Christmas at Disneyland

I created a Christmas time Bucket List and spending the day at Disneyland was high up there! I pulled Parker out of school on the last day of November hoping to beat the holiday crowds and enjoy a full day of Disney. We got the park soon after opening and walked down Main Street and gazed up at the gigantic tree! Wow! So spectacular! Then we walked down to Pooh's Corner to sneak a peek at Santa! I was pleasantly surprised to see that Ray is now a fan! She loved Santa and wanted to sit on his lap forever! She touched his beard and told him how beautiful it was. Parker was great and let Ray bask in the Santa glory. Jack was NOT a fan. But that's ok! Seeing Santa at Disneyland was so special!

Waiting in line is hard 

We didn't ride too many rides this day because I wanted to focus more on admiring all of the holiday decorations and seeing the parades and shows. But Parker was able to ride Splash Mountain which he loved!

Feeding the ducks is always a highlight. They could have stayed there feeding them all day!

It was a bright, warm day! But it sure cooled off at night! Brrr!

We went in to the Bibity Bobity Boutique and Ray got sprinkled with fairy dust and made a wish! One of the sweet (free) things that you can do at Disney.

TeaCups are Ray's all time favorite!!!!

We waited 20 minutes in line for Small World but I'm so glad we did! It was so beautiful all decked out for Christmas! The babies LOVE this ride! But they wouldn't look at the camera and smile...

Leave it to the Asian tourist in the back to look! ha ha

We walked over to California Adventure and once again I was so happy that Ray was excited to meet Ana and Elsa! She showed them her belly button and touched both of their hair and told Elsa how "sprinkly" her dress was. So sweet!

After that, we spent some time in the Sorcerers Workshop.

We have neglected Bugs Land because the lines are always way too long and also because it's lame. But it wasn't busy at all this day so we hit all the rides. Check! When we were in line for this ride, a nice looking Dad came up behind us in line and Ray ran right to him and gave him a big leg hug! Then Jack ran up to him and gave him a hug and then lifted his arms like, "Pick me up!" So this nice, kind man held Jack for a minute and I thought, "Wow! People are so nice!" There are not as many evil, destructive people out in the world as we see on the news. I had been going full speed since first thing in the morning, pushing a double stroller all over Disneyland and trying to keep all 3 of my children happy. No easy task- in fact, I failed! But this stranger performed a small act of kindness that I will not soon forget. It reminds me of how, a few days ago, I was walking out of the grocery store. I was in a hurry because I'd left the kids at home alone. But I saw a mother out in the cold with her baby all bundled in a stroller begging for money. I usually don't give away cash to the homeless because I rationalize that I give plenty in tithing and fast offerings. And also, I don't know how they will spend the money. But this baby pulled at my heart strings and so when I got into my car I frantically searched for something I could give her. A bottle of water? A bag of chips? What do I have? Then I looked in the little tray in my dash and found a few dollar bills. I handed them to her out my window as I drove away and our fingers brushed. Hers were cold and rough. But her eyes will clear and bright and the thanked me profusely. I never saw her again even though I frequent that area. And the next day when I reached into that tray for something I saw the dollars there just like they were before. Miracle? I think so! Light the world.

California Adventure is featuring the way different cultures celebrate the Christmas season. I think it's a marvelous idea. I am so thankful that we live in such a diverse area and that Parker is able to grow up surrounded by so many different ethnicities. We don't have the prejudices that some other parts of the world do because we simply see our neighbors as friends, not as the a race or color or religion. We are lucky and this is a priceless gift. But we were able to stop by the Annual Passport area and receive a special pin and color some fun pictures.

The Christmas parade was sooo fun! And we had a great spot right next to the tree on Main Street! I kept the kids happy with lots of treats and snacks!

After the parade everyone started to fade. It was getting chilly and every one was hungry. Thank goodness Tanner was able to meet us after work! He was on the phone for a while but we were able to grab some dinner and take a walk around both parks and enjoy all of the pretty lights! Small World  is just incredible! We got some hot chocolate and Mickey beignets. Yum! Ray wet her pants so she was freezing. Poor thing. We sat down an hour early in front of the castle to watch the fireworks and Ray was asleep which was great. But when they started she did NOT want to get up! And we were behind a tree! Dang!!! Tanner and Parker snagged a better spot but I was bummed that we couldn't see all of the fireworks after waiting ALL day to see them! I pushed to keep my babies out way past their bedtime... oh well. 

Disneyland certainly is a magical place made even more magical during Christmas time. I feel so very fortunate to be able to create so many amazing memories with my children. The castle represents such a happy fantasy and I love it so very much!