Disneyland at Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread #5

[Sherry E]

Yay! Good to have you back Sherry! I like chatting with you on FB but somehow the Disboards was not the same without you! I love the Christmas/Holiday thread, you put so much work into it plus I look forward to seeing everyone's else posts and experiences. You know that you are greatly appreciated by many of us.

Did you get a chance to visit DL/DCA during the holiday season, I know that you mentioned that you were running out of time.

Thank you for the kind words. At the moment I can't even get into my Facebook account, but hopefully I will get back in soon, one way or the other. So don't un-friend me yet -- hopefully I'll be back!

I'm glad to know I was missed from the forum, although I hadn't really expected to be! I didn't really think about it -- I just assumed everyone would carry on, discussing the holidays as they progressed here and there. Things kind of fizzled here in this thread because there was chat going on elsewhere, I think, and I wasn't here to keep pushing the thread and keeping it active.

The last few months of the year were really not good for me, and one problem after another kept popping up. Right around the time the Theme Week Countdown ended in November was when the false/fraudulent charge made by some thief appeared on my card, and I had to deal with the mess that it caused. After that just seemed to be a stream of bad luck, one thing after another. The best thing about the holiday season was the fact that my horrible neighbors suddenly, shockingly, moved out, as you know. I wish they had left sooner in the season, but they didn't really seem to get out until the week before Christmas. I don't think my sanity and peace of mind could have handled another year of them, so thankfully they are gone -- and hopefully I never, ever, ever have to encounter them again.

Because of all of the things going on and just being generally down in the dumps, I did not make it to Disneyland during the holiday season... which only served to make me feel worse! I was so sad at not going -- it's pretty much my only annual holiday tradition out of the house (I'm not counting watching movies inside) -- that I nearly stopped reading updates, looking at photos and keeping apprised of what was going on during the season. It was upsetting me, but I kept reading and following along just to stay more or less in the know about what was happening.

One thing that I felt sightly better about (just trying to console myself for not being there) was that a lot of the decor seemed lackluster or just... odd... due to competing with the Diamond Anniversary decor and events. I figured, well at least I didn't miss anything all that exciting.

Sherry, take it from someone that spent 10+hrs on the phone with Microsoft over an 8 day period and got barely anywhere with the "Evil Empire" as I now call Microsoft. They agreed that it was their software that caused the demise of my much loved Sony Vaio laptop. We almost lost this computer to the Evil Empire, but thanks to some excellent advice by the techs at Sony we were able to save it. They reinstalled Windows 7 into my computer after much grovelling, but refuse to do anything about the hard drive on my computer that Windows 10 ate. Nor did they did anything to restore the files and data lost when Windows 10 ate the hard drive on my computer. This is what I learned from by battle royale with Microsoft. I} Windows 10 is not compatible with all computers. Incompatible software, can and will destroy hard drives (this info came from the techs at Sony). 2} This problems are more widespread that what they are leading you to believe. My dealings with the Microsoft store where I lived, I saw many other people bringing in their computers to be restored to their former operating systems. All of them had identical problems as what I had on my computer. All had to be restored to their former operating systems. They will restore your computer to it's former operating system and that's it. No effort will be made to restore lost files or repair damaged hard drives caused by Windows 10. 3} You have 30 days after installation (depending on what kind of computer you have, Sony was 30 days) to revert back to the previous operating system, after that you are done for if Windows 10 starts destroying your hard drive.4} Based on my experience and chatting with the techs at Sony, don't be surprised if Microsoft announces this summer that they are discontinuing support on Windows 7 and possibly 8. I still feel that the Cortana (voice activation part of the software) was the cause of my problems with Windows 10. After many attempts to have them remove it they flat out refused "you can't because it's part of the operating system".

