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

[Sherry E]

Thank you, Trish for the heads up and Liza for actually providing the link! And thanks, dtnrhi, for filling in the rest of the gaps in the info from the Blog.

Had it not been for Trish, I would not have known yet about the Blog because I have been busy rounding up more pictures for this week's Theme Week Countdown!

The fact that dtnrhi started a separate thread wouldn't help me much if I am subscribed to this thread! This is the primary thread where we discuss the bulk of the holiday info -- especially important info -- so if a piece of news comes out that references a certain date (for example, if it contradicts another piece of info we have already read) it is crucial that we know about here...in the Christmas Superthread!!!

Can I ask everyone here to please come here to this thread first, before starting a new thread, if you read holiday-related info of some kind -- and provide the link? I do a lot to make things interesting, entertaining and informative for everyone here, so it would help me out a little bit if you all could do that for me. Plus, the people who are actually subscribed to this thread will not necessarily know if another thread pops up with info if they are not reading the board.


Also, sometimes the info that people find out -- not counting today's Blog, because the Parks Blog is an official source -- is not always official, and when they post it in a separate thread it gets everyone confused, thinking that it is official. I end up having to step in and clarify things!

Today's info simply goes back to what I reported that I saw in the Annual Pass Backstage Pass newsletter -- a start date of 11/12. That's not a new date for anyone because it was the date we were expecting prior to the Disneyland News Press release on 7/25 -- which said that 11/15 was the start date. I think a Friday start date makes much more sense than a Tuesday start date, but I'm glad if those who planned for 11/12 are not cheated out of enjoying seasonal merriment because of a goof on Disney's part.

So, again, more confusion and contradiction of info by Disney. So annoying.

Anyway, back to rounding up photos...

Yay to see the dates officially official for the holiday season!!

OK, here are my contributions for the "Tree and Wreath" theme o' the week. I tried to find ones I haven't seen posted this week.

All photos taken in December 2010.

This wreath was hanging on the back of the main tower at the DLH. It is HUGE -- like 5 or 6 feet in diameter.

The appropriately Goofy tree outside Goofy's Kitchen.

Wreath and nameplate in the Reindeer Roundup. (I always wanted to do a name sign like this when DS' room was cowboy-themed).

Inside It's A Small World Holiday

The big Paradise Pier Christmas tree -- I loved the Mickey Wheel reflection.

Enjoy!!


PHXscuba

PHX --

This is the 3rd time the darn season start date has been released by one of Disney's "official" sources -- they are really not on the ball in some office or another this year!

You're entered into the random draw for the gift card.

I didn't want your photos (which came in at the very end of the previous page) to be lost in the shuffle, so I quoted your post to bring it to the next page! That way, the pictures won't be overlooked. That Mickey's Fun Wheel reflection picture is a great perspective!

Don't worry about posting photos of trees/wreaths that you've already seen posted. I can't/don't expect that everyone will have a vast array of different tree and wreath photos from which to pull, nor will they necessarily have a wealth of material for any other theme that is coming up in the next few months. Inevitably, we will all end up posting photos of the same subjects in one way or the other, and that's perfectly fine!

I beat you to the Goofy's Kitchen tree in my intro post yesterday morning! Lol! I was going to possibly post my 'giant wreath at the DLH' photo but I wasn't sure if I wanted to -- I was trying to find something else to post instead of that one. Then I saw that you posted your photo of the giant DLH wreath (I love that wreath, by the way) and that made up my mind for me! I was already on the fence about whether or not I was going to use it and then I knew it was time to pull up some other photos -- which is what I've been trying to do for the last couple of hours, but keep getting distracted by various things.

 

[PHXscuba]

Sherry, I must not have seen the Goofy's Kitchen tree in your plethora of pictures! As head-of-thread, you do have the advantage of going first every time!! I thought I had some of the older nicer Toontown trees but now I can't find them.

I would kill to have that DLH wreath on my house!! I have a nice blank two-story-high wall by my front door that it would look smashing on.

And someday I hope to see the truly enormous Mickey-head wreath on the Contemporary Hotel in WDW. That's on the Disney bucket list for sure -- a trip to WDW at Christmastime. Think of all of the trees and wreaths there!

PHXscuba

 

[Axlcat]

So just to be extra certain, the holiday-themed WOC starts on November 12 rather than November 15? Just want to be sure since I'll be making a reservation at Carthay Circle.

