How to pack for DECEMBER?!

[Picabo]

I know the weather can be so iffy in December. We're going the 1st week in December and have a 2 and 3 yr old. How can I pack for the possibility of cold and hot weather without bringing 18000 suitcases? Should I bring all short sleeve things but with a sweatshirt or jacket for everyone? Do we need both short and long pants? I don't know where to start in terms of what type of clothes to take!!!

THANKS!

 

[rt2dz]

I know the weather can be so iffy in December. We're going the 1st week in December and have a 2 and 3 yr old. How can I pack for the possibility of cold and hot weather without bringing 18000 suitcases? Should I bring all short sleeve things but with a sweatshirt or jacket for everyone? Do we need both short and long pants? I don't know where to start in terms of what type of clothes to take!!!

THANKS!

Last year we were there both the week of Halloween and Thanksgiving through the week after. Both times we had nice warm weather, and cold, cold, cold (Well, for us--30 degrees) weather.

I found the best way to pack was to have a couple pairs of shorts and a couple pair of jeans. Other than that, we had a sweatshirt/jacket and things that could be layered--like a long sleeve shirt worn under a short sleeved shirt. That way we were covered for completely cold days and completely warm days in addition to days that started and ended cold, but were warm in the middle.

 

[kpm76]

We are going the same week! We typically travel this time of year and we have a 2 yr old. She is very fair skinned so I like to protect her from the sun. I pack light weight pants and short sleeved shirts and a few light jackets and sweatshirts. I will look at the projected forecast a week before we leave and unless they are predicting high 80's (unlikely) I will stick to my plan of light pants......

 

[mybabesuz]

We are going at that time too.
I am going to wait and see how the weather is.
It varies from year to year.
Last year it was COLD.

 

[phins_jazy]

I've been trying to plan for this too. We're going over christmas week. We're planning on shorts, pants, a sweatshirt, tshirts and long shirts. It's crazy I know. We'll also have one suitcase set aside for winter jackets, hats, gloves. I'd rather be prepared and not need it than freeze our tushes off and have to buy jackets there. Gotta love southwest and no extra charges for luggage.

 

[Stephres]

We live here and it's hard to plan! One week in October we got caught by a cold front and had to buy sweatshirts. I wouldn't think you would need shorts at all. I would pack short sleeved shirts and pants and sweatshirts and jackets. I always like to pack a couple on long underwear shirts for layering too. You could just throw them in a dryer with a sheet to freshen them up.

 

[RMulieri]

We go often that time of year.This year Dec 12-18!!We pack plenty of clothes..Mostly jeans, and then shortsleeved tshirts we can layer with a jacket.We also bring 1-2 pairs shorts. Mostly we find that shorts are ok for mid-day, but early morning and late afternoon gets nippy.I wait till right before the trip to start packing

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

Last year we went the second week in December, and it was chilly - but it wasn't a bother - I always overpack! This year we are going for NYE. I'm planning on cold weather, but we have family that is driving down a few days early, so thankfully we can give them all our long pants and jackets and suck so we don't have to pay the crazy $$$ for suitcases. Good luck, and have a great time. Make sure to go to all the hotels to check out the decorations if you've never been at Christmas time.

 

[micheleq]

We go often that time of year.This year Dec 12-18!!We pack plenty of clothes..Mostly jeans, and then shortsleeved tshirts we can layer with a jacket.We also bring 1-2 pairs shorts. Mostly we find that shorts are ok for mid-day, but early morning and late afternoon gets nippy.I wait till right before the trip to start packing

I totally agree! We went this past December and wore everything...and don't forget ponchos! We had a few days of rain.

Just check the forecast on weather.com 10 days before your trip (and if you're like me every day until you leave!).

Happy trip planning. December is a great time to go!

 

[garanorymom]

Pack them hats and mittens too for at night. We've gone several times Dec., Jan., Feb. and spent alot of money there for a hat and gloves after swimming in the afternoon. The weather really dips at night. I'm going to have a hard time packing this year to with the new airline luggage charges.

 

[natenapril]

Looks like alot of us will be there at the same time. We will be there the 10-16th and going to MVMCP on the 11th.
We are from Alaska so we will probably be wearing light clothes compared to the rest of the crowds!

 

[baloo's girl]

We were there the second week of December last year. 3 of the days were freezing cold! The other 4 were warm. On the cold days, my kids (3 and 6 at the time) wore jackets, fleeces, and had blankets wrapped around them in the stroller. I saw several small kids with gloves and hats too. On our Thursday, it was downpouring rain. It was 35 degrees and miserable. But the day before it was 80 degrees.

What I recommend is wear long pants the whole time (maybe pack a pair of shorts or capris). My husband did wear shorts the whole time, but he's crazy like that. I'd bring short sleeve shirts and then a jacket or two. And maybe a lightweight fleece blanket or poncho the kids can use.

We had a great time in spite of the crazy weather. This year, we're going in October. Hopefully the weather will be a bit more consistent for us.

 

[pooh4evr]

We went 2 yrs ago (07) and it was the opposite- very warm-80's- during the day except for 2 , we had 1 night the girls wore jackets, pants, gloves.. but other than that it was shorts and t shirts for us, so this time we are taking just 2 apir of pants/capri, 1 jacket/sweatshirt and then shorts and t shirts, and probably some gloves for the girls - if we need anything else I guess it will be a souvenier.

 

[VBAndrea]

I am planning on buying pants that unzip into shorts (the only place I can find them for women is on line ~ and they're getting hard to find in stores as well for my ds). I also plan on buying pants that can be rolled up into capris. Again, these are a bit harder to find for dd. I did find some safari pants that unzip to shorts and they have pockets which is better than carrying loads of stuff in bags. Certainly won't eliminate my bag, but will help.

Another option I was thinking about for dd is knit leggings for under dresses if it's cold and she otherwise wears knit shorts under dresses when it's warm.

DS is generally hot, so short sleeve shirts should work for him with either a jacket or fleece pullover in the evening, or a long sleeve shirt as necessary.

It just makes life more difficult having to pack for a variety of weather. Kind of makes packing light impossible.

Also, I was contemplating getting some custom made Disney clothes for dd and possibly ds and the thought of wearing jackets over them kind of makes me sick.

 

[VBAndrea]

Forgot to add, I am also going to bring a pair of thermals for the kids to wear under clothes and my long silk underwear. We lived in RI for two years so I became of fan of long underwear. It's really thin, so very comfy but provides a wonderful extra layer of warmth. I even wear them in winter here in VB. Might be something to add to your packing list as well.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Ok, here is my personal rule... Pack nothing but short sleeve tops!!!

Take 2-3 plain long sleeve tees in case it gets cold; you can slide one under the short tee to warm up. Take one jacket. 1-2 pair of jeans and 1 pair of athletic-type pants. That way you can combine and layer. Adding and subtracting works easily and you can pack everything in one suitcase.

The same goes with short pants... take 1-2 pair. That way you're covered and you can always wash clothes if there's a spill.

Though IMHO, you'll probably keep the kids in long pants the whole time. The bonus is, they're little so you can pack extra and still have room! The adults are the ones who have to be creative!

I totally agree with a PP for taking leggings for little girls. Leggings/tights fix everything.

Good luck!