Disney @ Christmas Time

Christmas is the most magical time and magical season that there is. It is filled with happiness and joy. Makes sense that people want to be at the happiest place in the world during the happiest time in the world. A lot of people share this sentiment and Disney is packed for the holiday season. Other than 4th of July, the entire week before and after Christmas is the busiest time at Disney world. I went the day after Christmas before and it was difficult to even move much. However, there are some pointers in dealing with this crowded time at the parks.

First, to get the most bang for your buck at Disney, avoid the parks during those two weeks. Go at a different time in the season, all of the Christmas stuff is offered and you won't have to deal as much with the crowds. If you have a Silver pass (like us), your pass is blacked out during this time anyways. There are better times to go.

Next, determine how much the special events mean to you. The special event I am most specifically speaking of is the Very Merry Christmas Party. It is a special ticket event that is seperate from a regular day park admission. That being said, it does come cheaper than a regular park admission and offers some extra perks. Besides being cheaper it comes with a slightly less crowded park and is offered after park hours. You can usually get in at 4pm while the park closes to the general public at 7pm and you are allowed to stay until 2am (which is impossible for parents with young children). Free cookies and holiday beverages are offered at several locations throughout the park. There is also a variety of other holiday treats available for purchase. Additionally, there is a holiday stage show and a special holiday parade. Finally, the biggest draw which is special character meets that aren't available during the day. These meets included Sandy Claws (Jack Skellington), Scrooge McDuck, and the Zootopia characters this year. It is very worth it for one time, but I do not know if I'd go back since I've been once. Also it is very tough for my family to get our complete money's worth and stay until 2am because of the little ones.

Magic Kingdom does not have many holiday offerings outside of the party. The castle lights up at night and there are decorations around the park. However, if you want the holiday experience at Magic Kingdom, you need to go to the party. The special holiday treats are only available at the party.

We miss the Osborne lights a lot. That amazing experience at Hollywood Studios is never to be seen again. It is really sad that they won't have it anymore. We went a few weeks ago and were pretty disappointed at what was being offered. It was so sad. We didn't stick around for the new projection show after hearing it was just okay because the kids were tired. Honestly, this park makes me feel claustrophobic at times now and I am not that type of person. There just is not and will not be a lot to do until the Toy Story and Star Wars lands open up. Disney needs to increase the amount of character meets in this park to make it worthwhile to attend to non passholders. I go still because it does have some of my favorite rides, but I probably wouldnt spend my money to go here for just one day as of now. It will pay off in the long run, but it is not up to the Disney standard currently.

Picture of the Osborne Lights we miss so much. Disney isn't as exciting at Christmas, but its still cool.

Animal Kingdom is my favorite park and the park the boys enjoy most. It is a really cool park for the Animal lover and has a lot of boy themed attractions, while the other parks typically focus a bit more on the little princesses. It has the least holiday appeal though. It simply does not have holiday shows and lacks major holiday decorations. They do exist though, and the tree out in front is always my favorite Christmas Tree on Disney property. Do not expect much beyond that particular tree though as far as holiday appeal.

We are going to Epcot at Christmas time this weekend to catch some of those holiday festivities and will have more tips at a later date. The Christmas trees and decorations were up in mid November when we went, but the Candlelight Processional and other holiday shows were not quite ready yet at this time. The tree entering the World Showcase was a pretty awesome sight. Another cool sight was the tree in America. Finally, the holiday topiaries were also a very nice touch to the park.

If you do not care about holiday decorations and shows and just want to visit the parks, go in the morning! They are way more crowded at night because of the holiday offerings. Stay tuned in a few weeks for updates on the new Christmas offerings at Disney Springs!

From the entire Robinson clan, I hope you have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

-Noland

How to Keep Christ in Christmas (for Kids)

I wrote a post similar to this last year but I thought it needed to be re-vamped and discussed in greater detail! So here are my 10 ways to Keep Christ in Christmas (at your house) For Kids!

 I hope this helps those of you who are often battling with the excitement of Santa Claus but wanting to teach the true meaning of Christmas and Christ's coming!

1. Teach kids about the real St. Nicholas by celebrating St. Nicholas day in early December. This year St. Nicholas day was held on December 6. You can start by telling your children about St. Nicholas, the man who enjoyed helping others. On December 5th, have children put a shoe or hang their Christmas stocking outside their bedroom door. They can also leave a carrot or apple for his horse and a cookie for St. Nick. After the children are asleep, you can put a small simple gift in their shoe or stocking for them to receive on St. Nick’s day. Keep the gift small and simple. 

For more history and ideas on St. Nicholas day you can click here.  

