For those of you going in December :

terri01p · Dec 1, 2007

For those of you that are going to fw in December is that your Christmas to one another, or do you do shopping later after your trip ,or is Christmas already taken care of. A trip right before Christmas seems so hard because you then have to come home and clean up from the trip :laundy:

, shop and decorate. Couldn't afford to go to wdw and do Christmas, so what's the scope, I'm curious how do you swing that, lots of planning or what ? :santa:

becky1960 · Dec 1, 2007

We take our presents to Disney have Christmas there just like we do at home, only we get to eat out. We dont decorate the house as much as we are not there. This Christmas its home.

Boomer1 · Dec 1, 2007

We have our Christmas at WDW. The fine CMs do a wonderful job of decorating. I make a much smaller decorating impact on our trailer and site. Santa finds us in our trailer just as he would at home. The trip to WDW is our gift to our children. The grandparents have a little Christmas for us usually before we go. This will be our 4th Christmas at WDW and I can hardly wait. :santa:

AuburnJen92 · Dec 1, 2007

Since we live close, I decided this year I was going to get everything done by the 20th, that includes all my online orders for my business. We are going to stay at FW from the 20-23 and that gives me the 24th for any insane ideas I come up with to go out on that day. For the last couple of years, it has been so hairy with a little one in the house that I haven't started until the 20th or so, so I am trying to do the early thing this year.

loveDmouse · Dec 1, 2007

My husband and I haven't bought gifts for each other for Christmas, Birthdays or Anniversary in a long while. We go on trips (twice a year, wish it could be more) one of those being Disney this time of the year. Our trips are our gifts to each other. Works out well.

LarryJ · Dec 1, 2007

loveDmouse said:
My husband and I haven't bought gifts for each other for Christmas, Birthdays or Anniversary in a long while. We go on trips (twice a year, wish it could be more) one of those being Disney this time of the year. Our trips are our gifts to each other. Works out well.

That's what we have been doing for like 5 yrs and probably closer to 10 now. After about 30 yrs we were pushing things to really get each other and at 37 years this year we just enjoy the trip and the meals and if she or me sees something we then buy it and try and keep it a secret until the event. In the past when the boys were grown we have done the X-mas thing where they could join us, but in 2008 we will do the Halloween - Thanksgiving thing and will most likely be by ourselves for the first time at WDW since we started going back in the 1970's. Our oldest was married on a Disney Cruise Vacation package where both all the birde and grooms siblings and parents were there, but we're now planning a "ONLY US" 7 day in the next couple of years since we enjoyed the 3 day so much.

Larry

Minnie's Mate · Dec 5, 2007

My wife and I do all of our Christmas shopping early. Usually finished in October or we do the rest on-line since we both hate the crowds at the stores.

We have been going to Disney (usually between Christmas and New Years') every year at Christmas for the last 10 years and have our family Christmas time together at home before we go or as soon as we return. This will be our first trip camping at Christmas, but we will have Christmas as soon as we get home. We always decorate the house over Thanksgiving Weekend in stead of shopping on Black Friday. We have a 9 foot Disney ornament tree in the great room and a 7-1/2 foot Disney ornament tree in the foyer plus a 7-1/2 foot Hallmark Ornament tree in our Great room. This year the decorations and gifts will be waiting for us when we return. We are taking a couple of Disney Christmas inflatables to FW to decorate our campsite (I know, we'll have one of the under decorated sites! :crazy:

clkelley · Dec 5, 2007

I traditionally go to Disney in early December as a solo trip for RADP/Mousefest. We do the decorations over Thanksgiving, and will do the majority of our shopping the weekend of the 15th this year. The boys are at the age (20 & 21) where a Visa Gift Card is what they want, and me and hubby usually get something for the house together for our Christmas, (this year it's a shed for the backyard) (although we each get something frivoulous and small for each other to actually open on Christmas morning). Our family is so large and blended (family, inlaws, and ex-inlaws) that many, many years ago we all agreed only the children under 16 draw names and exchange gifts. So the actual shopping is really not that much for us. We do have four get togethers to go to/host between the 15th and 24th where everybody brings food and we just enjoy spending time as a family together and the younger kids each get to rip something open.

(Now that will all probably change when my boys start having children, but I hope that's a few years yet.) Not ready to be a grandmother yet!!!!!

PolynesianPixie · Dec 5, 2007

For the last couple of years, our trip to WDW has been the "families gift." Our daughters will get gifts from Santa, and a couple of little things from us. They always get new PJs on Christmas Eve (so the christmas morning pictures are cuter

). DH and I usually exchange small gifts, however, this year, with the trip~ and our washer, vacuum cleaner and leaf blower all going out in the same week :eek:

, we decided the trip and new home appliances would be more than enough!

It does take some planning, but our DDs would much rather have WDW than another American Girl Doll! The memories are all the gift I will ever want :cloud9:

Shannone1 · Dec 5, 2007

Good question. I was thinking about that for our trip next Christmas. My plan is to only put up our tree here at home. Not the outside lights that we spend 3 days putting up, or any of the other decorations all over the house. I will bring a small tree to put on the dash of the motorhome and some things to decorate the site with. We will bring a few gifts for each of the kids with us and set them under the little tree on Christmas morning. The trip will be our main gift though. :goodvibes

Stevelp · Dec 6, 2007

AuburnJen92 said:
Since we live close, I decided this year I was going to get everything done by the 20th, that includes all my online orders for my business. We are going to stay at FW from the 20-23 and that gives me the 24th for any insane ideas I come up with to go out on that day. For the last couple of years, it has been so hairy with a little one in the house that I haven't started until the 20th or so, so I am trying to do the early thing this year.

We are going to be there the same dates. Maybe we will see you. We live in Orlando and try to go at least twice a month. It sound like we have the same planner as you do. We have DD 4 and DS 3 and it is always crazy, but the both can't wait to get in the RV and go see Mickey Mouse.

DisneyDreamerz · Dec 8, 2007

Well, I'm just freaking out because we leave in 12 days for our very first trip to Fort Wilderness....coming from NY where we currently have 18 inches of snow, towing our 35' fifth wheel!
I only put up 4 very small trees in the house and a few other small items, but we did not decorate outside at all....I feel like the Kranks from the movie "Christmas with the Kranks"! :rotfl:

Our house is usually the brightest on the street and has made the newspaper several times, but not this year!
I decorated the inside of the camper and got several Disney decorations for our site....but it will still pale in comparison to some I've seen on the internet!
We will be opening all gifts that do not need to go with us on Dec. 15th and all gifts that need to go with us (Disney related), we will open x-mas morning at camp.
I'm excited, scared, feel like I'm missing or forgetting something, etc...all emotions wrapped in one! :banana: