halloween or Christmas), and if there are any obvious additions or changes on the actual start day. Since you're arriving before the 12th (correct?), you will definitely see decorations up and around DLR when you get there - simply because there is just too much work to do to get it all in place in one night and they have to start early in November. Mostly everything decoration-wise will be up in the days leading up to 11/12, and probably all of the holiday food will be out. Heck, this year, the giant Mickey Pumpkin was up at least 2 days before Halloween Time officially started.

But I'm wondering if you will notice anything new that's out on 11/12 in terms of decorations - or if it will just seem more magical because it's the first day of the official season. Of course, 11/12 will be when all the entertainment starts, the tour and IASW Holiday begin, the Round-Up opens, the snow on Main Street falls, the Winter Castle icy lights glow throughout the park, and Santa and the carolers appear, etc. So that will add a whole extra layer of holiday magic that won't be there on 11/11, I suppose.

I agree with you - the priority seating on HMH and IASWH, as well as the reserved seats for the parade, are big reasons to do the tour, along with the collectible pin and the free cookie, cocoa and sample of holiday fudge!!

 

[Belle Ella]

Jazz, it sounds like it's safe to start some sort of countdown. I think that starting the countdown will start the ball rolling and you can begin the Jazz's Merry Adventure Pre-TR (or whatever you call it!)!!

I love the name Sherry! That's probably what it will end up being called too. Suh-weet. I suppose I had less to go on when I started my July PTR and countdown so now is as good a time as any. And I have something to break up the countdown since someone will be paying the Bay Area (well, me) a visit in November. Maybe I'll even do something with the Mickey paint chips since I never did for this trip, lol. I need something to do to hold me over.