For prayers to St. Nicholas, click here. 

There are also some great kids movies about St. Nicholas called: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. There are two versions… 1985 excerpt & 2000 excerpt. 

2. Make 25 ornaments with different names of Jesus. Have your child hang one each day in the month of December leading up to Christmas!This is a wonderful idea. You can make some like in the picture or check out some printables and a tutorial here.

3. Visit a live Nativity scene. Many churches will host these and some even allow the kids to pet the animals, which can be fun for the little ones. Just google “live nativity scene in (your city)” and I’m sure you’ll find one. 

 4. Have a Birthday party for Jesus! Make a cake with the kids! And save a place for Jesus at the dinner table. At this party, you could even... Read the Birth Story of Jesus from the bible (Luke Chapters 1 & 2).

5. Send your kids a letter from Santa about the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus' birth. This is a really neat tradition. I don't know if it is something you should do every year but it would be cool for trying to incorporate Santa and Jesus. Here is a great free printable example of what I'm talking about! 

6. Watch some Holiday movies about Christ & Listen to Christmas songs about Christ. This one is pretty simple. Even though, there are plenty of Santa Clause movies, there are a few holiday movies that include the story of Jesus. Here are some I recommend: A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Small One, Veggie Tales Christmas Collection, The Prince of Peace and The Nativity Story. The Nativity Story actually is not a cartoon. It came out in 2006 and is pretty good. I believe adults would like it and it's rated PG so it's okay for kids too.
Christmas songs about Christ are always my favorite. We own the WOW Christmas CD which can be picked up at any Christian Books Store! Love Love Love it. But here are a list of a few that I love: O Little Town of Bethlehem, The First Noel, What Child is This, Silent Night, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Mary Did you Know, O Come All Ye Faithful... and many more!

7. Decorate with religious decorations! My little man is still a baby but I do have some nephews and a niece. My brother's sons are 4 and 6 and they love to ask questions! Decorating with religious decorations will definitely spark interest in kids and open the conversation to talk about the true meaning of Christmas! We always have a Nativity scene set up and some religious ornaments as well! I would like to start incorporating an advent wreath too. Each week you light a candle to prepare for Christ's coming, which is practiced in the Catholic church! Another cool tradition that I just recently heard of is the Jesse tree!

8. On Christmas morning, Hide the baby Jesus from your Nativity set and wrap him. Let him be the first gift unwrapped on Christmas morning! I've heard a few variations of this one. You could also hide him and the first kid who finds him, gets a small special gift! I like him being the first gift unwrapped though. It makes it extra special that Jesus has arrived on Christmas morning! He is what Christmas is all about so it seems extra special that he is the first gift unwrapped.

9. After unwrapping gifts, have your kids donate 3 of their old toys to a homeless shelter/toy drive, or Do some act of charity. There are so many ideas out there but to keep Christ in Christmas, I believe it is important to teach your children that Christmas is not just about receiving but also about giving. I've heard of some children giving three of their old toys to a toy drive, children's home or homeless shelter. After all, they did receive new toys at Christmas and this keeps them giving to others and involved in the Christmas spirit.
There are other acts of charity that can be done too.. such as visiting a nursing home, children's hospital, or helping out at a soup kitchen! Plenty of charity to be performed on the holidays! I hope we can incorporate this in my house in the future!

10. Attend a Church Service together as a Family. Growing up, my family always went to Catholic mass as a family on Christmas and we still do this to this day. It instilled in me the importance of Christmas and Christ's coming. If you are Christian and believe/celebrate this special holiday, than going to a church service together is a great idea!

These are just a few of my ideas on how you can incorporate Christ in your child's Christmas celebration and festivities! I'm going to try to work on a way for adults to include Christ in their Christmas festivities in a special way too! Coming soon! I'd love to hear if you have other ideas that I didn't mention!
What the special way that you keep Christ in Christmas, if you do so?

Personalize your Wrapped Presents!

I know it's crazy. It's only December 7 and I already have started wrapping presents but Noland's family is visiting this weekend so we will be giving them their gifts. One of my friends asked to share how I did it when I shared a photo on instagram.. so here's what they look like and the "how to".

How to: 

Wrap your present and place it aside. Open Microsoft Word and type the person's name that you are gifting in the font that you would to use. Square fonts are easier to use. You can download cool fonts at dafont.com. Then print what you have.

Then cut the letters into individual squares. Cut out a piece of  wrapping paper.

Then place the printed letter in front of the wrapping paper and cut along the outline of the letter.

When you have all your letters cut out, place them on top of the wrapped package to decide where you want to place them.

