Special Events at Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn

Special Events at Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn December 15^th, 2013

Special fun planned at Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn this coming weekend!

Santa will be there to visit with the kids and Mindy Johnson will be there signing her book Tinker Bell: An Evolution. You can also bring a new toy to donate to Toys for Tots!

There is no charge to visit Walt's Barn but donations are accepted and appreciated!

The Carolwood Foundation and the volunteers at Walt’s Barn are saddened to learn about the death of Diane Disney Miller. There will be a Remembrance Book that you can sign. This book will be sent to the Disney Family.

Come on by and check out Walt’s Barn, December 15^th! See Santa and get your signed copy of Tinker Bell: An Evolution (A must for EVERY Tinker Bell Fan! Great Christmas gift for the Tink fan in your life!) Enjoy the Barn and immerse yourself in Disney history. Send your condolences to the Disney Family on the loss of Diane.

The Barn is open from 11 am to 3 pm December 15^th.

After the death of Lillian Disney, Walt’s beloved wife the Disney family home was sold and the new owner tore it down. Diane Disney Miller ask the new owners if she could have her dad’s barn from the yard.

Model of the CK Holiday from Disneyland build with the plans for Walt's Lilly Bell Engine

Walt's King George V Engine
that he never got to run because it was damaged during transport by sea from England to the United States.

All are welcomed inside Walt's Barn

The Carolwood Foundation supports
Walt's Carolwood Barn

Los Angeles Live Steamers Railroad Museum

This ensued a project to start a foundation to manage the barn. The Carolwood Foundation was formed to protect and manage the Barn. The Barn was moved to the Los Angeles Live Steamers Museum in Griffith Park, Ca. Walt had been a member of the Los Angeles Live Steamers Club that operates the small scale train museum next door to Travel Town in Griffith Park just a short distance away from where the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round is located. This is the Merry-Go-Round that Walt sat watching his girls ride and dreamed of a place where families could play together.

Walt’s Barn is only opened the 3^rd Sunday of every month, 11 am -3 pm.

Ward Kimball is remembered at Walt's Barn with many of his items on display.

Ollie Johnson

Ward Kimball's "Fireman Hat" for the Firehouse 5 Plus 2 Disney Jazz Band

I’ll be there volunteering so stop by and say HI!!!!

Links to more information on the Carolwood Foundation, Walt’s Barn and Los Angeles Live Steamers.

Walt’s Barn:

http://www.carolwood.org/index.html

Carolwood Foundation:

http://carolwood.com/

WikiPedia Info on Walt’s Barn:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney%27s_Carolwood_Barn

My Christmas book, “An Angel Remembers 25 Voices of Christmas” is available!!

This is a collection of 26 short Christmas stories that together bring the amazing events of Christ’s birth alive. It is my hope that this will help encourage families to spend 10-15 minutes a day together during the busy holiday season remembering the true reason for the season.

You can find it for ALL eReader formats and PDF at:

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

For your Nook the link is:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/an-angel-remembers-25-voices-of-christmas-carolyn-hoagland/1106912931?ean=2940032802624

It is also available at the iTunes book store and many other ebook seller sites.

The only big site not carrying my book is Amazon.

You can download a Kindle version from Smashwords.com

Baa Humbug, There is No Santa Claus or Mickey Mouse!!

Baa Humbug, There is No Santa Claus or Mickey Mouse!!

At this time of year comes every parent’s dilemma. Do you tell your child that Santa Claus is just a made up story or legend or do you tell them he is real? While at a Disney Park or Cruise do you tell them Mickey Mouse is just a person in a costume? Why is this decision important, or is it? I believe it is very important.

Our modern Santa Claus did not start out as a red suited fat man living in the North Pole with a group of magical little people and flying elves. Santa was a real living person by the name of Nicholas and he lived in a little city place called Myra. You can find documentation in the records of the Counsel of Nicaea around the year 325 AD that prove his existence.

Nicholas was the son of rich merchants who died when he was a young man. Nicholas was faithful believer in Christ. He went to church every day. He used money from his inheritance to help those in need and gave freely to the church. He became a priest and later was made a Bishop. As a Bishop he was called by the Roman Emperor Constantine I to the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. There he helped shape the Christian Faith into what we know it as today. When other Bishops wanted to deny the divinity of Jesus Christ Bishop Nicholas argued the point for four months. After four months a one of the other Bishops was determined to continue the agreement and would not be swayed. The other Bishop of divisive and at the end of four months of debate Bishop Nicholas physically fought with him to stop it and in the end the divinity of Christ was no longer argued. He was a defender of the faith.

It is important to know at least that he was real and that there is a reason for us still remembering him today. So what does St Nick have to do with Christmas? Legend goes he found out about a family with 3 daughters, the eldest of which had just reached the age to marry. At that time if a young lady could not get married she was doomed to become a prostitute or be a cleaning woman and live poor for the rest of her life. What a woman needed at that time to secure a marriage was a dowry. Her family would give the groom or his family money or goods to secure their life.

When Nicholas found out about the first daughter and the families prayers for a solution he had an idea. He snuck over to the house and dropped some gold coins into a window for the girl and they landed in her shoe! The family was so happy and excited! They could not believe the horror of what could have happened to their beloved daughter was now averted!

