Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #3!- HOLIDAYS BEGIN 11/12/13!!

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Joining to keep up on the debate, rumors and info regarding a ticketed Christmas event!
 
For those in this thread who are following the Christmas in July celebration on the Hallmark Channel(s) this week -- TK, Luisa, larina, etc. -- while watching last night's movie ("Hitched for the Holidays") I noticed that Hallmark ran a short promo for their real Countdown to Christmas, coming in November! As we know, that Countdown begins on the first weekend of November and lasts all the way into the New Year, with a marathon of sweet, syrupy, predictably delightful holiday movies (older ones and new ones) running each weekend. They promised that it's going to be the biggest one yet, or some such thing.

Silly though it may seem, I was actually giddy with glee for a brief moment in anticipation of this year's Hallmark Countdown. When I saw the promo for November I said, "Ooooh!" (to no one but myself).:rotfl2: Yes, as I said a couple of pages back...I need a support group...a Christmas 12-Step Program...:rolleyes2



:santa::santa::santa:



Joining to keep up on the debate, rumors and info regarding a ticketed Christmas event!

Hello and welcome, BeccaG!!

I'm glad to see that you made your way from the Halloween thread over to this thread too!:cool1:

Here is a recap of what has been revealed about the coming holiday season to date (both facts and rumors), and what has been discussed in this thread thus far:



1. Official (we think): According to the AP Backstage Pass newsletter/magazine, the holiday season is supposedly going to officially begin on Tuesday, November 12th. As this came from an official Disney source we have to assume it is true, although the same BP newsletter was recently incorrect about the start date of the MHP, so...who knows? In any event, I don't think the season would begin any later than 11/12 -- and most likely the majority of in-park holiday merriment will be going on a few days before 11/12;



2. Official (but maybe not completely set in stone?): According to an official internal letter that Disney sent out to various choir directors and participants of the Candlelight Ceremony a month or two ago, the Ceremony will take place on Sat., 12/7 and Sun., 12/8 in Town Square this year. No mention was made in the letter of any other Ceremony dates, but the letter recipients were told that they would get more details in August. Rumors include: 1)That more Ceremony dates will be added, possibly in DCA; 2)That the new management doesn't want to have any more than 2 nights of the Ceremony; 3)That the Ceremony is being scaled back to 2 nights so that a possible Christmas party in DL may take over multiple nights; and 4)That the Ceremony of last year (20 nights) prevented Main Street businesses from earning revenue and that's why only 2 nights this year;



3. Rumor (mostly from MiceChat): An all-Holiday World of Color is supposedly headed our way, with a target start date of Friday, 11/8. The holiday WoC will be testing in the not-too-distant future. (I can't wait for reports from people staying at the GCH and PPH, who can tell us what they see/hear while the testing is going on in the wee hours!);



4. Rumor (mostly from MiceChat): Supposedly the all-Holiday WoC will provide the "alternative" holiday entertainment to those who do not wish to attend a hard ticket Christmas party in Disneyland. Yes, the rumor mill seems to be buzzing with whispers of a Christmas party coming our way this year, which would supposedly take the longstanding Christmas Fantasy Parade, Believe in Holiday Magic Fireworks and snowfall on Main Street and make them party exclusives. We have no proof that this will happen in 2013, though I think that most of us believe that a Christmas party is inevitable.

It is quite possible that Disney will run the holiday WoC this year and gauge how popular it is or is not with the crowds. Then, if it is a success, they could either hold a party in DCA next year and make WoC the party exclusive, or they could create a party in DL and make the WoC in DCA the alternative choice.

