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The alarm goes off at 2 a.m. and I am up and excited right away. A smile on my face, a cup of coffee in my hand, I am grabbing last minute things to load into the van and we are on our way! It has become almost a ritual now. It feels like the beginning of Christmas and, for us, that is kind of what it is.
This is the first day of our annual family trip to Disney World. Every Thanksgiving our family gets together at the most magical place on Earth and we live together – all as a family again – for ten days. My husband, myself, and our three children ages 25, 19 and 17. This is my heaven on earth.
We started going to Disney World together in 2000 and we spend every Thanksgiving there now. We have made super budget trips where the smell of peanut butter lingered in our room for days on end. We have also gone with the free dinging plan where we ate until it hurt. Whether we are eating breakfast in the room and packing our lunches to take in backpacks, or eating at the fanciest restaurants in “the world” makes no difference to us. We are just ecstatic to be able to enjoy this time each year.
There is much to be said about pre-planning. I spend hours in this process before each trip with my notes, my latest guides and ideas of what we definitely don’t want to miss and what we would like to see new this time. Planning the trip is sometimes just as much fun as being there, with the adrenalin and high hopes invading every space of my body. Driving away in the pitch black of night, I realize that it will all be worth the effort in about 17 hours.
The Disney World area is breathtaking. Once we arrive it is like all our senses wake up and start taking notice. The sun seems brighter, the food tastes better, everyone is nicer, the grass is greener, the bushes are shaped like Disney characters for crying out loud. It is euphoric!
What a welcome time for all of us. Away from the stresses of life and into a comfy Disney-themed hotel room, we are home. For some, cramming five rather large people into one room for nine nights, with all the smelling of feet and sharing of one bathroom, might not sound heavenly. But for a mom who no longer gets to kiss her children every night and greet them with a hug every morning, it is a welcomed joy to behold.
To make our trips fresh and new each year, I always incorporate a new adventure into the trip. Be it an exciting new addition to the parks, a previously untried restaurant, a tour of a hotel we have not yet visited, it adds a little something extra to our wonderful holiday season.
On our first day we are always at Magic Kingdom and on our first night we can always be found celebrating our arrival with Christmas pageantry, warm sugar cookies and very short ride lines at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. This really puts a smile on our faces and the love and joy of the holidays in our hearts.
The Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights is a magical family favorite. Millions of Christmas lights dance to music while we walk around in the snow sipping on our sweet, rich hot chocolate. I sniff the scent from my cup to add to my enjoyment of savoring the flavor and taking this memory in.
Growing my family Disney is what I always had in mind when I visited in my teenage years. Sharing hugs, smiles, fun and memories with my family is a blessing that I am so very thankful for. I treasure every second of it. Whether we are budgeting every penny or going all out with the dining plan we are enjoying life together and not taking one moment of it for granted. I relish these days with the grateful spirit that I have taken from these vacations exactly what Walt wanted people to take from them – to come to Disney World and be happy, then to take that happiness home and spread it to others.
Thank you, Walter Elias Disney. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Author : Brenda K
Brenda is now a member of the Chip Panel, an elite group of Disney Guest Bloggers featured on the Chip and Company site. If you love Disney and enjoy writing you should apply to the Chip Panel. Along with being immortalized on Chip and Company Website you will be entered in a drawing for a free $25 Disney Store Giveaway!
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