Now take your photo strips and place them on the back and use them as adhesive to stick them to the package. Then add your twine and tie in a simple bow. Then you are all done!

That's all there is. Easy Peezy.

Good luck wrapping your presents and let me know if you use this technique! :)

Posts of Christmas Past

Last year I wrote some great posts about Christmas. In the past year, the blog has probably doubled the readers that were reading at this time last year so I thought I'd do a little review so you could check out the old posts that interest you. And there is one post that I will be completely re-vamping.

You can read about these amazing cookies here.

Posted on 12/1/11.

You can read about our visit to 

Robert's Christmas Wonderland here.

Posted on 12/3/11.

 Check out  the tradition of Elf on the Shelf here. I can't wait til Baby No-No is big enough to start this!
Posted on 12/6/11.

Check out My No Bake Cookie Recipe here. I failed to make them properly but maybe you are up for the challenge!
Posted on 12/13/11.

Check out The Christmas Quiz here.
Posted on 12/14/11.

You can read about our visit down Christmas Lane here.

Posted on 12/17/11.

I hope you check out and enjoy some Posts of Christmas Past! That's all for today!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I'm back & ready to attempt to post every other day or so. Some minor changes will still be made to the blog in the next few weeks such as adding networking info (twitter, fb). You can navigate through the blog a lot easier using the navigational bar at the top of the page. Having a little guy is busy and making it a lot harder to post consistently but most of all, it's that I just want to enjoy every little moment with him.. but I'll share more on that later!

(These pictures are low quality due to being taken on my phone. So Sorry.)

 Well, I don't know about your family but Noland & I started playing Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving. We put up our tree, stockings and all the magic. We could have waited a little while but he had off the whole week of Thanksgiving and it was just easier to go ahead and start the decorating! As a Catholic, I don't consider it to be Christmas just yet though. It's what we call Advent... preparation for Christ's coming at birth. No worries, Christmas will soon arrive and Catholics don't take all their decorations down the day after Christmas because Christmas is such an important holiday in the eyes of the church, it should be celebrated at least 12 days ending on January 6. The Epiphany! So growing up, we usually kept our decorations up until them and we probably will this year too.

 One of our favorite places is to visit the Christmas store... we bought 2 ornaments this year and plan on buying one every year to add a little here and there to our tree. I can't wait til the little man is older so he can enjoy it more! They had all these fun colored trees there too, which I felt the need to take a picture of. 

Noland picked out this adorable little outfit for baby at Target! Don't you just want to pinch his little cheeks?

 Also, here is a shot of our tree. Usually a shelf goes their with a cross over it.. and I didn't take the cross off the wall because I just like it. And we got our 1970 blinds on the left, gotta love 'em.

 The best part of putting up Christmas decor, is that baby boy absolutely loves staring at the tree. He will get fussy sometimes so I just place him on the floor or in his papasan and he will stare at the tree like it is magical. Now that we have the little guy, I feel like Christmas is going to be so exciting again. The mystery of Santa, the magic of all the holiday lights & music, and the birth of our Lord and Savior. It's all so wonderful.

This really is the most wonderful time of the year. People are so much more friendly in the giving season. I love shopping for others and being creative. I love the music and the smiles on children's faces. I love the decorations! And we live in the south, so the weather is pretty perfect too.. not too hot, not too cold. 

What's your favorite thing about the holidays?

CHRISTmas & Thanks Linus!

Christmas is now less than 4 days away and

 I will be Mrs. Robinson in less than 10 days! wooohoo!

I can't even begin to grasp what all this change will bring. I have so much to do to prepare for the wedding that Christmas has almost become a complete afterthought. I mean I'm excited about Christmas but I'm a little bit more excited and giddy about New Years.. only because I get to promise to spend the rest of my life with such a great man! Tonight, we watched Charlie Brown Christmas for the second time this holiday season. 

My favorite part:

This part truly captivates what Christmas is all about. 

Linus says: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were so afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

I just love this because I've really tried to get into Christmas this year but with the wedding it has been so hard. Christmas is so commercialized too which doesn't help either.Watching Charlie Brown Christmas really brings us back to what Christmas is all about: the birth of a Savior.

So I've looked up some Christian holiday ideas that 

I would like to incorporate into this Christmas and next: 

1. Watch the Nativity Story movie.

It's newer. You can find more info about it here.

2. Go to a Live Nativity Scene or have your kids participate in a Nativity play

(we went to a Live Nativity scene this past weekend. It was too dark for pictures but it was very neat!)