I'm doing this in 2 parts so that it doesn't time out on me. I had barely dealt this this mess in Oct, when we had a real estate agent coming to our door and telling us she had a client who wanted to buy our home. We were skeptical, but her clients threw enough money at us to make us sell, so we have just finished moving from the city to the country, and hours drive from our former home. We love it here, and are now trying to find out where we put all our stuff. We also found out the hard way we have too much stuff and are starting a major purge of stuff next month. When Windows 10 ate my computer I lost everything I had done on that computer since I had bought it 4 years ago. It was tough to take, but with the move, we didn't have any time to really think about replacing it till now. That's why I've been using our backup laptop until we buy me another computer by the end of the month.

What a nightmare. Computer problems can be so stressful, and we are all basically at the mercy of our computers. It takes me forever to get comfortable with operating systems other than what I am used to -- I don't have a mind for technology, that is for sure -- so if anything goes wrong I am completely lost and useless.

I fully expect that Windows will stop support on 7 and 8 in the not too distant future, as they try to push people into that confounded 10. I am hoping that they won't stop support this year, but next year would not shock me.

Sherry, I agree about the Ralph's peppermint. I think Target had Market Pantry brand but that may have been white, I don't remember. The closest Baskin and Robbins to me, I don't much care for as I once saw the owner smoking outside and then he came back inside to serve me without washing his hands. Also, the ice cream does not always look fresh. I go to Church out in the Valley and have found the BR on Magnolia to be consistent and they folks there very friendly, that is definitely a drive. Peppermint went away in mid January. I think it usually comes to BR end of November, for sure December. I do remember one year seeing it in February but not yet. Oh and when I was at DL the first week last December, the peppermint was the same awful white stuff I had wasted money on at home. I hope you and others did get it pink, I didn't. :/

This text box is letting me type now without any trouble! this morning, I literally could not type more than a letter or two and it was so slow for that type to stick and then as I said it would leave out letters. That still happens at times when I log in. I have Win 7 and use IE11 which I know is not compatible with some sites. When I am able to use my dad's computer, his is Vista with an older IE, it works just fine, plus I am able to see the smilies which I still am not able to on my computer. Thanks to everyone I learned : santa : (I left space so it would not show up as Is there an Easter Bunny icon does anyone know ?

That is scary the Windows 10 problems. I keep getting the popup telling me to install, and am ignoring it. I'm sorry for those of you that have had issues with it :/

I could have sworn I saw pictures of ice cream that Tom Bell (of DIS Unplugged) got at Disneyland before the peppermint disappeared, and it looked pink in the photos. It shouldn't have been pink because DLR uses Dreyer's and Dreyer's insists on serving up that ridiculous white stuff with blobs of peppermint goo, because people complained about red dye.

All I know is, that ice cream bummed me out. That is something I look forward to every year, and it was so disappointing. Then again, my entire holiday season was careening downhill, so the ice cream just added to the fun.

Did you get to Farmers Market and The Grove during the holidays? I was at The Grove a couple of nights, waiting for snow. They skimped on the snow! In 2014 there was lots of snow, but not as much in 2015. One of the nights I was there, I spotted some paparazzi staked out in front of the theater. Their eyes were fixed on the restaurant across the way, which is, I think, La Piazza, waiting for some famous person or another to come out. I never found out who it was that they were waiting on. On the other night I was there for the snow, I was standing in front of the fountain. There must have been wind that night or something, as a bunch of the fountain water sprayed me when I wasn't expecting it! It was like World of Color all of a sudden.

I don't think there is an Easter Bunny smiley/emoticon.

I'm very glad to hear you are okay, bummed though that you didn't feel you were "needed" here. I do know that when this thread is SUPER active (like during the weekly countdown/photo challenge) I have seen questions not get answered, so I can see those people feeling the need to go start a new thread to draw more attention to their specific question. I think without our fearless leader, though, this thread kept getting pushed down. I think one time I finally found it on page 5? What the heck?

