It occurred to me that I never gave you all my Dreyer's peppermint ice cream update! This is important holiday season news!
I assumed that my local Ralphs had gotten the peppermint ice cream in stock back in September, as they did in 2011 - and as
PHXscuba said was the case at one of her local stores in Arizona this year. But I was not actively seeking out the ice cream yet, so I didn't really pay close attention to whether Ralphs had it. I figured I wouldn't start to look for it until late October or November.
On one of my recent trips to the grocery store, I actually made a point of looking specifically for the peppermint ice cream at Ralphs.
The first thing I noticed? I did not see the bright pink telltale carton anywhere on the shelves! (I posted photos of the pink full-fat carton and the pink Slow Churned [half-fat] carton many pages ago.)
How could this be?
Upon closer inspection I noticed that the only trace of peppermint ice cream on the shelves at Ralphs was the Slow Churned/half-fat kind - and it was NOT in a pink carton (which explains why I didn't notice it from a distance). There was not a single carton of the full fat ice cream to be found!
I assumed the full fat ice cream was out of stock, so I looked closely at the price stickers on the shelves. I did not even see a tag for the peppermint ice cream, which would indicate that they'd had it at one point but had run out.
It was as if Ralphs didn't get the regular peppermint ice cream in this year! I had to leave and didn't have time to actually ask a clerk about it, but I was horrified. How can they leave me with just the Slow Churned variety (which has half the fat but also not as much color or flavor)? Last year I recall the Slow Churned was always in abundance but the full-fat kind was always running a bit low, which would seem to imply that the full-fat kind was more popular.
Disneyland sells the full-fat variety of Dreyer's Peppermint Stick ice cream, but I would hate to think that I can't find it in any of the stores around here. Ralphs seems to be floundering in the peppermint ice cream department, so now I have to visit CVS sometime in the next couple of weeks to see if they have any in stock. If not, then I will try another store. CVS sometimes sells both varieties in one year, and then in other years they only carry the Slow Churned. I don't want Slow Churned! I want the real thing in the bright pink carton!
I'm sorry you're stressed......it's not a fun way to live! (trust me I know!!)
*+*+*+*Hoping the Christmas Spirit will lift your spirits!!*+*+*+*!!
Thank you.
Sherry, I wish I had ideas for helping you scrape up money. I think I told you we bought me a new electric car, and now hubby is jealous so has to have a new car too. Because of this we don't have cash on hand for our own trip in December. We won't have the cash in hand until January, so our December trip is going to go on credit. No worries, (I think) because it should be paid off in January, but I still stress about things like that, so I can somewhat relate to what you are going through.
I hope you are able to scrounge up enough money that you don't have to worry about it at all in December. I know you have been looking forward to this trip, so don't give up, and try not to worry so much. (Yeah, I know, easier said than done). I can give good advice, but I can't take it, so now worries if you can't either. I think the world of you Sherry, and hope this trip turns out to be everything you wanted.
Now, go watch some Hallmark Channel Christmas movies and get out of the blah's. Want me to send you some Ghiradelli peppermint bark?
I'm sure many folks would like to be in your shoes - two new cars and not paying off your Disneyland trip until - gasp! - January!
(It's not quite the same thing as my situation or others I know of, but I appreciate the sentiment.)
No Ghirardelli peppermint bark for me, thank you. I don't want to overdo it. I am fine with the samples in DCA.
Hi Sherry,
Thanks for directing back to your very thurough assessment of BVS and it's holiday decorations. I think I was so spoiled with the great pictures I inadvertantly skipped over this prose.
I'm all caught up now!
TK
Thank you! It's okay! I know it can be easy to overlook posts when the pages have turned. I think that most people tend to just go right to the most current page of a thread, and they may not realize that there were posts of note on the previous page that got lost when the page flipped.
All caught up, once again!
OK...let's talk about that ice rink. The advertising for it doesn't match the real thing. I think it is very sorry-looking, considering all you (Disney) could do to make an ice skating rink look and feel Christmas-y. I like the snow, though. Those little blue huts? If that's all the village was going to consist of, why not make them look Christmas-y? The blue and white doesn't scream "Christmas" to me. Oh yeah, I have to agree with Michele. Who has time to ice skate at Disneyland. I could see making the time to go over if it was an amazing site, all Christmas-y with peppermint and chocolate wafting through the air, maybe an occasional snowfall, etc. Hmmm. Maybe it's just me.
I loved that little Hidden Mickey in the door. It was so cute!
I love the stockings on Pluto's ears! How clever.
Wonderful pictures, as usual! I love the simple throw-back decorations of BVS. I love that kind of music, too. Were the singers on the car singing Christmas tunes?
Thank you!
No, the singers on the car were not singing Christmas songs. I thought they would be, but maybe they will later in the season?
The holiday music is very prominent on BVS as soon as you enter, unlike on Main Street. "Frosty the Snowman" and "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" were very loud (but not obnoxiously so) all through the area. And in Cars Land, wherever you go you can hear the themed retro-ish holiday songs or novelty holiday songs.
I didn't think the little huts/chalets looked Christmas-y either. The only thing I can guess is that Disney made them that color to fit in with the Periwinkle theme (since Periwinkle is the new Winter fairy on the block in the world of fairies!).
The snow around the ice rink was made of some weird "prop snow" material or fabric. It wasn't powdery - it was like a blanket of hard, rubbery fake snow!
I was just totally thrown off because the initial descriptions of the "Christmas village" indicated that the chalets would be selling seasonal treats and merchandise. As I mentioned before, I knew it wouldn't be an elaborate village out of a Dickens novel and that they wouldn't have much space for a village, but I didn't expect that the seasonal treats would include ice skate rentals and helmet rentals! I expected maybe some hot cocoa and cookies, possibly a holiday pin or knit cap!
I walked by the chalets at night, when they were open, and I looked inside. I only saw skates and head gear - no seasonal treats or trinkets! What happened?
That's why I wondered if maybe the plans got changed and Disney decided to not sell seasonal goodies at those chalets after all, or if maybe they made it sound different at the start just to lure people in, but never really intended to do anything different. Whatever items they sell/rent in those chalets, it is definitely not anything even close to being a "village"!
In any case, I guess I don't mind the idea of a rink there - if people are actually going to use it. At Universal CityWalk (next to Universal Studios), they have an ice rink (or they used to). If people go on dates to these places, they may want to skate. So I can see where an ice rink could come in handy if you look at Downtown Disney as a separate evening out, independent of the 2 parks. There are people who go to DTD to see movies and to eat, but who are not park visitors.
BUT...I missed seeing a tree in Downtown Disney. I hope that they put one up somewhere - even if it is not the same giant tree from years past. If that rink is there, preventing a tree from going up, and no one is really skating, then I'd prefer to have the tree back!
That shake looks delish and it's a good thing the nearest Haagen Dazs is a long way from my house.
.
Too many bits I kept having to pull out of my teeth. I think that's why I prefer ice-cream creations to shakes.
