Almost Wordless Wednesday- Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at Disneyland is pretty magical. 

It's your chance to see characters that you wouldn't normally see, and they are all dressed festively in their pajamas and Christmas clothes. 

At the end of the night they all gather together at the Main Street Train Station and wave goodnight. 

Here are a few pictures from our trip this Christmas Eve.

And a video I took of them walking up to the Main Street Train Station to wave goodnight. 

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Tonight is the big night! 

From the Motherhood Magic Family to yours .... Happy Holidays!

Wordless Wednesday -It's A Small World Holiday

*Photos 1-4 taken with iPhone

Little Details ... A Christmas Fantasy Parade

 We love watching A Christmas Fantasy Parade. My son gets very excited when Woody and Buzz Lightyear come out, but have you ever looked closely at Buzz Lightyear's space ship? 

Take a look underneath...

 Made In

 Santa's Toy Factory

North Pole

© Claus

Don't you love the little detail?!

Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle and Wintertime Enchantment Holiday Lighting

Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle, oh so beautiful at night. 

Did you know that you don't have to wait for the "Believe in Holiday Magic" fireworks for snow to fall?  

Each night at 5:00 p.m. to 5:05 p.m., 5:15pm to 5:20 p.m., 6:30 p.m. to 6:35 p.m., and 7:30 to 7:35 pm the Wintertime Enchantment Holiday Lighting show happens. Watch the castle light up with snow and sparkling icicles, the Christmas tree and the Mickey shaped garlands all across Main Street light up with snowy lights, and enjoy the snow fall down all around you. 

What I like about this is that we can still see the snow and the beauty of the castle and Christmas tree on Main street, and not have to stay out late with the little one to catch the snow after fireworks. 

Even if you plan to stay for fireworks, it's great to catch one of these little shows just in case your little one passes out before, so they can definitely catch the magic of the snow fall. 

 Times are subjected to change, so make sure to check the show guide when you are at the park. 

Make Your Own Gingerbread Mickey Cookies

 What is better then a gingerbread man? A gingerbread Mickey of course!!

 For $7.95 you can buy this Gingerbread Cookie Mix that comes with a gingerbread Mickey cookie cutter. You can find them throughout the Disneyland Resort.

This is the easiest mix to make too, even if you are not a baker. 

 All you need in addition to the mix is one stick of butter and one egg.  Mix everything together until it forms into a ball and then lay out on a floured cutting board.  Roll the dough out to 1/4" thickness, and then use the cutter to make gingerbread Mickey cookies. 

 Little hands make great helpers for making these cookies. 

 You can also buy a Mickey head cookie cutter at the Disneyland Resort for $5.95.

 Bake at 375° for 6-9 minutes.

And then you are done, unless you want to decorate them. 

 I can honestly say these cookies are delicious, and I'm sure Santa would love a few of these on Christmas Eve. 

These cutters would also be great for sugar cookies, so now you too can have Mickey Christmas cookies at home during the holidays. 

Big Thunder Ranch - Santa's Reindeer Round-Up

You still have time to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus with the kids at Big Thunder Ranch, and unlike the malls you can take pictures for free with your camera! Don't worry if you forget your camera because there will be a cast member there to take a picture for you. After they take your picture they will hand you a photo pass, and you can view your photos that they took at home online. If you like any of the photos, then you can order them for a fee. 

Our favorite part of Santa's Reindeer Round-Up is looking at all the reindeer of course. They are beautiful in person. 

When you are done, make sure to head over to the coloring tables to color on festive coloring sheets. If you are lucky, you might spot Pluto doing his best reindeer impression too. 

Brunch at Club 33

 I recently was invited to join some friends at Club 33 for Sunday brunch, and then later that night enjoy Candlelight with them. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity to be able to go, my husband agreed to stay home with our son so I could enjoy a full 12 hours at Disneyland. I had a wonderful time eating great food and going on rides I haven't been on in years. Unfortunately it rained that night, and we didn't get to see Candlelight this year. As we were all leaving the park for the day a little sad about the rain, I couldn't help but be thankful for the earlier part of my day at Club 33. The food was magnificent. 

I thought I would share a few of the photos I took. 

There was a wide selection of food from seafood to prime rib, pasta, pizza, salads, fruits, cheeses, pancakes with real blueberries inside, and more. There really was something for everyone there. 

 Right away we were greeted by this Santa ice sculpture. It's hard to tell by this photo, but the color is in the middle of the sculpture. 

 The Christmas themed desserts were not only beautiful but delicious too!

 Candlelight themed cookies. These didn't last long and were later replaced with gold ornament sugar cookies. 

If you ever get the chance to go, do not pass it up. We had a great intimate experience with Mickey and Minnie that was so magical. It was one of the best times I've ever had.