I tend to feel that a party in Disneyland would have to have some new 'material,' as it were, so as not to enrage the holiday visitors who have been going to the parks in November and December for years and years, and who have come to expect to see the holiday fireworks and parade as part of the regular seasonal entertainment. I think Disney will be making a big mistake if they try to take an almost 20-year old parade and an almost 13-year-old fireworks show and make people suddenly pay extra to see them. It would be much more effective if they put together an all-new holiday parade and an all-new holiday fireworks show for the party. That would work for existing holiday visitors and new visitors alike!; and



5. Speculation (mainly by me!:rotfl2:): Limited Time Magic. How and where is that year-long celebration going to fit in to the holiday season, and what will be included in it? So far we know of LTM events happening up to 9/13 -- the Unleash the Villains/13th Hour event at the start of the Halloween Time season. I think that a LTM event of some kind -- maybe more than one -- will have to be included somewhere in the holiday season. As to when -- who knows? Disney could run a LTM holiday event during a week that is typically less crowded to lure guests in -- like early November or the week immediately after Thanksgiving weekend ends -- or they could start it at the very beginning of the season to kick it off. I don't think a LTM event would take place during Christmas week or New Year's week, as those times are busy enough.

Could it be that Limited Time Magic may somehow be tied in with a sort of 'mini-party' event? Maybe a short-run Christmas party type of thing that just takes place on a few nights during one week, maximum, and then ends quickly could be a good way to test the waters and see how popular the idea of a Christmas party is or is not, for future reference.:idea:

I think that IF a major, multi-night Christmas party (that is going to change the face of the existing seasonal entertainment) is coming, we would hear about it (officially, from Disney) by sometime in August -- maybe even late August. They could be so bold as to wait until September, but that would just be silly...and annoying.

If there is just a little mini-Limited Time Magic thing happening, Disney could wait even longer to let us know about it...though that would be silly too!:rotfl2:



:santa::santa::santa:


Now we sit, patiently, and wait for more news and rumors to trickle in!:hyper:

We have the 3rd Annual Theme Week Countdown coming up in this thread very soon, so that will help to pass the time in between bits of info/news/rumors/discussion!!:cool1:
 
I loved 'Hitched for Holidays'! When I read your post Sherry I was grinning and almost clapping in anticipation of the Hallmark Countdown to Christmas. pixiedust::santa:pixiedust: My DVR will be smokin' as I capture all the sweet, predictable, magical fun that is a Hallmark Christmas Movie.

I appreciate your "Official/Rumor/Speculation" recap. I'm enjoying all three on this thread.
 
You know, I would really like a DCA party. That way they could still have the DL holiday traditions and a party option with new events to enjoy. Of course, I would hope that on a party night they would limit the attendance so we could truly enjoy the events. Sherry, you could give them ideas for possible events. I love the all holiday WOC idea. I wasn't too impressed with the regular one last Christmas. They could have special holiday character sketching lessons. Let's start lobbying for a DCA party to save the DL traditions.
 

Melissa --

Laurie/DizNee Luver made a fantastic trip binder when she was planning a holiday trip to WDW last year...and then the WDW trip never ended up happening (she went to DLR instead). I told her she should get in the business of making trip binders for people -- it was that good! I saw how helpful those binders could be (and fun to put together too)!!

I'd LOVE to see pictures of the binder. Are they posted anywhere? I almost think I enjoy the planning of the trip as much as the execution of it!
 
I'd LOVE to see pictures of the binder. Are they posted anywhere? I almost think I enjoy the planning of the trip as much as the execution of it!

I'm curious what the binder entails. I made one for our WDW trip that had our pretty stiff itinerary (courtesy of tourguidemike I had each ride planned out, meals, breaks, shows, etc. loved it!) along each parks hours & crowd estimator. It was in a 4x6 photo album so it could fit easily in my purse. But I'm not sure what I would put in a DL one....seems like much less planning is necessary (but since I'm familiar with DL perhaps that is what I feel that way).
 
We're watching old home videos and one just popped up from the castle lighting last year. I am now even more excited to go!
 
I got busy with some things and it took me a while to get back here! I can't leave my Christmas peeps hanging!


