Random thoughts in reply to a variety of posts, lol:
Decorations - We are bringing our stockings. I'm going to hang them off a shelf or the kitchen counter. Easy and light to pack. I'll get some things to fill them with once we're down there (candy, socks, pin, gift card). Everyone will get these Christmas morning since the trip itself is our gift and so only these presents. Sidebar -- since we'll be away from home from 12/17-12/28, I'm minimalizing the home décor this year. I waffle between feeling sad about not having all of our beautiful decorations out and feeling totally liberated that I won't have all that extra work!
Packing - We are bringing a van but are still restricting everyone to one small-to-medium suitcase and a bag for inside the car. That much plus the actual people will fill the van as it is! We will be able to do laundry if needed (I'm hoping not). We often travel in the summer when we sweat through everything and change clothes a couple of times a day, so not having that level of heat in December will be fantastic and hopefully allow us to pack less.
PastPasses - Booked them this morning! Remarkably glitch-free, which was fantastic. The only glitches were user error (I kept forgetting which combination of us were going into the parks on which days), even though I had everything laid out in excruciating detail in a spreadsheet. In the end I got it straight. Only things I couldn't get were Primeval Whirl in AK (apparently will be closed for reno; I didn't realize) and SDMT for days 1 or 2 of our trip (got it later in the week). I hope everyone else booking FP this week (planning for Christmas week) is able to get what they want!!
Dessert Parties - I feel like it used to be that the dessert party was the main draw and the bonus was that you got to see the fireworks from a reserved spot. Now that the cost is seemingly way beyond the value of what most people could possibly eat/drink, I feel like it has flipped to where the main draw is the reserved viewing and the bonus is the treats/drinks. For many people the value is there, and that's great that they have this option. For my family, paying for this on top of party ticket for six adults is too much, especially at a party where there are cookies/drinks/snacks already included at various stations around the park.