What about an exciting way to tell "BIG" kids?

[05ChristmasSurprise]

We are taking our friends as a surprise (they've never been) and they are WONDERFUL friends who work hard as social workers to make lives good for others and never think selfishly at all!

They are great with our kids and are really just big kids themselves...we've talked about going and they think they're saving up to pay their own way.

For Christmas (in order to give them time to take off work since it resets in January) we are going to give them the trip. Any ideas of how to really make an impact?

Thanks!

 

[Mortlives]

How about This is Your Trip , instead of This is Your Life . Pretend to be an announcer, give them the passes, or reservation sheet or tickets or whatever. Have sound files available of Mickey, Goofy, Mulan or whoever else they're really looking forward to seeing. Of course, if you're too young to remember This Is Your Life , this won't be a very good idea. You could use a different game show format - Jeopardy? Wheel of Fortune? The Price is Right -- Hey, there's an idea. Have them bid on the trip, and wait until they come up with the correct price of $0.

Kungaloosh!
Morticia.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

I don't have any really creative ideas but just wanted to say what a nice thing you are doing!!! Sounds like you ALSO are wonderful people!!!!!!!

 

[leebee]

Did this for DD once...set up a Disney scavenger hunt, the "prize" at the end was a photo album with pix from prior trips...last page ended with an "itinerary" (that I made on the computer) listing dates, locations, people, etc. I also included some "used" WDW passes just to add to the theme...if you decide to go AP (just came from the budget board!) you could make some vouchers to be turned in, stuff like that.

 

[julieboolie]

Not sure how good on the computer you are, but maybe you could scan in pictures of them, superimpose thier faces into a picutre of people posing w/ Mickey in front of the castle (or some other traditional disney picture) and put it in a card - "this will be you in a few weeks" or whatever is relevant.

We're sending postcards to our girls from the characters (Mikey, Pooh etc) saying things like "can't wait to see you ...". Maybe a postcard from Mickey inviting them for a visit, or something similar would work well too.

Whatever you do it sounds like you will have a wonderful time! Enjoy!

 

[simba928]

Last January, my parents suprised me and my little brother with a trip to Disney and a cruise. My mom picked us up from school for a "doctor's app." and said she had to stop at work (she works at the airport). When we got to the airport, there was my dad, sittin there with a cart full of suitcases and my mom whiped out the plane tickets!

On another occasion, my whole family (cousins, aunts, uncles, and my bro, mom, dad, and me) decided to take my grandparents to Disney since they havent been there since my mom, aunt, and uncle were kids. My cousins decided to cut out letters that spelled out Disney World and then the dates that we were going. They had to unscramble the letters on X-mas to find out their present. I had gone to Disney right before that and bought them each Mickey Ears with their names on the bak.
Have fun!

 

[05ChristmasSurprise]

Great ideas! Thanks for the help!

I went to Toys R Us this weekend and found a "talking scrapbook" kit by Kodak. I think I'm going to scan/print some photos from our last trip and let the kids record the messages for each page. Here we are doing... This is us with Cinderella...etc. They'll probably not get WHY we have made a scrapbook for them with a bunch of pictures of our kids until the last page, where I'm going to put a copy of our reservation/itinerary from WDW and maybe their tickets or whatever I get in the mail ahead of time The message on this page will be something like "next time will be so much MORE fun because you'll be with us - we're going to Disneyworld!"

I get goosebumps just thinking about it!!! I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[05ChristmasSurprise]

oh - and we've decided that we might not tell the kids because of the things I've read on this board! It will be SO much fun.

When I was 7, my Mom and step-Dad took us to Disneyland. I lived with my Dad in St. Louis and she lives in Sacramento, so being a child - I was completely oblivious to the fact that I was flying into a different airport for our annual summer visit. (And if I had been aware, it wouldn't have been that different because the Sacramento airport was sooo small back then and you could never get a direct flight out there so I often flew to SF).

So, she picked me up from the airport late at night and we were driving and talking and I wasn't really aware of my surroundings. We pulled into a motel parking lot and I was really confused, we got inside and my step-Dad, half-brother and half-sister were all sleeping in the beds (it was late). I don't remember if she told me that night or if I found out the next night, but it was AMAZING! What a great surprise!!

Our plan is to pick up our oldest (who will be in second grade at that point) from school and not really discuss where we're headed. The suitcases will be packed in the back...but we take "mystery trips" once in a while (small road trips usually ending in a one night hotel room stay just to swim in an indoor pool or go to The Barbie Store or something). So, I figure we'll drive about half way and stay in a hotel and she'll think that's it - that was the surprise. But, the next morning will be Thanksgiving and instead of taking the kids back toward home, we'll drive further south and end up at Disney World.

I picked up a bunch of CDs and DVDs and other miscellaneous princess stuff that I was thinking of giving them as a Christmas present for clues...but now I'm not sure what to do with them.

 

[berly1657]

We just surprised my sil this past weekend. we weren't going to tell her until Christmas! She is a school teacher, 40 and single. Was at WDW 18 yrs ago for 5 hours during a softball tournament "break".

Anyway - she is a Disney Freak. We were all at my inlaws this weekend and she had to show everyone her halloween costume. A full Mickey costume for herself and a babies mickey costume for her dog. This women has over 3000 stuffed Disney animals/characters....So the plan was I was going to make her an autograph book for Christmas and put on the first page "we're taking aunt Julie to Disney" and have the kids who are going sign it. (we are going with sil family too) Needless to say mil and sil couldn't stand it anymore - keeping the secret from her. So I ran home and quick made a page in the album threw it in a box with some trash and flew back to my inlaws to give it to her.

She was very surprised to say the least. Now she just has to concentrate on school and everything else until spring break in April! We can't wait to take her!