 

[tksbaskets]

I LOVE this picture! I thought I was excited before....but now I am really excited!!!

Sherry- thanks again for all the work you do in this thread and themed weeks.

Thanks for the kind words about the pic and I second your shout out to Sherry!

Sherry - thanks for the Public Service Announcement about linking to other thread or posting in this one. I for sure don't have time to read the general boards as much as I'd like but I am ALWAYS on this one if there are new replies.

Speaking of HOW FUN to open up the Christmas Superthread and see there were THREE new pages of fun! Thanks to everyone for their contributions. Over lunch I smiled looking at everyone's memories.

TK

 

[robisonfamily]

Looking at all the pictures makes me want to be there.we are going to disneyland in December and can't wait. Also wondering if the disneyland hotel has Xmas decorations up. Have never been there so can't wait to see what it looks like at Christmas time.

 

[KCmike]

Here is one of my favorite DLR Christmas pictures:
The GCH Christmas Tree

Gorgeous! I've never seen it decked out for Christmas and unfortunately I won't again this year because we're going so early. Thanks for sharing.

So no extra mention of a hard ticket event for the Holidays from the Disney Blog! Woo Hoo!!

 

[funatdisney]

Gorgeous! I've never seen it decked out for Christmas and unfortunately I won't again this year because we're going so early. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you KCmike!

IMHO, there is something so very special about the GCH during Christmas and their Tree is magnificent. GCH is our favorite Hotel and have many wonderful fond memories when we stay there any time of the year. But Christmas is a notch above. I am going forward to staying in a one bedroom villa this Christmas and is a perfect way to end a whirlwind of trips we have planned this year.

Sending you pixie dust magic your way in the hope you can see the GCH's Tree for yourself one day.

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry, I must not have seen the Goofy's Kitchen tree in your plethora of pictures! As head-of-thread, you do have the advantage of going first every time!! I thought I had some of the older nicer Toontown trees but now I can't find them.

I would kill to have that DLH wreath on my house!! I have a nice blank two-story-high wall by my front door that it would look smashing on.

And someday I hope to see the truly enormous Mickey-head wreath on the Contemporary Hotel in WDW. That's on the Disney bucket list for sure -- a trip to WDW at Christmastime. Think of all of the trees and wreaths there!

PHXscuba

PHX --

True. As head-of-thread and Countdown Coordinator, I go first and I set up the themes! Muahahahahahaha!

I posted the photo of the ugly new Toontown tree in my intro post. Bret was the one who posted photos of some of the older trees (the good trees).

t sounds like the giant DLH wreath would be perfect for the space on your wall. Now how can we get them to give it to you?

I have seen photos of the giant wreath on the Contemporary Hotel, and I think that looking at the photos makes me lose perspective on exactly how large it is. I bet it is enormous in person. For some reason it doesn't look as huge in the photos.

So just to be extra certain, the holiday-themed WOC starts on November 12 rather than November 15? Just want to be sure since I'll be making a reservation at Carthay Circle.

Axlcat --

You got me. I am so annoyed at and confused by Disney this year. Who the heck even knows what's happening? Really, they have never been this back-and-forth with dates for the holiday season in the entire time I have been following the holiday happenings.

Honestly -- because I don't trust DLR at all -- I would not be shocked if what they do is some sort of Limited Time Magic Winter Dreams preview for AP holders on 11/12-11/14, and then open it for the general, non-AP public on 11/15. I have no clue if that is what will happen, but I just have a hunch that Disneyland News would not have said the holiday season was beginning on 11/15 if something wasn't scheduled to begin on that day. I could picture that scenario. Also, The Parks Blog previously reported that Winter Dreams was beginning on 11/15 even before we saw the Press Release from Disneyland News. Now, suddenly, the Parks Blog is saying the season begins on 11/12 even though it contradicts Disneyland News.

Your guess is as good as mine at this point!

Thanks for the kind words about the pic and I second your shout out to Sherry!

Sherry - thanks for the Public Service Announcement about linking to other thread or posting in this one. I for sure don't have time to read the general boards as much as I'd like but I am ALWAYS on this one if there are new replies.

Speaking of HOW FUN to open up the Christmas Superthread and see there were THREE new pages of fun! Thanks to everyone for their contributions. Over lunch I smiled looking at everyone's memories.

TK

Thank you, TK!