Regardless, I look forward to diving in to the Halloween thread. We will be doing our first Halloween trip this fall since 2009 (so before kids!) I know I have lots to learn and figure out. 2017 we'll likely be back over here in the Christmas thread for a pre-thanksgiving trip again (our plan is to get an AP every other year now, go in November right at the start of the Christmas seasn, get the AP during that trip, and then go the following fall for Halloween....and when possible sprinkle in a few shorter trips here & there in between)

I don't blame someone for starting a thread if they can't get a question answered. That makes sense. That wasn't so much what I was referring to, but it's not important.

This year's Halloween Time should have at least one surprise or two in store. I keep thinking that the Halloween party will move over to DCA this year -- or maybe even into DTD, now that DTD seems to be getting into the swing of things more, with an Easter egg hunt, a horse-drawn carriage ride, the assorted confectionery creations in the GCH lobby, carolers, the Winter Village, etc But I could be very wrong, and maybe MHP will stay put in Disneyland, but the Rivers of America and the Big Thunder Trail were very integral parts of the atmosphere of the parties, and this year they won't be in their usual state of spookiness. I just wish Disney would find a new place for the pumpkin carvers to set up shop -- even if it's inside one of the hotels, or on the hotel grounds somewhere. There has to be somewhere to put them.

It sure is good to hear from you Sherry!
I have been following your threads for the past few years and I would not have been able to plan the numerous trips to DL without your detailed information. We took all of our children, late teens and early twenties, for Christmas last year, and my wife and I have been several times since then culminating with a wonderful birthday trip during Halloween season last year.
We already have two more trips planned this spring for some weekend getaways. We are still debating which holiday season we want to catch this year. All I know is that I will be using the "Sherry Bible" to help guide our trips!
Glad to read your post again!

Thank you so much for the very kind words! I really appreciate it. I'm so glad that the threads have helped in some small way in the planning of your trips.

Sherry, I, like many others wondered if you were okay, and I am very glad to read you are. You are very much appreciated. The information on the Halloween thread made it possible for my family to have a nice trip 9 days at Disneyland, with the last day surprising them with Mickey's Halloween Party. All the much needed information came from your threads! Thank you very much. I came to the Christmas thread this evening to check if any information was posted for this year. I have a nephew who is getting married the first weekend in December and I am trying to figure out how to plan a mini trip when we go for the wedding. I am cautious because every time I post I am planning a trip, the trip ends up being cancelled.
Welcome back, Sherry.

Thank you!

Well, the announcement of this year's Egg-stravaganza came a bit earlier than I expected (they had to announce it now, primarily because it is beginning in about 2-1/2 weeks!), so you never know. Maybe the Parks Blog will surprise us and let us know something about the holidays earlier than usual. They normally wouldn't even announce the season start date until September.

I remember that you tried to plan some trips in the past, and they didn't end up happening! I hope that you are finally able to break that pattern and get to DLR in December this year.

Sherry, I am glad to see you back.

Corinna

Thank you, Corinna!

I posted it on this thread because I didn't know how to find you on Facebook and I was asking for help. It was visible and then it was gone! I read the Egg thread. This will be fun. After this, I will just have to get to the Halloween celebration. Oh, well, there is probably a Fourth of July, too! The list of holiday trips could be endless!!

I love most holidays and wish that DLR would do more for them. Like Valentine's Day this weekend, for example. Some of the special food items are only available this weekend or on February 14th. I wish they would make them available for all of February. And the decorations are pretty sparse.

Sometimes it seems like Downtown Disney is the only place getting in on the holiday/special event action (like Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest, St. Patrick's Day, etc.), and other times it seems like DTD is not involved in anything at all. That is a space that could be put to use in a better way than it had been. I suspect that it will eventually become Disney Springs, so I think that Disney is trying to increase exposure and attention to DTD, to get people interested in going there.

I will post here separately about what I thought of some of the changes to decorations and holiday things at DLR based on what I read, since I didn't see it in person. I will tell you what I liked and didn't like.

​

Okay, it's quite a bit after the fact, but here are some random thoughts about this past holiday season at DLR (just based on what I read and saw in photos, as I didn't go):

• While a lot of people seemed to like it, I hated the new Santa photo spot in the Disneyland Hotel. It may have looked better in person, but I thought that the previous Santa photo spot at the DLH was much more beautiful.