I loved 'Hitched for Holidays'! When I read your post Sherry I was grinning and almost clapping in anticipation of the Hallmark Countdown to Christmas. pixiedust::santa:pixiedust: My DVR will be smokin' as I capture all the sweet, predictable, magical fun that is a Hallmark Christmas Movie.

I appreciate your "Official/Rumor/Speculation" recap. I'm enjoying all three on this thread.

TK --

I wish we had more in the way of official info -- and heck, even the official info cannot really be counted on -- but the rumors and speculation are always interesting to ponder!

You know, the funny thing is that -- in the Hallmark Channel discussion forums (have you seen those on their website?) -- there are a quite a few people grumbling about those Christmas Countdowns that begin in November. I have not checked their forums this week, but I am certain that someone must be complaining about the Christmas in July stuff going on now. Those people only want Christmas movies after Thanksgiving, and someone even complained that the movies Hallmark shows are not the "classic" Christmas movies and instead are low-budget.

The Hallmark Channel labels itself as "the heart of Christmas," so I would have assumed that a lot of its fans were also fans of the long Christmas marathons, and that the marathons may even be a reason why people tune in to that channel at all (that's how they roped me in). It doesn't look like it on those forums, though!

In any case, at least you and I will be eagerly awaiting November!:cool1: Yes, the movies are incredibly predictable and overly sweet at times, and yes they are probably made on the cheap, but they are a guilty holiday pleasure! They set the tone for the season and they are good to keep on as background noise, if nothing else. They are like sugary pieces of delicious Christmas candy -- you know they are full of empty calories, but you enjoy them while they are in front of you!!

And by the way, I don't mind that the "classic" Christmas movies are not shown on Hallmark too. I like knowing that they run their own special brand of movies that I won't see on other channels. The classics, however, can be found on many, many channels all during the season. Why do I need to see "It's a Wonderful Life" or even "Christmas Vacation" on the Hallmark Channel when I know I will see those movies elsewhere?



You know, I would really like a DCA party. That way they could still have the DL holiday traditions and a party option with new events to enjoy. Of course, I would hope that on a party night they would limit the attendance so we could truly enjoy the events. Sherry, you could give them ideas for possible events. I love the all holiday WOC idea. I wasn't too impressed with the regular one last Christmas. They could have special holiday character sketching lessons. Let's start lobbying for a DCA party to save the DL traditions.

lucysmom --

I think a DCA party would be a novel idea, and it wouldn't interfere with the existing holiday things in DL. If DLR has any plans to possibly relocate the Candlelight Ceremony to DCA in the future, a party will not happen in DCA. But I just don't see how they could even entertain the idea of a party in DL with the old, existing, longstanding entertainment. If they add in some new things then it is a whole new ballgame, of course.

I agree -- they need to limit attendance so the parties at least feel semi-exclusive! The Halloween parties are becoming too busy for my taste.

Oooh! I love the holiday character sketching lesson idea! Now see, that is a very unique and interesting idea. There could be so many ways that various sections of DCA could work with a party. If only Disney would listen to our suggestions! Not everything has to be a carbon copy of WDW. If I thought for one minute that anyone in charge of planning events for DLR would actually pay attention, I would certainly write and lobby and all of that.

The most we can probably hope for is that the Parks Blog people (who keep up to date with social media) read along and see some of the comments/ideas.:confused3



I'd LOVE to see pictures of the binder. Are they posted anywhere? I almost think I enjoy the planning of the trip as much as the execution of it!

Melissa (and egritz, too!) --

Here is a link to Laurie/DizNee Luver's WDW holiday Pre-TR, from last year: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2861228&page=4. Start on Page 4, Post #58, but if I recall correctly she posted more photos as her plans began to change and she updated her binder (and the WDW trip never ended up happening, of course). I don't think she has made any binders for DLR trips, though I could be mistaken about that, but she put a lot of work into the binders for WDW!


We're watching old home videos and one just popped up from the castle lighting last year. I am now even more excited to go!

