The OFFICIAL December 2014 - Christmas Magic

[Montana Minnies]

30 Days Left Until I Fly to Walt Disney World

 

[Disneylover99]

30 Days Left Until I Fly to Walt Disney World

So exciting!

It's coming so quickly now! Christmas hit the stores big time this weekend and now our trip is all I can think about!

 

[AmyKat]

33 days until we fly to Disney. I'm getting a little panicked. We are leaving the kids at home this time and the grandmas are being a little flakey. I will feel better once childcare and pet care are nailed down.

 

[hddanis]

33 days until we fly to Disney. I'm getting a little panicked. We are leaving the kids at home this time and the grandmas are being a little flakey. I will feel better once childcare and pet care are nailed down.

We're leaving ours home too. Luckily mine are old enough to leave alone (12-20). The oldest 2 (17 & 20) will watch the younger 2 (12 & 13) with the neighbors keeping an eye on everyone. Once we left them with my mom and went to the Poconos for a long weekend. 3 days before we left I asked her what she wanted me to get from the grocery store for her to make for dinner. She (very seriously) said "you expect me to cook?" This was when the kids were 3-11. The 11 year old cooked every meal. I kid you not. It was horrible and I never left them with her again.

 

[OhAmbs]

Add me on to this Holiday Train!

Me and the mini are headed for the Christmas Party for the first time. Most of my family will also be joining us. We will be there December 4th-7th

 

[AmyKat]

We're leaving ours home too. Luckily mine are old enough to leave alone (12-20). The oldest 2 (17 & 20) will watch the younger 2 (12 & 13) with the neighbors keeping an eye on everyone. Once we left them with my mom and went to the Poconos for a long weekend. 3 days before we left I asked her what she wanted me to get from the grocery store for her to make for dinner. She (very seriously) said "you expect me to cook?" This was when the kids were 3-11. The 11 year old cooked every meal. I kid you not. It was horrible and I never left them with her again.

That's awful! Both my mom and my MIL are great. My MIL is our normal go-to babysitter. She always has a special "sister's night" with her sister the first Friday in December. She invites my 8 year old, but not the 5 year old. This year, they have decided to move it to the 2nd Friday which is the day we leave. So, she only wants my 8 year old. She wants the other two to go to my mom's. Which is fine. My mom can't handle all 3 and can't handle the younger two for more than a few days. Which means there has to be a swap off at some point. But, the 8 year old can't go to my mom's on a school night because she lives 45 minutes away. That leaves my MIL with all three kids for several nights or my mom being pushed to her breaking point.

My stepson is 19 and will be home from college the day we leave. We were planning on him staying at our house and taking care of the animals. The 8 year old could stay with him and free my MIL up to only keep the two smaller ones. But, the dummy got arrested for walking around campus drunk last weekend. DH is freaking out (understandably) and won't even discuss having him stay here.

I think I'm going to have to board the dogs. The cats will be fine as long as I leave plenty of water and food. The great dane gets an upset stomach every time she has to sleep at the vets so that will be lots of fun to deal with after I get home.

I wish this worked like chess and I could just move everyone to the place I need them to be.

 

[hddanis]

That's awful! Both my mom and my MIL are great. My MIL is our normal go-to babysitter. She always has a special "sister's night" with her sister the first Friday in December. She invites my 8 year old, but not the 5 year old. This year, they have decided to move it to the 2nd Friday which is the day we leave. So, she only wants my 8 year old. She wants the other two to go to my mom's. Which is fine. My mom can't handle all 3 and can't handle the younger two for more than a few days. Which means there has to be a swap off at some point. But, the 8 year old can't go to my mom's on a school night because she lives 45 minutes away. That leaves my MIL with all three kids for several nights or my mom being pushed to her breaking point.

My stepson is 19 and will be home from college the day we leave. We were planning on him staying at our house and taking care of the animals. The 8 year old could stay with him and free my MIL up to only keep the two smaller ones. But, the dummy got arrested for walking around campus drunk last weekend. DH is freaking out (understandably) and won't even discuss having him stay here.

I think I'm going to have to board the dogs. The cats will be fine as long as I leave plenty of water and food. The great dane gets an upset stomach every time she has to sleep at the vets so that will be lots of fun to deal with after I get home.

I wish this worked like chess and I could just move everyone to the place I need them to be.

I can understand DH not wanting the stepson staying, but maybe jail scared him straight. I loved my mom dearly (she passed away 3 years ago) but she was just not babysitter material. She tried to get me to send the kids out to visit her (she lived across the country) but DH and I never felt comfortable with the idea. My in laws (also passed away) were only a few hours away, but again, not babysitter material. We never had anybody that could watch the kids for more than a night (and that was rough with 4). I'm so thankful that they are older and that my oldest is VERY mature... I say she's 20 going on 40. She's engaged and her fiancé has a 9 year old daughter (who calls me Minnie because I say I'm too young to be called grandma)

I can't board my dogs because my shepherd is too aggressive around strangers. Plus, he has anxiety issues and would just be a mess... We basically have a zoo at our house.. Dogs, cats, fish, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, bird and soon to have a snake (daughter and fiancé both work for a pet store) so somebody HAS to be here to take care of all the critters.

This trip will be the longest we've been away alone for a trip that was not a family emergency since we got married. The kids are a bit bummed they aren't going, but they'll get over it.