• I don't know if I was all that excited about the changes to and around the Christmas tree at the GCH either.

• Was it my imagination, or were there fewer Mardi Gras masks posted around New Orleans Square?

• I wasn't digging the toned down holiday decor on Main Street. I know that there were people who were happy to have a toned down holiday so that the 60th anniversary decorations could shine, but I don't think the 60th anniversary decor is all that spectacular that it should overshadow the magic Disney creates for the holidays. The holiday decor is themed to each area, and much more elaborate. The 60th stuff is nice, but not the same.

• Am I correct in that the Ranch area was not decorated for Christmas at all? Was the little cabin decorated? Did the decorations just stop with Halloween?

• I missed seeing the Winter Castle in photos. The Diamond Castle just isn't the same for the holidays.

• Thumbs up for the new decorations around the Pacific Wharf area of DCA, as well as the new decor in Grizzly Peak/formerly Condor Flats! I approve of that!

• Still angry about what Dreyer's (and by association, Disneyland) did to their peppermint ice cream, by making it white.

• Jingle Cruise had a few more changes, didn't it?

• Season of the Force really added to the crowds, did it not? And all of those parade and fireworks showtimes crammed in?

What am I missing? I'm sure I will think of something else soon. I know I kept seeing photos of and reading things about changes here and there, and it did feel like a blander version of the DLR holidays in many ways, with some bright spots. I hope that this coming holiday season goes back to normal.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Sherry, someone in this Christmas thread posted a picture of the pink ice cream for me, which I appreciated and it looked so yummy. When I was at DL….going back to check a 2015 calendar….the long weekend (Thursday-Monday) December 3rd-7th, the peppermint was (at least on the one day I got it) awful and white. I made the mistake of not checking with a CM at Gibson Girl to be sure the ice cream would be pink before ordering it. I learned my lesson there! :/ Sigh, that is eggs-actly what Dreyers told me that people complained about the dye so much that Dreyers finally decided to do without it. To me peppermint ice cream needs to be pink same with mint being green, but as long as flavor is not compromised (which as you sadly know it sure was with the peppermint un-wonderland color really doesn’t matter, just made it more Christmassy to me and cheerful.

Hug, I’m sorry :/

You know, I never did get to the Grove last December. Silly me. I will do so this year and maybe we could even meet up there sometime. I’d love to see the “snow” and also the gingerbread house. I have one memory of being at the Grove when Tom Lasorda from the Dodgers was putting in an appearance. I am no longer much into baseball or a Dodger fan but remember how crazy the scene was. At one point Mr. Lasorda walked RIGHT in front of me to get away (he was done speaking) from the crowds and I was almost trampled. So for actual paparazzi staking out a restaurant, wow, glad I was not there.

I am not much into the 60th Anniversary stuff and did notice that from 2014 the Christmas décor on Main Street was toned down. Castle not the same to me. I don’t know if the Ranch area was decorated. I did get to meet Santa near Winnie the Pooh ride. There was a snowman Piglet and Pooh over there, too that was cute. But what I thought was kind of strange (I understand that would have increased the crowds) neither Pooh nor his friends were anywhere to be found. In 2014, they were donned in Santa hats in the same area. I know then Santa himself was at the Ranch so that space was not needed for him.

I still need to post my December TR. I need to get going now but will do so next week, I promise. I already have my CCI reservation for first weekend in December this year

There should be a bunny icon on here!

 

[beckykarstetter]

Never leave us again!

 

[Sherry E]

Have you ever ordered something from Amazon using gift card money (for some reason, I always end up with Amazon gift card money through various sites/panels to which I belong), and you find that you will have just a few dollars left over after all of the tax and/or shipping is calculated? What to do with those lonely little five or six dollars that will be left in the account? Sometimes I might use what's left and add in a flash drive or memory card or something. This most recent time, when I saw that I was going to have about $6 left after totaling up my other items, I added in...

