what to pack for December trip?

[Kauinohea]

We have only been to DL in the summer...and are not quite sure what type of.clothing to pack for our upcoming Christmas trip in December (We arrive Christmas day). Will jeans, sweatshirts and jackets be enough to keep us warm at night? Do we need some kind of rainboots incase of rain?

 

[skiingfast]

Will jeans, sweatshirts and jackets be enough to keep us warm at night? Do we need some kind of rainboots incase of rain?

It should be. I think people in SoCal wearing down coats look silly. Of course I don't wear down until the temperature is under 10 degrees.

I'd check the weather before you leave. It rarely rains heavily in LA like it does often in HI. Rainboots can be a bit much but you never know. An umbrella could be nice too. Check here before you leave.

 

[disney4cam]

I agree to check the weather before you leave. You just never know. We normally go in early December, and we've had it be hot (short sleeves, shorts) and we've had it be FREEZING (scarf, coat, hats). It usually cools down at night, so plan to bring jackets and sweaters for the evenings.

 

[twopeasonepod]

When we were there last Halloween through 11/9, we had both super cold nights (low 50's) and super hot days (high 90's!) Being from Hawaii, we had to totally prepare for both (because, you know, the weather here is always "mid-80's with a chance of rain" haha).

I don't think it will be hot for you, but you will FREEZE if it's in the 50's (if you are like me and break out the sweatpants and jacket when it hits 70 haha). I'm a huge fan of layering (and washing to wear the same clothes over so you can pack less). But I think you might want to invest in some sort of fleece for the kids. Light in the suitcase, but keeps them warm.

We have ponchos for the boys, but not for us (don't know if that is smart). I wouldn't bother with rain boots.

 

[Mickeybell]

We were there last December and it was very cold (to us) at night. But we are from Arizona so take it for what its worth! We wore gloves and hats at night. We dont have really heavy jackets so we just double layed sweatshirts with a jacket. The first day we were there it poured and we were soaked and cold to the bone. Definately should have bought a poncho or something. We only brought one pair of shoes each and they were all soaked. We used the hotel hair dryer and the one I brought from home to dry the shoes out. It made the room smell great! (All the hotel dryers in the laundry room where being used). So I would at least bring an extra pair of shoes each just in case.

 

[Mama Who]

It's all about layers. We don't do heavy jackets but we've been known to layer 2 shirts, a sweatshirt and a waterproof layer for late nights when it's cold and damp. I also travel with a pair of dry socks in a ziplock in my purse because wet socks are a personal bugaboo of mine.

 

[Kauinohea]

Thank you all so much for your replies! This is actually a surprise Christmas trip for our kids...and being from Hawaii, we really do not have any winter clothes, of course unless you consider the swearshirt winter attire, LOL!
I had a great day with my girls purchasing hats to cover the ears and mittens from Old Navy...they were all 30% off I told them that we'd need them for the upcoming birthday party at Ice Palace! They totally bought it!

I also picked up a few heavier jackets from Ross'. Really don't want to spend too much money on warm clothes if we don't need it since we'll probably never reuse it again

 

[twopeasonepod]

Yup, totally don't spend a lot on warm gear. I shop sales and Gymbucks at Gymboree or mega-deals at Sierra Trading Post (awesome discounts). Your kids will grow out of it before the next trip (especially if they are gigantic like mine).

As Mickeybell mentioned, gloves and hats seem essential. Even though we had some super warm faux fur hats with us, we still bought the Star Wars mickey ears beanies as well.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

We are going to be there December 30 - January 7. While we will be prepared with warm clothes I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for nice and warm.

 

[Kauinohea]

We are also going to try using Under Armour cold gear long sleve shirts and leggings under our jeans...I found really good deals on new items with tags on Ebay (much lower than the $60 the shirts go for at Sports Authority).

Getting so excited!!!

http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/...ar-174-UA-Base-174-3-0-Crew/1004604-001&FSR=1

 

[skiingfast]

We are also going to try using Under Armour cold gear long sleve shirts and leggings under our jeans...I found really good deals on new items with tags on Ebay (much lower than the $60 the shirts go for at Sports Authority).

Getting so excited!!!

http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/...ar-174-UA-Base-174-3-0-Crew/1004604-001&FSR=1

Sounds good, but have you seen the new Old Navy ads? Old Navy is going to be selling something similiar.

 

[kailuagirl]

Also being from Hawaii, I know what you mean about no warm clothes. Last year when we went after Thanksgiving, I froze my butt off. I refused to buy a jacket because I kept thinking I'll never wear it again, I am now looking for one for our next after Thanksgiving trip, never again with. But in the daytime it wasn't that cold, it was really nice, I think DH and I even wore shorts, but in the evenings it was cold and we layered like crazy. Mornings heading to the parks was old very cold, but I didn't want to lug around things all day so I just more dressed by DD in layers and DH and I just stuck it out.

Keep checking Macy's for jackets for your kids. For the last 2 years they've had these great, super cute pink or blue winter jackets with the faux fur in the hood. The start out at like $50 and I got my daughters for $14 last year. I've seen them drop to $19.99 both years, so I'm sure they'll do the same this year.

We all needed gloves, just bought cheap Target ones for me, which worked fine, and DD4 had ones from the ice palace, which also worked fine. Nothing fancy.

I'm gonna go check out Old Navy soon for our trip, thanks for the tip.

Have fun!!