You were one of the ones I thought of. I know that there are some people who subscribe to threads and don't have time to pick up a lot of new threads, so if a new thread is started with info that isn't also reported here, the people who subscribe may miss it. It's only because I got the email alert that Trish posted here that I found out about the Blog. I would have seen it eventually, of course, but I wasn't on the DIS at that moment, reading threads, so I did not see the separate thread until after Trish's post.

Looking at all the pictures makes me want to be there.we are going to disneyland in December and can't wait. Also wondering if the disneyland hotel has Xmas decorations up. Have never been there so can't wait to see what it looks like at Christmas time.

Welcome, robisonfamily!

We will be covering the hotels in this Theme Week Countdown later down the line, sometime over the next few months. Stay tuned!

Yes, the Disneyland Hotel gets decorated too and it will be decorated in December when you're in the parks.

On Page 1 of this thread, there is a post specifically dedicated to the hotels and Downtown Disney at Christmas time. Here is the post -- http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=46975166&postcount=7.

Also, in my intro for the current Theme Week Countdown we are in (3 pages back), I mentioned that the hotels are not to be outdone with their decorations -- http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=49187232&postcount=926. In that intro, I posted a photo of the Goofy's Kitchen tree, but I mentioned that there are trees in each tower of the Disneyland Hotel. You will also see that I posted photos from the other hotels as well.

PHXscuba posted a photo of the giant wreath at Disneyland Hotel, above^^^.

Check out Page 1 (the first 9 posts on that page) for all sorts of holiday planning info and reading material!

So no extra mention of a hard ticket event for the Holidays from the Disney Blog! Woo Hoo!!

Mike --

Yep. No hard ticket announcement. Today's Blog was very flimsy -- it almost seemed obligatory, like a "Let's pacify those people over in the Superthread with the Theme Weeks, and give them some info" sort of Blog!

But I still think we are in the clear as far as a party this year -- at least in any real way. Maybe a Limited Time Magic thing, but not a full-scale party yet.

Then again, Disney seems so backwards this year about the info and dates they are giving out that who knows what they have in store...

 

[dtnrhi]

Our new trip dates look to be the weekend before Thanksgiving. We are doing Knott's as well as one day at each of the Disney parks. We are in the parks from Friday to Sunday (22-24), but need help deciding on which days to do which parks. What would you guys think, and how should crowds be compared to December 14-16 (Saturday-Monday)?

Thanks for the expert advice

 

[Sherry E]

TREES!!





Buena Vista Street (Elias & Co.) One of the first trees to be decorated with actual tinsel at Disneyland Resort...

More wacky trees in Cars Land...

Notice the peace signs in place of ornaments on this tree. Also, notice the angel on top of the tree!

Another creative spin on a Christmas tree done Cars-style!

Goofy's Kitchen tree, close-up...

Downtown Disney -- World of Disney...

I showed you the 2010 version of the Nightmare Before Christmas tree in World of Disney. Now here is the 2012 version of that tree...

Main Street window display trees...

This mini-tree in a Main Street window display was filled with faux cookies, cakes and cupcakes!

Paradise Pier Hotel tree close-up...

Toontown, circa 2010. This was the colorful former town Christmas tree, also known as "The Good Tree" (not to be confused with The Bad Tree that moved into Toontown back in November 2011...

WREATHS!!




Cars Land...

Frontierland...

It's a Small World Holiday Mall (don't worry -- you'll be seeing more of IASWH in the coming weeks!)...

Candlelight Ceremony/Processional's Narrator podium sports a golden wreath...

Main Street - Carnation Café. Notice that the crimson wreath has a carnation motif...

New Orleans Square...

You've seen the big, ornate New Orleans Square wreath that hangs over the entrance to that land in the photos from some of our other Theme Week participants.

Well, let's delve into that wreath's details a bit...

The little guy who is precociously perched on the wreath has the telltale crescent moon-shaped head, again referencing New Orleans' Crescent City nickname...

Paradise Pier (in DCA)...

This is one of my favorite themed wreaths, in the character photo spot on the Pier. Notice that the wreath is filled with assorted nautical/sea-inspired doodads, and notice that the wreath itself is used to form a larger hidden Mickey!

Paradise Pier Hotel...

Sometimes, when the wreath itself is not all that interesting, I like to make the photo of the wreath a bit more interesting for the purposes of presentation!

Santa's Reindeer Round-Up/Jingle Jangle Jamboree...

Notice the assortment of rustic odds and ends serving as ornaments on this wreath...