GINGERBREAD OREOS!!!!!

I've told you that I finally got to try the Gingerbread Oreos in 2015 (they had not been sold in California since 2013, and I had never even tried them then). Thankfully, all of the planets aligned -- there is a Target in my neighborhood; the Oreos were exclusive to Target; they had them in stock; and I had a coupon! I just bought 2 packages pretty early in the holiday season and I didn't go back for more before the holidays were over.

Now, in regular life, $6 (double the price) is way too much to spend on a package of Oreos -- no matter how good those Oreos may be -- and I would not pay that much for them in Target or any other store. Somehow, though, it made sense on Amazon because I could use up those last few dollars of gift card money. I have a feeling that the Oreos will arrive smashed to bits (my Amazon purchases are never packaged well, no matter what they are), but, if so, I will use the yummy crumbs for something -- maybe on ice cream? Just the aroma alone is worth getting a package of these Oreos.

If only Dreyer's hadn't ruined its formerly delightful Peppermint Wonderland ice cream... I would still have had some cartons of it in the freezer in a normal year, and would be enjoying them now. But not this time! They messed it up!

 

[Disney127]

Okay, it's quite a bit after the fact, but here are some random thoughts about this past holiday season at DLR (just based on what I read and saw in photos, as I didn't go):

• I wasn't digging the toned down holiday decor on Main Street. I know that there were people who were happy to have a toned down holiday so that the 60th anniversary decorations could shine, but I don't think the 60th anniversary decor is all that spectacular that it should overshadow the magic Disney creates for the holidays. The holiday decor is themed to each area, and much more elaborate. The 60th stuff is nice, but not the same.

• Am I correct in that the Ranch area was not decorated for Christmas at all? Was the little cabin decorated? Did the decorations just stop with Halloween?

• I missed seeing the Winter Castle in photos. The Diamond Castle just isn't the same for the holidays.

• Thumbs up for the new decorations around the Pacific Wharf area of DCA, as well as the new decor in Grizzly Peak/formerly Condor Flats! I approve of that!

• Jingle Cruise had a few more changes, didn't it?

• Season of the Force really added to the crowds, did it not? And all of those parade and fireworks showtimes crammed in?

What am I missing? I'm sure I will think of something else soon. I know I kept seeing photos of and reading things about changes here and there, and it did feel like a blander version of the DLR holidays in many ways, with some bright spots. I hope that this coming holiday season goes back to normal.

I agree about not digging the toned down holiday decors, missed the garlands over Main Street. Overall, it didn't look as festive as the other years. We like the 60th anniversary decorations but since we saw them in July, we would have liked to see DL decorated like previous years. Totally understand that they have to leave the 60th stuff around for others to enjoy.

The Ranch was abit sad for us this year. Big Thunder BBQ was decorated but the little cabin was not. There were decorations around the petting zoo area.

We too missed the Winter Castle in photos, all those twinkling lights.

We liked the fireflies in jars on the trees in Grizzly Peaks - not sure if they were there prior or maybe we never noticed before. We did miss the big Christmas tree in the Paradise Pier area where Donald use to meet. That tree seems kind of iconic since many people post pics of that tree in the Pacific Wharf theme week.

As for Jingle Cruise, wasn't sure if the snowflake decorations were new this year or not?

Season of the Force did add to the crowds in Tomorrowland. Long line ups just to get FP for Hyperspace Mountain and Star Tours - lines moved fast though. The park did seem busier with all those parades and fireworks, sometimes, it seems like there were people lined up on MS all the time. One has to know how to avoid the crowded areas.

Even though this was probably the most busy time that we have visited, it was still fun to be there for the holiday season.

 

[Sherry E]

I agree about not digging the toned down holiday decors, missed the garlands over Main Street. Overall, it didn't look as festive as the other years. We like the 60th anniversary decorations but since we saw them in July, we would have liked to see DL decorated like previous years. Totally understand that they have to leave the 60th stuff around for others to enjoy.