Here is where you can find easy Nativity Costumes.. 

pinned here

3. Make sure to decorate with more than just a Christmas tree.. 

Put up a nativity scene or decor that reminds you of Christ's birth 

pinned here

4. Watch Charlie Brown Christmas

It has such a great message, as shared earlier! 

5. Plan a project of Good will this Christmas

Volunteer at a homeless shelter or donate food to the homeless. 

6. Send Christmas cards that convey a spiritual message 

7. Attend a Christmas church service

I grew up going to midnight mass at the Catholic church. As a kid, it was so magical to be awake at midnight and celebrate the birth of Christ. so exciting!

8. Make a Birthday Cake for Jesus

9. Set aside time to read the story of Christ's birth from the Bible...

10. Call an old family friend or relative/ Write a letter to a missionary.

For the elderly and a lot of missionaries who are in different countries for Christmas, this time of year can be very lonely. Write the missionaries or visit an elderly person that you don't know too well. Ask the elderly about their family, their holiday traditions from when they were younger. Any lonely elderly person would probably be overjoyed to have some company. 

Those are just some traditions that I would love to incorporate in my own life. We are going to mass this Christmas on Christmas day and have already done some of these things but I can't wait until next year when I can incorporate them all! 

Do you have any ideas on how to keep Christ in Christmas and not let your holiday become over-commercialized?

Thanks for stoppin by,

xoxo Jen.

Christmas Lane!

Last night, in celebration of Noland's (my fiance') Christmas break starting.. We went to Brandon, FL then Dover, FL to check out Christmas Lane! Very Cool. 

Here's some pictures from Christmas Lane:

Here was the entry sign (:

Christmas Lane is in Dover, FL. You park and walk through. Its pretty neat especially for kids. They have a walk-through area with Santa, a little train ride for kids and live music entertainment.

This is the house that Christmas Lane is located at. So pretty with all the lights!

This was the gigantic tree they had there... It was beautiful! Sorry the picture is a little blurry.

& here is some cool info about the tree:

so crazy.

 The Nativity Scene. so pretty... Love this.

and they had a salute to the armed forces

Christmas Lane was a cool place.

...and then we went to a gated neighborhood in Brandon, FL which was open for people to drive through and look at the lights. Almost every house had lights. It was pretty neat...

Here's some pictures:

this was one of my favorites ^^

a little blurry.. a precious moments Nativity scene.

another Nativity. so pretty.

It was so fun! Gosh, I love Christmas! You should "google" Christmas lights in your area. 

That's all I did and found these great locations!

Alright, well now, Noland & I are watching "The Year without a Santa Clause"... 

Will be having a Christmas give-away soon! Stay Tuned! 

Thanks for stoppin by! I'd love to hear about your Christmas lights experiences!

xoxo Jen.

The Christmas Quiz

These are NEW stocking my mom got Noland & I from Pottery Barn! 

I don't have a tree up at my place yet because Noland's sister Kirsten is bringing it down tomorrow! 

Also, I'm cooking dinner as we speak and can't wait to share the recipe with you tomorrow... if it is tasty.

But, I've seen this Christmas Quiz going around so I decided to take it.. Get to know my Christmas side! Beware, I'm told that I can ramble at times.

CHRISTMAS QUIZ

Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? 

Well it depends. I love Hot Chocolate when its cold outside, especially homemade on the stove top with Hershey's chocolate. I also really enjoy cold Barber's Egg Nog!

Colored lights on tree/house or white? 
I like white lights on the tree in the house and colored outside. I told Noland that when we get a house, he can do whatever he wants outside! haha.

Do you hang mistletoe? 
No, but i would love to in the future.

When do you put your decorations up? 
My mom always made me do it the day after Thanksgiving. When I have a family, I would like to do it on St. Nicholas Day, which is December 6. I think that St. Nicholas day is such a neat tradition and really want to start it.

What is your favorite holiday dish? 
We usually have ham at Christmas! Oh Gosh, so yummy! My mom also makes homemade Macaroni and Cheese Casserole from Southern Living magazine. It is amazing. If she makes it this year, I will have her take pictures and share the recipe!

Favorite Holiday memory as a child? 
Every year, my mom and brother would work out some way to surprise me. Like one year I got my first computer but I opened all my Christmas gifts and was kind of upset because I thought I didn't get it. My brother went into the guest room and grabbed a bag and came out and I thought for sure this would be my computer.. He walked out and my mom had bought me a Limited Too sleeping bag. I smiled and acted like I was okay but deep inside, I was disappointed because I told her all I wanted for Christmas was a computer and it didn't even have to be new.