 

[ItsOnlyMoney]

>I can't board my dogs because my shepherd is too aggressive around strangers. Plus, he has anxiety issues and would just be a mess... We basically have a zoo at our house.. Dogs, cats, fish, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, bird and soon to have a snake (daughter and fiancé both work for a pet store) so somebody HAS to be here to take care of all the critters. <

We have a service come in for the 4 cats. Unfortunately they have to come twice a day as one cat is diabetic and needs insulin. BUT it is still cheaper than boarding and much better for the beasties.

 

[Daisydancer12385]

Good for all of you that are leaving your kids home and doing a grown up Disney trip! I always just assumed that once you have kids, they hijack your Disney time, gland to know I was wrong!

 

[CinderElsa]

THREE WEEKS TO GO

(Realizing this as I slave away over my desk is a great feeling.)

 

[DisneyMama21]

Good for all of you that are leaving your kids home and doing a grown up Disney trip! I always just assumed that once you have kids, they hijack your Disney time, gland to know I was wrong!

DH and I are doing our first kids free Disney trip in a few weeks! We actually asked if they minded and they said They didn't care as long as we took them next Oct for Halloween time! DEAL!!

 

[pigletto]

So who has their next trip dates planned out?

I am so excited for this upcoming trip, but I am pretty miserable when we leave if I don't know when we'll be back. I would love to go September or October of 2015 but dd will be in her first year of University and A) refuses to be left behind and B) has no time off until December. So, it looks like next year will be another December trip.. which is just fine with me, because it's my favourite time of year at Disney and gives me a year to save.
We could go the week before Christmas this time and be back in time for the holidays at home with family.

I texted dh to get his thoughts and judging by his response... he's not ready to plan the next trip before we leave for this one.

 

[jcemom]

I texted dh to get his thoughts and judging by his response... he's not ready to plan the next trip before we leave for this one.

 

[AmyKat]

We are turning our December trip tickets into APs. I have to go back for work in February so we'll extend that into another vacation. Then we are planning on going for spring break and again in late September for F&W. We may try to squeeze one more trip in right after Thanksgiving next year, but that may be too much school for my kids to miss.

 

[disfanforlife]

So who has their next trip dates planned out?

I am so excited for this upcoming trip, but I am pretty miserable when we leave if I don't know when we'll be back. I would love to go September or October of 2015 but dd will be in her first year of University and A) refuses to be left behind and B) has no time off until December. So, it looks like next year will be another December trip.. which is just fine with me, because it's my favourite time of year at Disney and gives me a year to save.
We could go the week before Christmas this time and be back in time for the holidays at home with family.

I texted dh to get his thoughts and judging by his response... he's not ready to plan the next trip before we leave for this one.

My two daughters are in university so that is why we are going the week before Christmas. Not sure if we will go that same week again. It depends what we think of it on this trip. We usually go this week - Veterans Day but since they can't take off time from college last year we only brought our son then went again in March just with our daughters. So we may go back to that schedule for next year - will decide when we come back. I may also be planning anitjer trip this year because my oldest is doing the DCP beginning in January!

 

[Disneylover99]

We are turning our December trip tickets into APs.

Us too!

We are booked for four days at the Beach Club next August, followed by 14 days at Pop!

 

[j2thomason]

We are taking my 87yo mom, who is in a wheelchair, 12/26-29 so she can she all the Christmas decorations, Osborne lights and the Candlelight Processional. We usually take her to one park each summer, but she has never seen the Christmas events or decorations. I have been trying for weeks to get a Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party reservation, but haven't succeeded so far. Every time she tries to watch the fireworks in the Magic Kingdom, people stand around her wheelchair and block her view. Since I haven't been able to get dessert party ressies, I was thinking that I might try taking her to the top of the train station to watch Wishes. My question is....how early do you think we need to be up at the top of the train station, during the week after Christmas, so that we get a middle spot for her to get the view down Main Street to watch wishes?

 

[tntmommydis]

We are going Dec. 2-12. First time to see Christmas decorations and to celebrate our daughter's birthday (Dec. 2). This has been her wish since the first time we went!

 

[mrcricket]

We are taking my 87yo mom, who is in a wheelchair, 12/26-29 so she can she all the Christmas decorations, Osborne lights and the Candlelight Processional. We usually take her to one park each summer, but she has never seen the Christmas events or decorations. I have been trying for weeks to get a Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party reservation, but haven't succeeded so far. Every time she tries to watch the fireworks in the Magic Kingdom, people stand around her wheelchair and block her view. Since I haven't been able to get dessert party ressies, I was thinking that I might try taking her to the top of the train station to watch Wishes. My question is....how early do you think we need to be up at the top of the train station, during the week after Christmas, so that we get a middle spot for her to get the view down Main Street to watch wishes?

I staked out my place above the train station a couple of hours before the fireworks. I watched the parade before, then just stayed until the fireworks after. People will still try to crowd you out, but hold your place. I had one lady upset that I was sitting in a chair at the rail and wouldn't let kids get there. I politely said she could have her kids stand beside me, but I had my camera on a tripod set ready to take photos. Couldn't well have kids in the way of the camera. Just hold your place once you get there.

 

[mrcricket]

Oh yea, just 3 weeks away from WDW fun.