The Ranch was abit sad for us this year. Big Thunder BBQ was decorated but the little cabin was not. There were decorations around the petting zoo area.

We too missed the Winter Castle in photos, all those twinkling lights.

We liked the fireflies in jars on the trees in Grizzly Peaks - not sure if they were there prior or maybe we never noticed before. We did miss the big Christmas tree in the Pacific Wharf area where Donald use to meet. That tree seems kind of iconic since many people post pics of that tree in the Pacific Wharf theme week.

As for Jingle Cruise, wasn't sure if the snowflake decorations were new this year or not?

Season of the Force did add to the crowds in Tomorrowland. Long line ups just to get FP for Hyperspace Mountain and Star Tours - lines moved fast though. The park did seem busier with all those parades and fireworks, sometimes, it seems like there were people lined up on MS all the time. One has to know how to avoid the crowded areas.

Even though this was probably the most busy time that we have visited, it was still fun to be there for the holiday season.

Oh yes -- I completely forgot to mention that I missed seeing the big tree in/on Paradise Pier! Thank you for reminding me! My assumption -- which could be completely wrong -- was that it was only missing due to the work on the Cove Bar expansion. It seemed like there was a big void there on the Pier, without that tree and photo spot. I hope that it can be set up again this year, but I really don't trust Disney to put things back after they remove them for what seems like a temporary period of time.

I think the fireflies in the jars in Grizzly Peak must have been new. I don't recall ever seeing those.

I wonder why they didn't decorate the little cabin at the Ranch one last time. They did it for Halloween Time -- I don't know how it would have hurt anything to do it for the holidays too.

I really hope the "normal" Winter Castle is back this year. That Diamond Castle (that has been there since May of last year) just does not take the place of the Winter Castle during the holidays. It is not nearly sparkly or twinkly enough.

What you said about how it seemed as though people were lined up on Main Street all the time is exactly what I was envisioning in my mind, when I read about the extra nighttime event showtimes being added in. I know there was some sort of method to Disney's madness in doing that, but I had a feeling that Main Street would seem like an endless sea of people all day.

I don't expect Paint the Night to disappear for a long time, but I do kind of hope that Disney goes back to just running some sort of Christmas parade at night during the holidays, so that the garlands can go back up (it's all because of Paint the Night that the garlands were missing). However, I don't think they are going to do that. My guess is that the overhead garlands will stay down/gone, and that once again they will run Paint the Night at night and A Christmas Fantasy Parade in the daytime.

I also read a couple of comments here and there online to indicate that people were not happy with Disneyland Forever replacing Believe in Holiday Magic and the usual "snow moment" for the holidays. I know there is snow during Disneyland Forever, but it's not the same sort of set-up.

How were the crowds in DCA with the 2 different World of Color shows happening? Was there a noticeable increase in crowds after Winter Dreams ended and before Celebrate began? Or did the crowds decrease after Winter Dreams?

 

[Disney127]

How were the crowds in DCA with the 2 different World of Color shows happening? Was there a noticeable increase in crowds after Winter Dreams ended and before Celebrate began? Or did the crowds decrease after Winter Dreams?

We didn't really noticed the crowd levels with the 2 different WOC shows. We stayed away from that area and rode TSMM instead. LOL

We opt to dine at Carthay for lunch one day and got the FP for Celebrate and we dined at Ariel's Grotto on NYE and got a FP for Celebrate too. We also saw Winter Dream from Ariel's after our meal so that was a nice little bonus. I recall that there were also a midnight showing of WOC on NYE but we didn't stick around for it. We were expecting huge crowds on NYE in DCA but it wasn't crowded at all. We were wondering where all the people were ... maybe they were in DL. LOL It was nice to walk on to Soarin', haven't experience that for awhile.