DisneyJamieCA --

I love that Castle lighting! It truly is the essence of Disney holiday magic, as corny as it sounds. It adds such a fantastic, wonderful element of glowy, shimmery, sparkly light throughout the evening. One of the best sights to see is that Castle when you first set foot on Main Street after dark. First, the lights on Main Street grab everyone's attention, but the Castle shines like a beautiful beacon in the distance.
 
DisneyJamieCA --

I love that Castle lighting! It truly is the essence of Disney holiday magic, as corny as it sounds. It adds such a fantastic, wonderful element of glowy, shimmery, sparkly light throughout the evening. One of the best sights to see is that Castle when you first set foot on Main Street after dark. First, the lights on Main Street grab everyone's attention, but the Castle shines like a beautiful beacon in the distance.

I agree. Watching it brought tears to my eyes and my oldest commented how it looks like thousands of tiny diamonds. Pure magic!
 
We got a few last October on Main St at DL. I'm loving all the steam punk ones. LOVE!
 
I bought mine at the WoD store last year, although I don't know what was being offered online at the time. They did have a large selection when we were there at Thanksgiving.

They are still there. I hope they add some of these online ones, so I can use my 20% AP discount. I am planning on going to DLR next Wednesday (DL's 58th Anniversary). I'll look for them but I doubt they will be out this early in the year.
 
Oh my - my 2 YO loves Nightmare Before Christmas (I just got her the figuirine set from disney.com). Any guesses if these will be available in DL in December (we are traveling 9-14) or am I smarter to order from the website? Most likely going to get her one (probably Sandy Claws or Sally) for her ornament for this year.
 
This thread was on Page 3! Now I'm not an over-eager thread bumper. It's okay to let the thread wander down to the next page. But Page 3? Yikes! There are lots of people out there planning trips, and they will surely overlook the thread if it drifts too far into the depths. I put waaaaaay too much time and work into this thread to let it drift to Page 3 and beyond!

I love the ear hat ornaments, whether they are holiday-themed, NBC-themed or any other kind of theme! There are so many clever designs to them, from what I saw in World of Disney and whichever other store it was when I was looking them over. They seemed to me like the sort of thing that would end up being tremendously popular.


The Hallmark Channel's Christmas movies are running all day today and all day tomorrow!!! There have already been some good ones so far -- the "Mrs. Miracle" movies, "Naughty or Nice," "The Christmas Wish" and over on Hallmark Movies, "November Christmas." "Trading Christmas" is coming up shortly.

The 2013 Theme Week Countdown is on its way very, very soon!! You can only be eligible to be chosen to win a prize if you participate in this thread when the Countdown gets going! Not the November Check-In thread. Not the December Check-In thread. Not the Halloween thread. Not the Post Your Favorite Holiday pictures sticky thread. You have to be involved in this Superthread!! So join in now, introduce yourselves, settle in and stay tuned!!!:santa:
 
Hey Sherry! :wave:

Page 3? That's just plum crazy! :crazy2: Don't these people know Christmas is just around the corner??????? Well, sort of??????? ;) You'd think maybe they were all preoccupied with lesser holidays like Halloween or something.....;)

Have you seen the princess shoe ornaments? I really looked them over when we were at WDW last month. But in the end I had the same problem I have had with the ear hat ornaments. I feel like if I start, I won't be able to stop.....

Maybe I'll check out some Christmas movies this weekend. But then my family will surely think I've gone off the deep end.......
 
I am in!!! Cant wait for the themes to start because that means we are getting closer and well :dance3::yay::hyper::banana::cheer2::jumping1: party: is all I can say to that.

On another note I am considering splitting our stay between the BWPPI and PPH, I keep on going back and forth on it though :confused3
 
Hello Sherry :-)


Checking in and Subscribing!

My 3yo had me watching Disney's Very Merry Christmas Sing Along Songs this morning. The funny thing is she did the same last July. LOL

I can't help but to get in the Christmas planning mood.


Ysell
 
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