Hubby got a Camera & I got Christmas!!! 51 Chapters Completed!! 926 Pics!

[DizNee Luver]

Chapter Nine~~Hold on to Your Hats & Glasses, We're Gonna Find us Some Reindeer!

I'm walking by the Rivers of America & nearing my favorite ride at the parks......Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!!! If this is the only ride I get on, I'll be happy!! My plan was to head to the Big Thunder Ranch to search for reindeer, but the FastPass machine was calling my name.....so I veered off course, grabbed my first FP & THEN.......went on my way to find Santa's reindeer!!

You know

And

And

And

And

And

And

but do you recall?? The most famous reindeer of all.........

WHOA! Wait a minute, we're getting off track here.......no Rudolph but I did find.......REINDEER!!

There were cute little displays all around the ranch!!

I look up from my camera & look who I see!!

Ms. Chris's Cabin is transformed into Santa's home for visitors. Mrs. Santa was outside greeting guests.

Unfortunately, the line for Santa was always very long here, so I never got in the cabin to take pics or talk to Santa........I guess there's always next time!!

Next to the entrance into the ranch area was this PhotoPass picture area, so I stopped.

The lamp post & one of the many wagon wheel carts.

Coming up will wreaths from around the world.

 

[kaoden39]

Too bad Rudolph had another engagement.



What a cute Mrs Claus.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Oh I see. I've only seen Piglet but at Walt Disney World. I love the update too!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Chapter Ten~~Wreaths From Around the World!!

Now that I've seen the reindeer, I figured it was time to wander thru Fantasyland & head towards Small World. The walkway from the Matterhorn to It's a Small World is lined with wreaths that represent the different countries in the IASW ride.

I took pics of the wreaths on one side, detoured into ToonTown & then back down the path to get pics of the ones from the other side. So these pics are out of order.....but wanted to keep them all together for the report.

Please don't ask me which country is which....I almost wish they'd put a little placard or something on the wreath to let you know. I imagine if I examined them for a while, I'd figure it out......but I didn't....so here's the pics....lol

Here's a couple pics of Small World.....I didn't get on and ride at this time.

After getting the pics of the front of Small World, I notice one of the fences opening up to the left & look what comes out.......Toy Soldiers!!

ToonTown will up next!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Too bad Rudolph had another engagement.



What a cute Mrs Claus.

I would have loved to see Rudolph!!! He's so cute!!!

Mrs. Claus looked REAL!!

Oh I see. I've only seen Piglet but at Walt Disney World. I love the update too!!

Thanx Kaitlin!

 

[Sherry E]

I never figured out which country belonged to which wreath, either. I tried to figure it out for a minute last year - and I am certain that it can be looked up online somewhere - but I just forgot. To be honest, more than one of the wreaths looked like it represented France to me, and it didn't make sense to have multiple France wreaths, so I gave up!

 

[kaoden39]

I would have loved to see Rudolph!!! He's so cute!!!

Mrs. Claus looked REAL!!



Thanx Kaitlin!

I am rather a fan of Rudolph myself.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I never figured out which country belonged to which wreath, either. I tried to figure it out for a minute last year - and I am certain that it can be looked up online somewhere - but I just forgot. To be honest, more than one of the wreaths looked like it represented France to me, and it didn't make sense to have multiple France wreaths, so I gave up!

That's why having them labeled would be nice for those of us that are geographically challenged.....like me!!

 

[DizNee Luver]

I am rather a fan of Rudolph myself.

I've always had a soft spot for Rudolph!!

 

[Sherry E]

Laurie -

I know I'm jumping ahead when you haven't gotten to that point in the story yet, but were you able to catch the big gingerbread house in Storytellers, by the entrance (I hope)? Storytellers seems to have stopped putting up Christmas trees for the season (though they have had them in the past), but every year they display a gingerbread house. It's a real gingerbread house - made of fresh gingerbread (which smells heavenly as you walk past it into the restaurant).

In fact, last year when I ate at Storytellers, my waiter told me he had seen the 2010 version of the gingerbread house in the restaurant and it was a Haunted Mansion Holiday theme...and then he went home. When he came back to the restaurant that night or the next morning, the house was totally gone! No one at the restaurant (his co-workers) seemed to know about it or that it was ever even on display. I asked them and they all pretended to be clueless. The house just vanished like it never existed.

So this year I was delighted to see that there was a house in Storytellers once again - and now the staff admitted that they did know about the Haunted Mansion Holiday house last year but they had to take it down for "legal reasons," which is why it was gone in a matter of hours.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Laurie -

I know I'm jumping ahead when you haven't gotten to that point in the story yet, but were you able to catch the big gingerbread house in Storytellers, by the entrance (I hope)? Storytellers seems to have stopped putting up Christmas trees for the season (though they have had them in the past), but every year they display a gingerbread house. It's a real gingerbread house - made of fresh gingerbread (which smells heavenly as you walk past it into the restaurant).