 

[Sherry E]

Lesson learned... Gingerbread Oreos are fresher and tastier while the holiday season is going on. I got my Amazon order of the cookies last week, and when biting into them I realized almost right away that they were not as delicious as they were when I got them last year. I also tried the Pumpkin Spice Oreos -- they were not bad at all, but I could tell that the orange creme was not as fresh as it would have been back in, say, October.

So, much like strawberries and peaches, seasonal/limited edition/holiday Oreos taste better when they are "in season." You learn something new every day!

 

[Phoenixrising]

Computer problems are a misery to be avoided at all costs. The new laptop is glitching big time. Since we bought it at Costco, I contacted Tech support, and they had to reset it (aka lose all data, not a big deal since I've only had the computer less than 2 weeks). If this doesn't fix the problem, then I have to return it for a full refund, then get another computer with them. I'm hoping the reset resolved the display driver problem on the computer, since I rather like it. I'm going to be lurking on the Halloween forum, as I can go to DL any time after the WDW trip in Jan/17. I'm debating if I want to go before the MHP parties and do the Halloween Haunts Tour instead.

As for peppermint ice cream, up here in the great white north we can't get any decent peppermint ice cream, no matter what the season (at least where I live).

I'm sorry to hear about your problems with nasty neighbours, and am hoping that this year will be alot better for you.

Trish

Update: the new computer has gone to the great and mighty computer graveyard in the sky, refunded and replaced by it's clone. Hopefully the Clone computer (the same make and model as the previous computer) will work better than the new one that died. Will set it up later today when I've got the time.

 

[egritz]

Figured I'd bump this thread as I know some people who are starting to plan their 2016 Holiday trips!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Trying to decide if we are headed back again this year. DH may just be talking me into running the 10K on Avengers weekend....

WDW certainly is pushing me away with various actions of theirs lately..I very much enjoyed the less stress of DLR!

 

[Sherry E]

Figured I'd bump this thread as I know some people who are starting to plan their 2016 Holiday trips!

Thank you for bumping the thread, egritz! You must have read my mind, as just the other day I was thinking that I needed to bump this after Easter is over... and then revise what I need to revise on page 1. I've been trying to work on an article/blog about the Egg-stravaganza (which I did a few weeks ago), and then another spring-ish article right after that, and have been beset with all sorts of problems and interruptions when I have begun to make progress. Not to mention the fact that my leg has been giving me some trouble... but that's another story.

I have said this in the past, but I usually need a good chunk of time without anything Halloween-ish or Holiday-ish at the beginning of the year, just to recharge the ol' seasonal battery. Then, around March or April, I start anticipating the coming September-December period of time once again. Now I am eager for the first signs of Halloween merchandise to sneak into some stores in about 4 months (!!!!), and I am especially eager for any details about the holiday season.

One thing that occurred to me is that the holiday season has not officially begun on Veterans Day in many years. It hasn't even begun before Veterans Day in many years (I am not counting the soft opening weekends). DLR has avoided November 11th as a start date for ages. I wonder if this will be the year when Disneyland Resort finally starts the holiday season on November 11th (a Friday), or before it -- maybe on November 10th? Or, will they go with something like, say, Monday, November 14th? They have started the season on a Monday (right around that same date) in the past, as well as a Tuesday and a Thursday.

 

[lwanthony]

WE ARE GOING BACK FOR CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!! I just had to say that. I can't wait to see what this holiday season brings. I really hope with the end of all the 60th stuff we will see a more traditional Christmas season at the parks! Thanks is advance for all the work you put into this thread Sherry!

 

[Sherry E]

WE ARE GOING BACK FOR CHRISTMAS TIME!!!!!!!!!!!! I just had to say that. I can't wait to see what this holiday season brings. I really hope with the end of all the 60th stuff we will see a more traditional Christmas season at the parks! Thanks is advance for all the work you put into this thread Sherry!

You're very welcome!