Soon came the time for the second daughter to find a husband. Still this family of modest means could not afford the dowry for this daughter either! They prayed and hoped for a miracle! If someone dropped money off this time the father wanted to know who did it. He closed the windows and barred the doors. Nicholas once again went to the house and quietly looking around found the fireplace was the only opening into the home. This time he dropped the gold coins down the chimney! They were found in the girls stocking that was hanging next to the fireplace to dry. When the family found the coins they were shock and once again praised God for the blessing and for saving their daughter!

When the third daughter came of age the father was beyond determined to find out who had been so kind to his family if it happened again. He set traps and watched for his daughter’s benefactor. This time he caught Nicholas as he came to leave gold coins for the last of the girls. Nicholas swore the father to secrecy and he agreed and kept quiet for years. Nicholas told the father he was not giving the gifts but it was a gift from God. He gave gifts at Christmas time both publicly and in secret to remind people of the gift God gave mankind with the birth of Christ. He wanted people to remember the love of God.

When Nicholas died the father decided to keep up the tradition of leaving secret gifts for people. He would give the gifts in Nicholas’ name. Years later he told others and they also started leaving gifts in Nicholas’ name. Today we still give gifts in his name.

There is much more to learn about Bishop Nicholas and his long transformation into Santa Claus. We don’t need to know all that information. All we need to know is he was real and still lives in the love of people that give today.

Again why is that so important? I believe it is important to have faith, to be able to believe in things you cannot see. When you are facing your darkest hour how can you believe there is a God that can and will see you through if you can’t have faith? You can’t see God but is like the wind you can see what the wind does and feel it as it blows across your face. You can see the results of prayers answered and feel His love when you need it. You can also feel His joy when you open your heart and follow His will and show kindness to others.

Santa and Mickey Mouse both help the young learn to have faith. They can also remind those of us that are ‘older’ yet are willing to be young at heart to be open and let go of what we know as accepted reality and believe in miracles. If you can stop and suspend, for even a moment disbelief, your knowledge of what is ‘real’ you can believe and have faith enriching your life. That man in the red suit at the mall, that tall Mouse walking around the Disney parks are real! Set the reality for a moment and be a child again willing to believe.

Yes Virginia, There IS a Santa Claus, and a Mickey Mouse Too!

Yes Virginia, There IS a Santa Claus, and a Mickey Mouse Too!

At this time of year there is a split among parents. One group wants to do all they can to keep the "fantasy" of Santa Claus alive. The other group believes in "telling the truth" and making sure there child knows there is no such fairytale person as Santa. What you do is up to you but I want to share my opinion. I am not forcing my opinion on anyone. (Stating that for the record J)

I believe in Santa. Yes, as an adult I still believe! I believe in the historical facts of the person of Saint Nickolas. I believe in his spirit of caring, compassionate heart that wishes to only share love and spread joy that is the heart of Santa Claus. But, it is more than that! Santa has many positive traits we need to teach our children.

Let's start out with the truth about Santa Claus. Around 300 AD a young man, named Nickolas lost his parents. His parents were rich merchants and he inherited their business and money. He was a faithful believer and went to church often. This is recorded fact. He became a priest and then a bishop.

Around 320 AD there was a Council called to codify the Christian faith. It was called the Council of Nicaea. At this Council the Divinity of Christ was called into question and discussed. Some of the Council wanted to call Christ a good man and teacher but deny His Divinity. Bishop Nickolas of Mira (now called Turkey) actually got in a fist fight with other bishops demanding they come to the understanding Christ was God come to earth, in other words divine. Bishop Nickolas was a defender of the Christian faith. This Bishop Nickolas is the same Nickolas as the young rich man that became a priest.

There are many other wonderful stories about Bishop Nickolas. He gave money to 3 young sisters, one at a time so they would not be sold into slavery for lack of a dowry. He slipped the money through open windows and tossed it down chimneys where it landed in stockings hung to dry. He gave each of them a dowry so they could marry. He gave gifts to the poor at Christmas so they would remember that Christ gave them Himself as the greatest gift of all, to all men. There are many more strange legends about the man behind the myth. But going back to the original story about the 3 girls. He gave the gifts in secrete but their father finally found him out. Nicolas made the father swear to tell no one the secret. The father kept the secret until Nicolas' death. When Nicolas died the father started giving gifts, to others in need in secret but gave them in Nicolas' name. That was the start of people "being" Saint Nicolas.

Over the years there have been many changes to the story of Saint Nicolas and even his name changed. The name changed because when his story came to a new country the people would change the name into their language. The Dutch call him Sinterklaas and when that came to the early colonies of America they said the name Santa Claus. So you can truly say to your child Santa Claus existed and tell them the story of the wonderful man who loved the Lord and people.

There are another reasons I believe that children should be encouraged to believe in Santa Claus and yes, even Mickey Mouse! Children need to have whimsy to deal with the struggles of life. Even a little believe in Santa and Mickey will encourage that. I believe that this ability to keep the childlike faith in Santa and Mickey will help encourage believe in God, an almighty power that can and will help each and every one of us if we believe and ask.

I believe if you can't hold onto the childlike whimsy you can't believe in a God that can and will do miracles for you every day. I know this is true because of amazing things that have happened in my life. I'll share with anyone that asks so feel free to ask me.

I'm sorry if this offends but at this time of year even more than others I share my faith. I'm not preaching or demanding you believe as I do, I'm just sharing what I believe. You can take it or leave it as you will. I will not be offended even if you tell me you do not believe and don't wish to.

If you wish to ask me any questions feel free to e-mail me at PrankingPixie@yahoo.com.

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