Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #4

[Sherry E]

I just posted over in the Halloween Time Superthread that there is a 2-page ad for the annual Glade "Fall Collection" in one of today's coupon inserts in the newspaper (the scent that is shown in the ad is "Pumpkin Pie Diner"), as well as a small ad for the Fall versions of Hershey's, Rolo and Reese's candies.

In addition to that, "Fall décor" has hit the shelves at Rite Aid, and is being sold for 50% off with their discount card.

Once the Autumn ads appear in the coupon inserts and in at least one store circular, there is no turning back! The ads for seasonal items and the seasonal items themselves will only dramatically increase from this point forward, and will eventually pave the way to the Holiday/Christmas things.

Your planned Disneyland Resort holiday trips will be here in no time! I think that once we hit September 1st and get past Labor Day, the time will fly by from that point forward!


You have until tonight at 11:59 p.m., P.S.T. (about 14 hours from now) to get your photos of Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land posted! Tomorrow we begin a new theme!

​

 

[mom2rtk]

IMG_4935 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4932 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_4934 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_6568 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_6575 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_7077 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_7085 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

IMG_7117 by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[KCmike]

Looking forward to the next theme week!! Nice shots of Carthay Circle Janet ^^

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Oh, I am excited to hear about Viva Navida!. Even though we were there for five days last year, I didn't make it to see that. I was going to go our last day. We were a short walk away, staying at the GCH for heaven's sake. But, my feet gave out. This year it will be one of the first spots I go.

Me too! We were there for 6 days last year and wondered back there twice, but always late at night when things were cleared out. I am determined we are going to spend some time back there this year! I actually have a whole list of must do for this trip!

 

[Cheshirecatty]

Hi mom2rtk….your daughter is so beautiful!

Love the picture with she and Santa--although he looks a bit disgruntled!

 

[Sherry E]

Just to let you in on where all of the random draw entries stand at this point in the Countdown (so you all can be assured that I actually am keeping track and logging all the entries when I say I am!)...


The people with 4 entries (for 4 Theme Weeks) so far are:

pattyduke34
Bret/mvf-m11c
Lori/Kylie71
Orbitron
Luisa
figment_jii
Jenny/rentayenta
Amanda/PixiDustDears
Jamie/DisneyJamieCA
Denise/dhorner233
Elk Grove Chris
dec2009mama
pudinhd
Janet/mom2rtk
sgrap
KCmike
TK/tksbaskets



The people with 3 entries (over 4 Theme Weeks) so far are:

Speechphi
Jenasweetemotion
Vintage Mousketeer
DLmama
PHXscuba
crystal1313
Trish/Phoenixrising (though I can cancel her entries out later, at the end of the Countdown, if she doesn't want to be entered into the draw)




The people with 2 entries (over 4 Theme Weeks) so far are:

JadeDarkstar
I'm mikey




The people with 1 entry (over 4 Theme Weeks) so far are:

Misskitty3
ashnjam
blackjackdelta




That's 29 people who have posted photos so far (not including myself)! There's always room for more! We have 18 more themes to go!


I will reiterate that, while it helps your chances to enter into as many themes as you can, it will not necessarily be the 2 people with the most entries who win the 2 gift cards for the photo challenge segment of this Countdown (not counting the Code Word Challenge part of the Countdown, which is a separate competition for the non-photo people). Last year, Mickeybell did not have the most photo entries and she won!

So even if you have only one theme to which you can contribute in this whole Countdown -- and it may be the very last theme (Holiday Cornucopia) on Monday, November 3rd -- it is still worth a shot!


On that note, I have almost finished preparing tomorrow's new theme, so I will see you again in this thread, bright and early tomorrow morning, as we start off a new Theme Week (and hopefully this upcoming week will be the week in which we finally get the official word on the start date of the holiday season!).

 

[mom2rtk]

Looking forward to the next theme week!! Nice shots of Carthay Circle Janet ^^

Thanks Mike!

Me too! We were there for 6 days last year and wondered back there twice, but always late at night when things were cleared out. I am determined we are going to spend some time back there this year! I actually have a whole list of must do for this trip!

Me three! I really want a chance to see and experience this more fully. So glad it's coming back!

 

[Sherry E]

It’s Monday -- and it’s time for the Theme Week Countdown!!

……(Approximately) 12 Weeks Until the
Holiday Season Begins at the Disneyland Resort!!!!
​

With each new week will come a different Disneyland Resort holiday theme!

As I have previously mentioned in this Superthread, I’ll be showcasing a particular aspect of DLR's holiday festivities each week until early November. Including today’s theme, there are many more themes to come over the next few months: 10 main weekly themes (this Countdown began with the first theme on 7/21/14, and there will be a new weekly theme every Monday from today, August 18, 2014, through October 20, 2014); 7 ‘mini-themes’ which will be featured daily from 10/27/14 – 11/2/14, and a final “Holiday Cornucopia/These Are a Few of My Favorite Things” theme on Monday, November 3, 2014 (there will be more details about what the “Cornucopia” can include when we get closer to that date!).