So every year after we open all of our gifts, we play with them... especially if there are games and such. Afterwards my brother was like, "Hey you want to see what I got Ashley (his wife now)"? and I said, "Sure." So we walked in his room/guest room and there it was... He had revamped the old computer. It was slow but it worked and could get online. It was exactly what I wanted!
But most of all, every Christmas, I just love spending time with family! & lately, its been awesome to have Christmas with my nephews! They make it so much fun again!

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? 
Man, Santa is such a heart breaker. I think I found out in like 1st grade from an older kid that went to my after school program. I asked my mom and she told me that he was real and I forgot about the whole ordeal. Then I started thinking he wasn't real again around 4th or 5th grade and I think I found out around then. My mom totally cried & I must say that being the youngest, the year after I found out was not as much fun. 

I think my 4th grade year I knew the truth but I could not figure out how they got the presents under the tree. Every year we went to midnight mass (we're Catholic) & when we got back, the gifts would always be there. I was so confused. I didn't know if my mom left mass to put them under there. Years later, I learned that my brother (we're 10 years apart) would always "forget" his keys and have to run back in the house. I never even noticed.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? 
We don't do this anymore but when I was younger we would go to Midnight mass and Santa would come while we were at mass. So when we got home around 1:30am, we would open all of our gifts! No one can stay up that late any more. We go to an earlier mass on Christmas eve and wait until the morning. 

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
 I don't really understand this question. Haha. I like it with white lights and ornaments & an angel at the top!

Snow! Love it or dread it? 
I have only seen snow about 5 times in my whole life and that's fine by me. Too cold and then it melts and you are all wet... so I'll stay in Florida!

Do you remember your favorite gift?
 Hmm. I don't know. As a kid,  I have no idea.. As a teen, probably the year I got my computer or cell phone!

What is your favorite holiday dessert? 
Christmas Cookies with ICING!

What is your favorite holiday tradition? 
All of them!

Watching Christmas movies
Drinking egg nog & hot chocolate
Looking at Christmas lights!
Looking at all the Christmas stuff at stores!
Listening to Christmas music
Baking
Giving gifts! Shopping for the gifts to give!


Candy Canes: Yum or Yuck?
 Yuck! but I do like the Starburst or the fruity ones.

Favorite Christmas movie?
 I love them all. Charlie Brown Christmas is a classic.

This year, I've already watched ELF twice.
Its a Wonderful Life is a must.
and I love the clay-mation old Rudolph, Santa Clause is comin to Town... etc.
Oh and I watched the new ABC Family movie, 12 dates of Christmas. That was cute too.. but it doesn't make the favorites but it was good.

What is your favorite Christmas song? 
Noland was asking me this the other day. I don't know.
His favorite is The Little Drummer Boy.

 Pa-rump pa pum pum. 

I like Mary, Did you know? & What Child is this.

I don't know-- they are all so good!

Thats all for now! Stop by tomorrow for an amazing Recipe! :)

xoxo Jen.

PS. Sorry there are spaces in some place and not in others. Blogger was not cooperating with me!

No Bake Cookies - My Epic Fail

+ Yesterday was a busy day for me.. I stained some furniture, I'll share later. 

+ And last night, I tried to make a new meatball recipe but it was an EPIC FAIL and did not look or taste good.. + On top of that, I've misplaced my camera. I can not find it anywhere... 

+ So, I decided to make NO BAKE COOKIES..  

my mom used to always make them around the holidays. so yummy. 

+ Well I had a second EPIC FAIL. I will share the recipe though and you can try.. I'm going to have to have her show me cause apparently I can not follow directions! I mean they kinda came out..

Ingredients:
1 stick of butter
2 cups of sugar
3 tablespoons of cocoa
1/2 cup of milk
3 cups of oatmeal
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup of peanut butter.

Directions:
Melt the butter, Add sugar, cocoa and milk. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. [Do NOT boil for more than 5 minutes or less than 3 minutes].
Then when it starts to thicken. take off the heat, add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal.. Mix well. Place on Wax paper to set.
They should look like this:

mine definitely did not look anything like this.. 

I threw out the first batch and made a second batch.. but I only had 1 cup of sugar left.. ruined that batch too. 

Hopefully you will have more luck! 

Have you ever had an EPIC FAIL on a recipe or craft you wanted to share on your blog? 

Let me know! :)

+on a totally different note, a while ago, Noland & I went to look at Christmas lights and I stole a picture or two off of his phone. This one house we saw was amazing..

Like Clark Griswald AMAZING! 

The second picture didn't turn out as well.. but it was amazing! 

Hopefully, I'll find my camera soon & can share some Christmas goodies with you!

Thanks for stoppin by: 

xoxo Jen.

PS. 18 days til my wedding!

& Linking up here:

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