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

[Sherry E]

I will come back later to reply to Kathy and mrsw94!


perlster -- Do you want an entry into the gift card random draw for that photo of the line for candy canes on Main Street? If so, I will happily give you one. If not, I won't. It's up to you!



Lollipop's Mom --

Yay! A last minute photo submission! I've been doing a Theme Week Countdown in this thread for the last 3 months (it started on page 62, covered 20 themes and is ending tonight), so all of the entries have just been for Disneyland-specific themes...except for this final one, which I wanted to open up to all sorts of holiday photos (such as your great pictures!), whether they are Disney-oriented or not. I've entered everyone into a random draw to win a $25 Disney gift card, and I will reach my hand in the box and pull out the name first thing tomorrow morning. I'll announce it here.

I was also running a simultaneous contest based on code words hidden in the Theme Week intros and guessing a Christmas song, and Kathy won that challenge last Monday. I'm excited to see who will win the random draw tomorrow morning!

I've put your name into the box!

 

[Phoenixrising]

The info I found was not on Knott's main page, and their holiday page wasn't up yet. But I did find the info in another area of their website.

 

[Disney Dreams]

"Hey, umm, Pluto, do you any idea where my son went?" - Goofy




- Dreams (who liked the parade the way it's always been)

 

[MinnieLovesMickey]

Longtime lurker and procrastinator here.

Here are some photos from DS's first trip to WDW in 2011.


DH and DS watching Illuminations


DS meeting Santa at Epcot


Our last day, hence DS pouty face lol


Only 31 days until DS gets to see DL at Christmas for the first time.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Thank you for taking a picture of the Gingerbread float Dreams.

Max should be on the float instead of Pluto. That scene during the parade won't be the same without Max if anyone have seen the parade in the past years.

 

[ksromack]

I just saw this contest! How could I had not noticed this? I love a good contest! Here is a fave holiday photo - I am so excited to be going to DLH in THREE WEEKS for our first visit ever at Xmas time! My daughter is almost 18 and has NO idea - one last big surprise trip before college and adulthood

The Disney Castle made of cookies: And something I am extremely proud of that shows the true meaning of Xmas....the Toy Drive I co-ordinated last year and we collected just over 1500 toys in 5 hours! This years is Dec 8th!

Lollipop's Mom-
What a great thing to do, organize the toy drive. We do a few things at church like "Angel Tree", which is a local effort to provide gifts for children of incarcerated parent(s) and the worldwide event, Operation Shoebox.....but I've never tackled something as daunting as your toy drive!

Better late than never in joining us!

Longtime lurker and procrastinator here. Here are some photos from DS's first trip to WDW in 2011.

Welcome! How fun to be able to see DLR through your son's eyes! My kids didn't see WDW until they were 5&6 years old....I know this year will be magical for you!

 

[Sherry E]

Okay...I've logged all entries and it is the moment of truth! It's time to pick the winner of the random draw in the 2013 Theme Week Countdown!!!



(MinnieLovesMickey, all of your photos are wonderful but that second picture - the close-up of your DS -- is probably one of the cutest things I've ever seen! He is sooooooo precious and adorable, and he looks so happy!)



So now, once again, I will shake up the box containing the names of the photo contributors to mix up the names...












Still shaking....













I'm tossing the box of names wildly around in the air....
















I'm doing a little 'random draw dance'....














I'm doing the Macarena...















I'm doing the Hokey Pokey...














Now I'm Vogueing...














Now I'm doing the Twist...













I'm doing the Hustle too...

















I am now opening the box to pull out the name of the winner...Who will it be? Stay tuned!!

 

[pattyduke34]

Sherry - Love all the dancing around!! lol...just wanted to let you know that I loved this little contest...I have enjoyed it sooo much...Thank you for all your hard work you do on this thread for everyone!! You made me smile this morning with your post!!!

 

[Sherry E]

After cursing myself for wrapping and crumpling up the names so tightly (it took a minute to unravel them), I will now announce the winner...

The winner of the random draw is...





MICKEYBELL!!!!!





​

 

[Mickeybell]

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Yay!!!!!! I am soooooo excited! Thank you Sherry! You have just made my day! I started hopping around when I saw my name!

I will be getting something extra special!

 

[mrsw94]

Lollipop's Mom-
What a great thing to do, organize the toy drive. We do a few things at church like "Angel Tree", which is a local effort to provide gifts for children of incarcerated parent(s) and the worldwide event, Operation Shoebox.....but I've never tackled something as daunting as your toy drive!

Better late than never in joining us!

We do the same. Our Youth Groups to Operation Shoebox, which is always great, and then our church partners with a local Foster Child organization for an 'Angel Tree' as well. I too can't imagine a toy drive that large! That's awesome!!

The winner of the random draw is...





MICKEYBELL!!!!!





​

Yahoo!!! Congrats MickeyBell!!

 

[Sherry E]

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Yay!!!!!! I am soooooo excited! Thank you Sherry! You have just made my day! I started hopping around when I saw my name!

I will be getting something extra special!

You're very welcome! Congratulations!

PM your address to me, so I can mail out the card along with Kathy's card tomorrow (no mail service today)!