Those of you who have participated in previous Theme Week Countdowns may have noticed that this year’s Countdown began a couple of weeks earlier than it did last year. I kicked off the Countdown two weeks earlier than I did in 2013, and I am ending it the week before I expect the Holidays at DLR to officially commence (as of early Monday, August 18, 2014, there has been no official confirmation from Disney of the holiday season start date for this year, but it is assumed that it will be sometime during the week of Monday, November 10, 2014 – Friday, November 14, 2014). The reason for that is, once November starts and the decorations in the parks appear little by little each day, our attention shifts to learning information about and seeing photos of what is new for the current season’s celebration.

Theme Week Countdowns are a great way to keep the photos rolling in on a regular basis and build anticipation for November at the Disneyland Resort! They are also a way to display the different elements, nuances and details of the Holidays at DLR that may be totally new to some visitors…or previously unnoticed/undiscovered by others. Finally, this is an excellent way for our Theme Week Countdown participants to shine a light on their wonderful photos and attract visitors to their Trip Reports, blogs, etc.

Last week, we stepped back in time to see how Christmas was celebrated on Buena Vista Street and in Hollywood Land in the 1920s through the 1940s, respectively. Not too long ago we also enjoyed the Yuletide season around the world as we sailed through It’s a Small World Holiday and strolled through Fantasyland. Before that, we reveled in the pageantry of A Christmas Fantasy Parade, and gazed in awe at the spectacular Believe…In Holiday Magic Fireworks. The code word for today is: bell. Just prior to that, we began this Countdown by showing off our best Holiday Character photos, PhotoPass photos and Santa Claus photos..

So…what will be our fifth theme of 2014? Today, let us pay a little visit to the place where some of our favorite characters live and deck the halls, ‘Toon-style!

In the Spotlight this Week......

MICKEY’S TOONTOWN!!!​

Since 1993, Mickey’s Toontown has been a place that is easily dismissed as a playground “just for kids.” But anyone who appreciates the famous attention to detail that Disneyland offers in all of its theme parks will agree that Toontown is one of the best places to enjoy a wide variety of hidden gems.

Located in the far reaches of Disneyland, beyond the magical It’s a Small World Holiday, Mickey’s Toontown seems to be a long way to go for a bit of holiday cheer. But holiday cheer you will surely find if you care to visit this city made of exaggerated, slightly kooky structures and shapes; signs, sight gags and inside jokes; interactive inanimate objects; and bright, vivid colors. Toontown is wild. It’s wacky. It’s whimsical. It’s off-kilter. And it has its own special style of celebrating the season.

As Toontown is the place where Disney luminaries such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Chip & Dale reside, it will be no surprise to hear their familiar voices ‘singing’ Christmas songs to keep you in a festive mood as you stroll through the streets of this madcap world.

One of the first signs of Christmas to catch your eye is the town’s appropriately cartoonish tree, stationed in front of City Hall. However, there are touches of the season everywhere you look. Roger Rabbit wears a Santa Claus suit in his cozy nook situated above the Car Toon Spin ride. Mickey and Minnie display trees on their lawns (Minnie’s tree features pink tones!). Decorations hanging from various Toontown ‘businesses’ bear symbols of the themes they represent, i.e., some of the Fire House ornaments may be Dalmatian-spotted; there are letters/envelopes in the garland above the Post Office; there are daisies above Daisy’s Diner, etc. The details are absolutely amazing, and are just one of the elements that make Toontown such a special place in Disneyland all year long, but specifically from November to early January!


If you are visiting Disneyland Resort for the holiday season, don’t leave without paying a visit to the lively Toontown to check out its special brand of Toon-tastic Yuletide decorations, with an ‘animated’ twist!

December 2013




Roger Rabbit was suddenly facing forward in his Santa suit, though in previous years he had been turned to the side…

Note the themed accents in the wreaths and garland…

Those little silver, spiral things hanging from the garland are supposed to represent watch springs!

Horrible, plastic City Hall tree…

Detailing on the garland at the Bank…

At the Post Office…

Daisy’s Diner…

Fire Department…

Five and Dime…

At Minnie’s House…

At Mickey’s House…

Things are delightfully askew at Goofy’s House…

December 2012

In front of Car Toon Spin…

City Hall and the Ugly tree…

Pluto’s Dog House at dusk

December 2010



Outside of Donald’s boat…

​

I may post more photos during the week, if it seems like not too many people are contributing.

Please feel free to post your photos of Mickey’s Toontown all this week, through Sunday, August 24th, 2014, 11:59 p.m., P.S.T.

Then, stay tuned for our sixth theme on Monday, August 25th!! We have many themes coming up in future weeks, so get your photos ready!