Toontown...

Sometimes the wreaths around DLR may contain unexpected visitors posing as Santa!

At Donald's boat...

​

 

[Sherry E]

Our new trip dates look to be the weekend before Thanksgiving. We are doing Knott's as well as one day at each of the Disney parks. We are in the parks from Friday to Sunday (22-24), but need help deciding on which days to do which parks. What would you guys think, and how should crowds be compared to December 14-16 (Saturday-Monday)?

Thanks for the expert advice

dtnrhi --

I think that the Sunday before Thanksgiving will probably get busier by the end of the day, as lots of folks show up for their week-long Thanksgiving vacations. Prior to that it will likely be typical holiday season weekend crowds at DLR.

If I had to guess I would think the 12/14 - 12/16 dates would be less crowded than the pre-Thanksgiving dates, because a lot of folks are not out on Christmas break yet.

Maybe it would be better to do the 2 Disney parks on Friday and Saturday, so you can avoid the Sunday crowds? I don't know if one day would be better or worse than another in that scenario, because weekends are busy in general.

Not sure about the Knott's crowds. That might be something that PHXscuba can help with better than I can.

 

[Pinup Mommy]

Thank you for sharing some amazing photos, Sherry E!


Here are a couple of wreathes from DCA 2012

Main Street Tree 2011

I am so excited for the holidays

 

[danimaroo]

EEEE! I am very excited about this! Here are some photos of the Christmas Wreaths and Trees from last year's trip...

 

[JacksGirlz]

These pictures are just amazing. I haven't been to DLR for the holidays since I was a kid in 1988!! I'm not sure why since we have visited with my DD many times, just never around November/December. This year we are coming from November 29th to December 4th and I am so excited to get to see all of the festiveness from these pictures in person.

Keep those pictures coming.

 

[Sherry E]

I've got Pinup Mommy and danimaroo entered into the random draw for the $25 Disney gift card! Thank you, ladies, for posting your beautiful photos for us all to enjoy. I was beginning to wonder where you were! (Where are larina, Jamie, aidensmom, etc.???)

Pinup Mommy -- You're very welcome! Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad that this Countdown seems to be a smashing success (so far) and that people are enjoying it. And we are only one theme in! There is so much more ground to cover over the next 3 months!

danimaroo -- I hope the coming themes will be exciting too. I find that, no matter how often we look at our own photos or other people's photos, when they are packaged together and presented a little differently (broken up into categories and themes), they seem like new, as though we are kind of seeing them for the first time.

These pictures are just amazing. I haven't been to DLR for the holidays since I was a kid in 1988!! I'm not sure why since we have visited with my DD many times, just never around November/December. This year we are coming from November 29th to December 4th and I am so excited to get to see all of the festiveness from these pictures in person.

Keep those pictures coming.

JacksGirlz --

Stick around! We'll be rolling through these themes until the beginning of November -- a new theme every Monday. Since I put up the first theme yesterday morning we have had 10 people (not counting my own contributions) posting photos. Off to a great start!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I've got Pinup Mommy and danimaroo entered into the random draw for the $25 Disney gift card! Thank you, ladies, for posting your beautiful photos for us all to enjoy. I was beginning to wonder where you were! (Where are larina, Jamie, aidensmom, etc.???)

Pinup Mommy -- You're very welcome! Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad that this Countdown seems to be a smashing success (so far) and that people are enjoying it. And we are only one theme in! There is so much more ground to cover over the next 3 months!

danimaroo -- I hope the coming themes will be exciting too. I find that, no matter how often we look at our own photos or other people's photos, when they are packaged together and presented a little differently (broken up into categories and themes), they seem like new, as though we are kind of seeing them for the first time.

JacksGirlz --

Stick around! We'll be rolling through these themes until the beginning of November -- a new theme every Monday. Since I put up the first theme yesterday morning we have had 10 people (not counting my own contributions) posting photos. Off to a great start!

I'm on vacation this week, but hope to get some uploaded tomorrow!

 

[DBL101]

It took forever to pare the list down and it's still a lot of trees and wreaths. I'll post them small to save space and you can click them for larger versions.

 

[u2pixi]

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to use my first post (I've been a lurker for a couple of years) to say thank you for this thread, Sherry and thank you to everyone for posting their gorgeous photos! They certainly got me through the day at work today and also got me so excited for my December trip!
I'm looking forward to following along and being able to contribute next year!
Have great day everyone!
Amy

 

[Sherry E]

Let me just state an alarming (sort of) holiday-related fact before I reply to the recent posts...