​

Just some stats on this year's Theme Week Countdown and contest:



1. The top five 5 contributors who submitted the most photo entries were (and remember that the mini-themes earned 2 entries each):

-- pattyduke34 (26 entries -- she entered into every single theme)

-- Bret/mvf-m11c (21 entries)

-- Jamie (20 entries)

-- crystal1313 (18 entries)

-- Luisa (14 entries);




2. There were many people who only entered one time, such as: Laurie/DizNee Luver (who has tons of photos she could have shared!), disneyobsessed808, BeautyAndTheBeast22, dreamseeker9, etc.;




3. As I was logging all of the entries over the 3 month contest, I would also jot down -- for no important reason, but just for my own informational purposes -- which Theme Week it was. For example, I would write, "Bret/TW2-HMH/NOS" (Haunted Mansion Holiday/New Orleans Square) or "TK/TW5-CFP/BIHM" (Christmas Fantasy Parade/Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks). When I got to the daily mini-themes, I would jot down something like "pattyduke34/TW13b-HF&P" (Holiday Flowers & Plants).

So even though the particular themes to which the participants contributed didn't affect the outcome one way or the other, I thought it was interesting to note that when I pulled Mickeybell's name out of the box and un-crumpled the piece of paper, the lucky entry that 'won' the $25 gift card for her was the one that I labeled "Mickeybell/TW13c-CC/GP" (Critter Country/Grizzly Peak)!;




4. Collectively, adding up all of the entries from everyone, there were a total of 263, although a few of them did not count because they were late; and




5. The first theme in this year's Countdown began on page 62 - August 5, 2013 -- with the "Christmas Trees & Wreaths" theme. The final theme -- "Holiday Cornucopia" -- began on page 166, on November 4, 2013. We jumped more than 100 pages in this thread in 3 months, and the number of views of the thread jumped from under 50,000 to more than 180,000 (last time I checked)!!!

​

 

[blue888]

Congrats Mickeybell

 

[julieheyer]

Cngrats Mickeybell! Enjoy it!,


Sherry-thank you soooo much for this thread!! It makes the waiting actually enjoyable!!! Dd you get good deals at that outlet? The one we have here in Az isn't that good .

I checked the long range weather forecast and so far, our week dec 8-13 looks perfect! 67 and sunny!! Yay!!

When is it too early to start packing? I'm already starting to accumulate goodies to bring for snacks in the park... Disney fruit snacks, individual pirate booty bags, etc. I'm finding, washing and setting aside all our various Disney wear. There is much more than I remember us having!! But I still want more! Lol!!

 

[mrsw94]

Cngrats Mickeybell! Enjoy it!,


Sherry-thank you soooo much for this thread!! It makes the waiting actually enjoyable!!! Dd you get good deals at that outlet? The one we have here in Az isn't that good .

I checked the long range weather forecast and so far, our week dec 8-13 looks perfect! 67 and sunny!! Yay!!

When is it too early to start packing? I'm already starting to accumulate goodies to bring for snacks in the park... Disney fruit snacks, individual pirate booty bags, etc. I'm finding, washing and setting aside all our various Disney wear. There is much more than I remember us having!! But I still want more! Lol!!

Julie-we leave just after you get back, and I've already started to accumulate snacks as well! I found little mini bottles of soda at the grocery store last week along with a few other things. I'm also working on the stuff i want to make and some car surprises. Since the trip is a surprise, I have to be a little more secretive!

 

[Phoenixrising]

Congrats Mickybell!! As for packing, what's too early??? I've been 90% packed for both trips since Sept. I only have to add a couple of things to the suitcase for DL and a couple of things for the kids backpacks and that's it. It's the housework that needs to get done more than anything else, as I do like to leave DH with a clean house when I go on one of my solo trips. Whether it stays that way until I get back is another matter. But at least I do try.

 

[mrsw94]

Congrats Mickybell!! As for packing, what's too early??? I've been 90% packed for both trips since Sept. I only have to add a couple of things to the suitcase for DL and a couple of things for the kids backpacks and that's it. It's the housework that needs to get done more than anything else, as I do like to leave DH with a clean house when I go on one of my solo trips. Whether it stays that way until I get back is another matter. But at least I do try.

I always plan on leaving a clean house before we leave, but then packing ends up so hectic that the house is trashed before we leave!

 

[Phoenixrising]

For all the planning, I still can't wrap my head around the fact that we are leaving on Nov 22nd for Edmonton, where it's going to be snowy and downright cold, think 10 degrees below freezing.... BRR! Then flying out on Nov 24th for DL, where it's downright warm in comparison. Talk about extremes in temps! Time to knuckle down and get the work done. So much to do and so little time to get everything done.

 

[kmedina]

Longtime lurker and procrastinator here. Here are some photos from DS's first trip to WDW in 2011. http://s1053.photobucket.com/user/MinnieLovesMickey2002/media/Disney Trip Report/IMAG0087.jpg.html DH and DS watching Illuminations http://s1053.photobucket.com/user/M...isney Trip Report/Photo0263FourBySix.jpg.html DS meeting Santa at Epcot http://s1053.photobucket.com/user/M...isney Trip Report/Photo0294FourBySix.jpg.html Our last day, hence DS pouty face lol Only 31 days until DS gets to see DL at Christmas for the first time.

I remember these photos. How are Micke, Minnie and Stitch doing?

 

[mom2rtk]

Congrats Mickeybell!

I really have enjoyed seeing everyone's photos. Thanks to all for helping bring it all to life for me!