 

[rentayenta]

Ready to #gethappier and for this weeks theme.


ETA: jinx! Great photos Sherry! I'm going to have to get into the Photobucket archives for Toontown. It's so whimsical and wonderful.

 

[Sherry E]

Ready to #gethappier and for this weeks theme.

I just posted the theme! Right above your post ^^^^!

 

[Vintage Mouseketeer]

Happy Monday Everyone

I have enjoyed everyone's pictures thus far, I hope I have a chance to upload some this go around !!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin




The Plastic Tree at City Hall.


City Hall


Minnie’s Heart Wreath


Minnie’s Plastic Tree


Mickey’s House


Mickey’s Plastic Christmas tree along with a nice train on the lawn


Donald’s Boat


Donald’s Wreath


Goofy’s House

 

[kylie71]

I'm out this week. I have NOTHING from Toon Town... Bummer!!

--Lori

 

[Sherry E]

Vintage Mousketeer -- You completely missed Buena Vista Street/Hollywood Land week, so hopefully you will be joining us for Toontown Week!

​

I'm out this week. I have NOTHING from Toon Town... Bummer!!

--Lori

Lori, I'm sorry!

I can't believe that you don't have even one photo of any of the Toontown decorations! That's one of the best places for theme-specific décor!

...And therein lies the challenge for many of our photo contributors! There are many weeks for which people will have photos, and then we'll hit a week or two where they may have to sit out! (I've, of course, got photos for everything since I'm the one leading the Countdown, but even a couple of our other regular photo participants will probably hit a Theme Week or Theme Day where they have no photos.)

To let you in on my "process" a bit again, I will admit that I almost relegated Toontown to 'Theme Day status' instead of 'Theme Week Status' this year. The reason is that it seemed to be our least active Theme Week in the 2013 Countdown (for some reason, a lot of people don't want to bother with heading back to Toontown -- even to take photos!), and I figured I could get away with running the theme for one of the Theme Days.

However, when I went over all of the themes that would have to be covered, as well as the other themes that would have to be covered in single days instead of a full week, I realized that to make Toontown a day theme would throw off my scheduling of everything else. Any time I tried to adjust the number of themes, or rearrange something to week status or day status or vice versa, it threw off the timeframe and I would have had to make the Countdown even longer than 3-1/2 months, which I didn't want to do.

So, I decided to keep Toontown as a weekly theme, in hopes that more people would have taken photos of it in 2013.

BUT...knowing that Toontown had the potential to be a week for which a lot of folks might not have photos, I wanted to get it out of the way kind of early in the Countdown, like now, instead of further down the line when things are really hoppin' in this thread.

I needed to start the Countdown with a few weeks of themes for which I figured a lot of people would have photos, to build some momentum, but I wanted to do Toontown before we got too much further. After this week we will have 17 more themes to cover, and many of them will be "hot" themes that will probably draw in a lot of participants and activity. I didn't want to stick Toontown somewhere in the middle of a bunch of hot themes while we are on a roll!

Also, I was thinking that this week could very likely be the week when we get some sort of official confirmation of the holiday season start dates, and, if so, it will be a bit of news to discuss and it won't matter as much if the theme is not a hot one.

​

 

[rentayenta]

I just posted the theme! Right above your post ^^^^!

I think we were posting at the same time. Great pics.



Love your photos Bret.

 

[Orbitron]

 

[blackjackdelta]

Just a few from last November,

Jack

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I don't have very many for this theme. Honestly, Toontown isn't my favorite place. It's adorably themed though.
I apologize if two of these are on their sides - I rotated them in photobucket, but it isn't showing up correctly here.







(DD is showing off the Holiday mugs we got as part of the Discover the Magic Tour)

 

[sgrap]

Toontown Christmas Tree, 2005

My son who is now 20!

My kids who are now 23, 13 and 20 (plus we have one more!) OK, I rotated this on Photobucket and it still is posting sideways . . . oh well, it is Toontown, right?

 

[Sherry E]

I logged Bret, Orbitron, blackjackdelta, Jamie and sgrap, and everyone has another entry into the random draw!

Jamie -- I don't think Toontown is a favorite of most people (hence, the lack of photo contributors last year during Toontown week). I love it because I spot something new in the details every time I go there and wander around, but I have to be in the mood for it! I don't know that I would necessarily call it a favorite outside of the holiday season. In terms of theme-specific holiday decorations, Toontown is one of the best lands (though it used to be better prior to the ugly plastic trees)!

Fortunately, the themed areas or highlights around DLR don't have to be favorites of anyone -- you guys just have to have photos of them because Toontown will pop up in every Countdown, either for a week or for a day!



ETA: I'll be glad when this whole #GetHappier thing is over in 2 weeks! I am getting tired of checking Facebook pages and Twitter feeds every Monday, all day, only to find that another lackluster or non-applicable, unattainable prize is being given out. Enough of this madness already!