Halloween was two days ago (hope you had a blast!) which means it is now Christmas. That’s just kind of how it works. We get a few precious weeks of pumpkins, skeletons, bats, and ghouls, and then just like Cinderella’s magic spell, at midnight it all changes. Only this time, the pumpkin goes away rather than coming back. Wake up the next morning and everything is jingle bells and bright red hats and goodwill toward men.
Well, maybe that is a little extreme. Pumpkins work for Thanksgiving, after all. They can hang around for a little while. And if Disney has taught us anything (which, as we all know, they have), we know skeletons can rock a Santa hat, too. So I might be able to squeeze out a little bit more time with my treasured holiday, but soon enough I’m going to have to accept the inevitable — Christmas season is approaching.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Christmas. I’m not going to start seeing people with chains and having to relive all my past bad deeds or anything. I just sometimes have a harder time getting into the joyful groove thirteen seconds after having to say goodbye to Halloween. As the mother of a hardcore Christmas lover, though, I’ve got to get on that Santa sleigh and be happy about it. So this year I decided I’m going to start thinking about Christmas with a Disney spin — specifically, what kinds of super fun and unique goodies I can smuggle under the tree or into stockings.
You see, everybody knows the plushes and the dolls and the sparkly ornaments. Everybody knows the pins and the shirts and the charms. Everybody knows the…well, you get my point. There are some Disney gifts that show up on endless lists every year because they are fabulous. Just because they are fabulous, though, doesn’t mean they’re the only Disney gifts up for grabs. There are tons of fancy little treats and shinies just waiting to be discovered. So today I want to bring you exploring Disney with shopping on the brain. Let’s go find some amazing Christmas goodies even Santa is going to be jealous you found!
Here’s what I have jotted on my parchment scroll for gifts this year (you don’t have a scroll?):
Squished pennies. You probably know them as pressed pennies, but around here, we call it as we see it…squished. Right now you’re likely saying “But Taryn, everyone knows about the squished penny machines.” I’m sure you do. You’ve probably seen them at the ends of rides and scattered throughout lands. But have you seen the ones in Disney Springs? Did you know there are designs of the Princesses you can buy as a set rather than individually. Frame them or turn them into jewelry for a unique gift. They even make adorable stocking stuffers.
Photopass storybook. Books are classic Christmas presents, but what about a book featuring your little Princess? Head to Disney Springs to the PhotoPass Studio, and have your costumed little one pose for her own photo session. You can then order a book and in a few weeks receive a gorgeous hardbound book that puts her right into the story.
Pieces of the park. I can’t guarantee you will find this one, but if you do, it will make an amazing stocking stuffer. On our last trip, we were exploring some of the new shops in Disney Springs and while we were in one we noticed a bowl of little metal shapes next to the register. There was a princess crown, a Minnie bow, a castle, a Mickey shoe, and a Sorcerer Mickey hat. The little one asked what they were, and the Cast Member at the register told us they were made from metal from the Magic Kingdom. There was no way to know what the metal originally was, or when it was made, but holding them was literally holding a piece of the park. We each got one, and now carry them with us.
I hope you got some good ideas for starting your Christmas list. Next time, we’ll explore more and discover some “hidden” treasures you might not know about in the parks. See ya’ real soon!
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Taryn was born and raised, and still lives in Richmond, Virginia. Neither she nor her husband ever had the opportunity to visit Walt Disney World when they were children, but when their daughter Avalon came along, they decided she was not going to follow in their footsteps. They brought Avalon for the first time when she was 3 and have been hooked ever since. Now along with Taryn’s mother and equally Disney-loving older brother, they go “home” at least once a year, and by the time she is staring longingly at Cinderella Castle from the ferry on their last night, Taryn is well on her way to planning the next trip. As a group consisting of two adults with Asperger’s, including one who is also vegan, a very accommodating husband, an only child, a senior, and a service dog, they are a pretty special family, but Taryn is excited to show that the World really is The Most Magical Place on Earth and that there is a place there for everyone. When she isn’t thinking about her next Disney adventure and trying to come up with a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party costume that will beat her Oozma Kappa nerd look, she is a professional blogger and novelist, but Taryn also likes to indulge her Disney passion on her Etsy shop It’s Better in Vinyl.
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