Long story short -- my stupid cable/Internet provider (Time Warner) is at war with CBS over fees, and all of my CBS channels (including Showtime) were yanked from my channel line-up last week while "negotiations" continue. But that is a story for a whole different thread on a different forum...a forum that allows cursing.

Anyway, as a result of losing my CBS channels and Showtime, I have been pricing other options, one of which is AT&T U-Verse. They are constantly bombarding me with offers, and now they are reaping the benefits of the Time Warner--CBS feud because they are picking up a lot of TWC's angry customers.

So...as I looked over the channels that would be included in a U-verse package I noticed one glaring omission that put up a huge roadblock in my jumping ship to AT&T. What is the channel that is not provided with U-Verse?

The Hallmark Channel!!!!!!

Yes, that's right. If I dump my current cable provider to get CBS and Showtime back before the 2 series I watch end their seasons, I will lose the Hallmark Channel and the Hallmark Movie Channel.

Anyone out there who has been following along with this thread for a while (such as tksbaskets and Luisa) knows that one of the highlights of my year, not to mention holiday season, is the Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas 2-month marathon of holiday movies, which begins in early November. I really don't watch that channel for any reason other than the Christmas movies, and I would be losing out on that huge infusion of holiday merriment in my life if I switched providers!!

So, basically, unless I want to lose Hallmark -- which I don't -- I have to stick with TWC and miss out on my Showtime/CBS shows until they climb out of the sandbox and resolve their dispute with CBS. I don't think satellite is an option in my building.

This is a terrible decision to have to make!!! I have been looking forward to that Hallmark Christmas movie marathon since the last one in 2012! And yet...I am also missing out on my CBS/Showtime shows while this feud rages on. I am so annoyed!!!!

​

I'm on vacation this week, but hope to get some uploaded tomorrow!

Jamie --

Yay! I know we all look forward to seeing the photos when you get a chance to post them. I hope you're having a wonderful time on vacation.

It took forever to pare the list down and it's still a lot of trees and wreaths. I'll post them small to save space and you can click them for larger versions....

DBL101 --

Welcome! I don't think you've posted here before but I am so glad you chose now to do so! You know, even the smaller versions of the photos are gorgeous and colorful, but what a great idea to post them smaller and if we want to see the larger sizes we can click on them.

You're entered into the random draw for the gift card. In 5 days (Monday) we will have a new theme so be sure to come back for that one too!

I know exactly what you mean about the time it takes to pare down the list of photos! Oh, how I know that all too well. And even leaving many options out of the mix, there are still so many. I also have the advantage of knowing what all of the upcoming themes will be, so I struggle with the 'do I want to post this photo now or wait until another Theme Week to post it...or use it for both weeks' dilemma. Sometimes I scold myself for taking so many pictures and having to sort through all of them when I put together these Theme Weeks. But, in the end, it's all worth it.

I think that one facet of this whole Theme Week Countdown idea that is so interesting -- beyond showcasing the different elements of the holiday season to help people plan their trips -- is that, of course, in some cases, it encourages DLR holiday visitors to get out there, take more photos and notice the details of things that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Another interesting facet of it all is that it gets us to look at our own photos again, with a different perspective -- almost as though we're seeing them in a new way when we group them into the appropriate themes.

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to use my first post (I've been a lurker for a couple of years) to say thank you for this thread, Sherry and thank you to everyone for posting their gorgeous photos! They certainly got me through the day at work today and also got me so excited for my December trip!
I'm looking forward to following along and being able to contribute next year!
Have great day everyone!
Amy

Welcome, Amy!

Thank you for joining us, and thank you for the kind words. I'm so happy that you chose this as your first post! That is yet another element of the Theme Week Countdown that I find to be a delightful added bonus -- it seems to encourage people to come out of lurkdom and say hello, or even come out of lurkdom and share photos.

Stay tuned for a new theme on Monday (but I suspect we have more gems to look forward to from our contributors over the next couple of days). I hope that you are able to contribute to next year's Countdown (after your December trip this year), and please feel free to follow along with the 'code word challenge' I have previously explained in this thread to possibly win a $25 Disney Gift Card when this Countdown ends in early November.

 

[tksbaskets]

Oh NO!!! You can't loose the Hallmark Channel!!!