Hi!
We're getting in on the 10th.
As far as the mixers go, I sure do hope they have them again. We had a GG last year and had no time to stop by. (They were held in (or by) Epcot, free to members (guests too I think), and had characters, food, pictures and they looked like fun! I think they were held once a week, on Tuesdays, maybe, for about two hours, between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Have fun watching your timer go down!
Bobbi