I, too, am very curious as to what will happen with the decorations and entertainment this season. Quite a few people said that Disneyland didn't feel as Christmasy last year -- most likely due to all of the 60th stuff. And, don't get me wrong -- I am thrilled that Disneyland has been around for 60 (now almost 61) years. Thank goodness for that! The assorted diamond-y accents here and there, along with the blue color scheme and the random "D" signs around the parks, are lovely. The extra little sparkly details inside the shops and at the hotels are nice. The twinkly Castle is nice at night.

But... I want the Winter Castle back. The Diamond Castle does not take the place of the Winter Castle during the holiday season. And I want the snow back as part of a holiday fireworks show. Yes, I know there is snow in Disneyland Forever -- and Disneyland Forever is a great fireworks show, especially for the 60th -- but it is not the same thing as the snow falling during Believe in Holiday Magic.

So I want the traditional, usual Christmas things back as well.

 

[lwanthony]

But... I want the Winter Castle back. The Diamond Castle does not take the place of the Winter Castle during the holiday season. And I want the snow back as part of a holiday fireworks show. Yes, I know there is snow in Disneyland Forever -- and Disneyland Forever is a great fireworks show, especially for the 60th -- but it is not the same thing as the snow falling during Believe in Holiday Magic.

YES YES YES YES a thousand times yes!!!!!!

 

[ashnjam]

We are headed back at christmas time again this year! Which is our favorite time to go I don’t want to wish my summer and fall away, but we are really anticipating the christmas season this year!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Christmas time is my favorite time to go also Thank you in advance Sherry for another year of this amazing thread. I appreciate all the 60th stuff but would much prefer the fuller and more Christmassy decorations of past for this year along with, of course, PINK peppermint stick ice cream!

 

[Sherry E]

Christmas time is my favorite time to go also Thank you in advance Sherry for another year of this amazing thread. I appreciate all the 60th stuff but would much prefer the fuller and more Christmassy decorations of past for this year along with, of course, PINK peppermint stick ice cream!

Booo!!!! to that stupid white Peppermint Wonderland ice cream. I need to start boycotting Dreyer's or something.

It's funny that you mention the fuller and more Christmasy decorations of past years. I was just speaking with a Cast Member on the phone a while ago -- not on the general info lines, but she called me from the Guest Services dept. that sorts through all of the mail and complaints, and contacts guests about their concerns. I had written in to request that the pumpkin carvers and egg decorators be brought back at some point soon, and she called me to discuss it. While I had her on the phone I said a similar thing to what you said, Mona -- I said that the Diamond Celebration décor is lovely and it's been wonderful to see it... but that the holidays are not the same without the Winter Castle and without the snow falling during Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks. I said that at least a few people had said that it didn't seem as Christmasy last year.

And the CM agreed! She didn't think it seemed quite as Christmasy or as decorated either! In any case, she has no idea what is happening with this year's holiday season, but she did say what other CMs have said to me in the past -- "The holidays are a BIG deal at Disneyland Resort." Bigger than Halloween Time... bigger than Springtime. A BIG deal. She has not been given any info, but she said if she had to guess she would think that the Winter Castle will be back this year, and that the season will return to more of what we traditionally expect. She said that if the Diamond Celebration did not have an end date of September, then she might not think that the holidays would be back to normal yet. But since the Diamond Celebration is due to end in early September, she is thinking that means the holidays will be back to normal, for the most part.

Let's hope her hunch is right!

 

[lwanthony]

That's great news Sherry! I hope all of our gut feelings about this year being back to more "normal" Christmas time n the resort are correct. I hope the higher ups understand how much we love the traditional Christmas feeling we get by visiting Disneyland during the holidays!

-Lane

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thank you Sherry, that is indeed happy news. I sure hope the CM is right. Hey maybe we can also hope this might just be the year Candlelight is expanded again. As for Dreyers, I am not sure where they get "wonderland" from in the flavor name other than it is a wonder more folks have not complained! That was so disappointing. :/ LOL, if you ever warn us something tastes like frozen toothpaste again, I will take your word for it and not try it myself. I hope this December you and everyone else do get enjoy real pink peppermint at Baskin Robbins, that was very tasty.