So it seems to be that time of year again – Christmas shopping season! (But wasn’t it just the summer? We’re how many months into school? Halloween is over and I’m saving shopper card points for my free turkey? What?) The holiday season has definitely snuck up on me this year. I used to check the mailbox daily for the toy catalogs to arrive. Then I would have to secure 2 copies so each of my girls could go through them with Sharpies and circle all their “I wants!”
This year is a little different. My girls are 8 and almost 11. While my 8 year old would still love to fill the house with yet more toys, the 11 year is kinda past that. And because Santa has always been generous, we don’t really have room for anymore!
So a couple months ago, I got to thinking… what can possibly go under the tree this year? Then Five Star Travel Group secured group rates at Disney World for February – BINGO!
We haven’t been to Disney since 2013! We didn’t tell the girls, who were 3 and 6 at the time, where we were going when we woke them at 3am one day and started driving south. Abbie didn’t figure it out until she saw the “Welcome to Florida” sign. It was the summer right after the new Fantasyland opened. The girls were “princess crazy.” It was 10 days of pure MAGIC – best family time we ever experienced.
Every year since then, I’ve said to myself we’re going back! I’ve planned the trips and then canceled the trips, always something getting in the way. But this year is different, because instead of spending so much on gifts for under the tree – we are having a Disney Christmas! Yes, there will still be presents under the tree, but most will have to do with our trip. And if I plan it right, we’ll see how long it will take for the girls to figure out the surprise!
Luckily I have a little “Disney stash” in the basement – things I’ve collected on clearance over the years, always hoping for that return trip. And today I had fun shopping the 40% off area of the Disney Store website! It’s much more fun than standing in line at Toys R Us for hours before dawn, trying to secure that “hot toy!”
Christmas is bringing an extra kind of joy to us this year. And it’s making me feel more excited for the holidays! It won’t be a Christmas full of STUFF (some gifts from last year are in the closet, still unopened), the real gift will be the girls’ reactions when they discover that we are returning to Disney World, and the memories we’ll make together in February.
If you’re thinking of traveling soon anyway, why not incorporate it into a gift? You know your kids and you know what they would love. Depending where you want to travel, you could wrap gifts related to that trip! You could wrap luggage, passports, backpacks, neck pillows, scrapbooks, vouchers for excursions, menus from restaurants, beach towels, cruise documents, magic bands, plane tickets, OH MY! Don’t forget the sunscreen and sunglasses in the stockings! If you want help from your Travel Agent Elf, just ask! *Wink, wink! It might just end up being the gift of a lifetime – and something that your family will forever treasure!
Happy Travels! ~Laurie
Laurie at Five Star Travel Group 