Capturing Magical Holiday Memories at Disneyland

Capturing Magical Holiday Memories at Disneyland

                So you want a memorable Christmas picture taken of your family at Christmas time. Where is the best place to take it? You have many choices and what you choose depends on you.

                At sometime during the holiday we take a trip to Disneyland and we take extra clothes with us just for our Christmas picture. Knowing that usually the weather here in California is too warm for the "typical Christmas outfits" we take them with us and change out of them after the picture. That includes our Disney Santa hats. If the weather is cooler we will leave them on.

                If you like the feel of Main Street at Christmas there is the giant Christmas tree to use as a back drop. There are usually several cast members there ready to take your picture for you. They will be glad to use your camera or take the picture with theirs for you to purchase. You can also find Mickey and the gang around Main Street dressed in their Christmas outfits to pose with.

                Cinderella's Castle is a wonderful backdrop for your family photo any time of your but at Christmas it is extra magical. The Castle has snow on the roof and at night it is covered in lights.

                If you want a more western feel go into Frontierland and look around for some of the gorgeous decorations there to pose in front of.

                New Orleans is covered in amazing decorations. There are numerous places to take your photo.  The New Orleans Train Station a fantastic place for a picture as is the Haunted Mansion. You may even find Jack Skellington outside the Mansion if you time it right! We usually have our picture taken in a little alcove behind the Christmas shop, just down the street from the exit to Pirates of the Caribbean. There is a beautiful set of stairs there that lead up to a cast member only area. You are always welcome to sit on the there for a moment and take your picture.

                If you are in a more playful mood head over to Toontown and see if Santa Goofy is there at the band stand. You can also take pictures in front of Mickey and Minnie's homes as they are always decorated for the holidays. Goofy and Donald also put up decorations but in my opinion not as much. Mickey and Minnie even have Christmas trees in their front yards! Even the front of the shops in Toontown are decorated and can be a interesting place for pictures. The Christmas tree in front of Toontown City Hall is a fun photo op as well.

                It's a Small World is all decked out for the Holidays and is a whimsical backdrop of your family photo for Christmas. With its fun clock adorned with a Santa hat it is a fun picture.

                For a more traditional feel you can always head over to Santa's Reindeer Roundup and get your picture taken with Santa in his western home. Mrs. Claus also shows up for pictures from time to time. Even after Christmas Santa will be at his house for pictures, without his red suit. After Christmas Santa changes from his traditional red suit to a green and red plaid suit with more of a mountain man feel.

                If you wish you can go into the hotels and check out their decorations and see if they are more to your taste for pictures. The Grand Californian has been the place for our family a couple of times.

                Wherever you choose to take your picture it will be wonderful. Just remember the best pictures are the ones that are in your mind and never got taken with a camera.

My Christmas book, An Angel Remembers 25 Voices of Christmas is out!!

You can find for all formats at

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94784

And for the Nook at

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

It is also available at the ITunes store for IPod, IPad and IPhone

It soon will be up at other sites such as Amazon

Making Magical Memories

Making Magical Memories

       Do you remember your first visit to Disney? I was two when my maternal grandmother decided I just had to go to Disneyland. I still remember that day 50 years ago. But what do I remember?

       What makes Disney memories special is not always what you think it will be. It does usually include Mickey, Minnie or one of the favorite characters and/or a ride but what about that moment truly sticks in your mind and heart forever? Is it the ride experience or the time with the character or is it some other form of Magic?

       I remember riding the Matterhorn Bobsleds that first visit. Do I remember the ride? Not so much. I do remember being on the ride and yelling, “It’s a blast!!” as loud as I could the entire time. What sticks in my heart is what happened moments after that ride. I got off the ride and ran as fast as my little legs would allow while pulling mom behind to my waiting grandmother. She was elderly and could not ride Matterhorn and waited on a bench near the exit for us. I ran to her open arms and jumped into her lap to tell her all about the ride. I squealed as I told her how fast I thought it went, had to be at least a billion miles an hour and laughed at how the old couple (in their 20’s I now think) were moaning. I remember grandma’s smile and her laughter as she listened to my child’s excited view of that magical ride.

       I remember a magical trip under the ocean down to the depth of 20, 000 leagues in a fantastic sub! What amazing creatures we saw! I do remember the live mermaids swimming by. But once again the memory is more vivid when I continue to look back. I remember my grandma’s lap. I was sitting on her lap for the ride because I was a tiny little thing that could not see out the porthole. She hugged me the entire time and we gasped in unison as we saw the mermaids, fish and sea serpent. Her eyes were as big as mine!

       What a magical trip it was to Neverland with Peter Pan. I sat between my grandma and mother. Grandma pointed out London and made comments about going to some of the locations we could see. She was born in England you see. I remember listening to her talk about growing up there more than I remember the ride. The ride holds a special place in my heart because of it.

       Over the years I’ve found it is not the Magical things at Disney that make you gasp and bring tears of joy to your eyes years later it is the moments. It is the shared experience of joy and whimsy. It is not so much meeting Mickey as how your child or someone else responds to Mickey that touches you so.

       So when you to a Disney destination don’t try to “make” memories. Enjoy the moments and let the memories make themselves.