In fact, last year when I ate at Storytellers, my waiter told me he had seen the 2010 version of the gingerbread house in the restaurant and it was a Haunted Mansion Holiday theme...and then he went home. When he came back to the restaurant that night or the next morning, the house was totally gone! No one at the restaurant (his co-workers) seemed to know about it or that it was ever even on display. I asked them and they all pretended to be clueless. The house just vanished like it never existed.

So this year I was delighted to see that there was a house in Storytellers once again - and now the staff admitted that they did know about the Haunted Mansion Holiday house last year but they had to take it down for "legal reasons," which is why it was gone in a matter of hours.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I had no clue they had that!! bummer!!!

 

[DisneyStitch626]

I can figure out the Canadian one easy enough, lol, but most of them would take a minute or two of studying to figure out! They are all very pretty though!

I love your addition of Rudolph, lol.

It would be so cool to see IASW during the holidays. It looks so pretty when lit up.

 

[DizNee Luver]

I can figure out the Canadian one easy enough, lol, but most of them would take a minute or two of studying to figure out! They are all very pretty though!

I love your addition of Rudolph, lol.

It would be so cool to see IASW during the holidays. It looks so pretty when lit up.

I hope you could figure out the Canada one......

Sending love to my Rudolph!!

It probably can be seen from space.....there are soooooo many lights on it!!! Stunning!!!

 

[Sherry E]

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I had no clue they had that!! bummer!!!

Well, it's one more thing to add to your list of photo ops (along with the window & store displays!) for next year's hopeful holiday family trip!

Just to put your mind at ease a bit, while this house was very nice - as all gingerbread houses are nice and interesting to look at - it was very large and from what I recall, it was not the most intricately designed of all the houses I've seen in other (non-Disney) places. Whoever made it could have done more with it, I felt. Still, the smell was amazing and it was cool to see. They actually had the house roped off so grabby hands couldn't reach in and yank off one of the cookie shingles!

A lot of people were posing with the house, and it was kind of close to the entry way in the restaurant, so I thought for sure you would have stumbled upon it during your journey around the GCH property.

I have to wonder whatever became of the Haunted Mansion Holiday themed house from 2010 that magically vanished for "legal reasons." That one must have been awesome!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Well, it's one more thing to add to your list of photo ops (along with the window & store displays!) for next year's hopeful holiday family trip!

Just to put your mind at ease a bit, while this house was very nice - as all gingerbread houses are nice and interesting to look at - it was very large and from what I recall, it was not the most intricately designed of all the houses I've seen in other (non-Disney) places. Whoever made it could have done more with it, I felt. Still, the smell was amazing and it was cool to see. They actually had the house roped off so grabby hands couldn't reach in and yank off one of the cookie shingles!

A lot of people were posing with the house, and it was kind of close to the entry way in the restaurant, so I thought for sure you would have stumbled upon it during your journey around the GCH property.

I have to wonder whatever became of the Haunted Mansion Holiday themed house from 2010 that magically vanished for "legal reasons." That one must have been awesome!

You have to wonder the legal reasons were.....ummmmm, doesn't Disney own the Haunted Mansion?? Weird.....unless it was an issue with Tim Burton?!

I walked past the Storytellers, but didn't notice.....dang!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

What?! How come I didn't know this?

 

[DizNee Luver]

What?! How come I didn't know this?

Maybe it will still be up when you go for New Years!!

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

We'll see.

 

[bumbershoot]

Mrs Claus looks a LOT like the Fairy Godmother of Cinderella. I bet they are "friends".


I didn't even notice all the different wreaths near iasw! Then again I was really only there at night. Isn't a surprise that the one I took a picture of has the tulip in it, because when I had the record of the song, my FAVORITE part was when the little Dutch kids are clacking their wooden shoes.


Loving the pictures!

 

[DizNee Luver]

Chapter Eleven~~ToonTown's Razzle Dazzle!!

After saying goodbye to the Toy Soldiers, I walked into ToonTown to see all the festive razzle dazzle. I always enjoy my time in ToonTown, lots of little details all over the place but also the feel of stepping into a cartoon......so seeing the decorations fit the land quite well.

Roger Rabbit's CarToon Spin:

The Gag Works:

The Fire Department:

Notice the dalmatian spotted ornaments mixed into the garland??

The wreath above the Post Office:

Sorry, can't say 100% what buildings these are on:

The Five & Dime:

City Hall & the buildings around this area:

This is the "new" ToonTown tree....I've seen pics of the one from the past & this one was, well..............Plastic.....boring & plastic. It does match the trees in the front yards of Mickey & Minnie......but left something to be desired being the City Hall official tree.

I believe this wreath was on Donald's boat:

Minnie's tree in her front yard:

Mickey's house with the Christmas lights up:

Next will be checking out Mickey's house!