Christmas at Disney

It's all over...
Hard to believe, isn't it?  Months of prep, and shopping, and spending, cooking , and cleaning...
The holiday season, as usual, went by much too quickly.
I love Christmas, really love Christmas, really, really love... well, you get the idea.
This Chrismas was all about Isabella (isn't it always about the kids?).
This year, I decided to do something we haven't done in years - go to Disney to enjoy the holiday activities.  Yes, it is crowded, expensive, too.  I rationalized all this away by saying that this trip was our Christmas present to ourselves.  I loved working at Disney during the holiday season - all the decorations, the Candlelight Processional, snow on Main Street... I had all of this magic locked inside a tiny place in my heart and couldn't wait to share it with my family.
I should have known better.
I should have gone myself.
My first clue was given to me before we even left for Disney.  I left work early and headed to Mom's to meet Ray and Isabella.  They were already there and settled in on the couch eating snacks and watching TV.  Obviously I was the only one in a hurry to get there when the party (Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party) started.
We puttered around Mom's for a couple of hours until she threw us out the door - hurry up, doesn't the party start in an hour? (yes, it does).
Up the FL Tpke, quick check in to our hotel, and we arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 8:00 (4 hours left to party). Then the battle over which rides we were going on began.
Rides?  We can ride anytime!  Let's see the shows!
Well, apparently I was the only one interested in seeing all the Christmas Shows, and the Christmas decorations, the lighting of the Castle Dreamlights, and the parade, and the fireworks...
Note to self (and any of you who might be wondering) - MVMCP is not really worth the additional admission ticket.  The parade was cool, and so were the fireworks, but the parade and fireworks for the Halloween party (Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party) are much better.
As a former Cast Member, preserving the Magic is very important to me, and a big part of that magic is the idea that the characters are really alive and not someone in a costume.  The way to do this is to ensure that a character is only seen in one part of the park at any given time.  Well, as we were headed past Peter Pan's Flight to see the Parade from Liberty Square, I noticed the seven dwarves (all of them: Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Dopey, Sneezy, Bashful, and Doc) posing for a photo opportunity.  In the distance, I could hear the music for the parade beginning. "oh," I thought to myself, "Guess the Dwarves aren't in the parade."
But they were!
This mystery was not lost on Isabella, who said, "Mommy, they must have run really fast to get in the parade!"  "Do they have a secret door?"  I assured her they must have a secret passageway.
Then, as the parade was over, and we meandered past the photo opportunity station, there were the little miners again!  Now, I was getting annoyed.  Of course, Isabella doesn't miss a trick.  "Mommy? How did they get back here so fast?"  I didn't know what to tell her.  Even the tunnels under the Magic Kingdom could not have gotten them there that fast.
I have to say, I was pretty disappointed in the Mouse over that one.  She's at that tender age when Santa and the Tooth Fairy are just barely real; spotting an obvious screw up like that one made the magic fade just a little for Isabella.  She told me on the way home that she was pretty sure it was the REAL dwarves in the parade and maybe some helpers in costume that were signing autographs.
Pretty good logic for a six year old, huh?
We didn't get back to the hotel until 2:00 AM.  I pulled the blackout curtains tight, and turned off the alarm.  I figured we'd get up when we were good and ready, knowing full well, I'd be up at 8:00 and staring and my sleeping family for many hours.
How wrong I was.
Pushed out of bed by a knee in my back (How did Isabella get in this bed?) and then kept awake by the incessant snores, I crept out of the bedroom and onto the pullout couch  (ie: Isabella's bed) at 5:00 AM, or so.  Nearly SIX hours later, Ray woke me up, saying, "Do you know how long you slept?"
"AARGH!!  It's 11:00!  We've already missed two hours at Epcot!"
Since it was my fault, I really couldn't be mad at anyone (but myself).
So, out the door we went, me grumbling and mad at myself.
The plan; and yes, I always have a plan for our disney trips.  We don't always stick to them, but I like to write stuff down.  Anyway, the plan was to start by parking at Hollywood Studios (where we would be ending our day), and take the boat to Epcot, visit the various Holiday Storytellers, have lunch in France, see some more storytellers, catch the first candlelight processional, and head on over to the Studios.  Once at the Studios, we would meet up with my dear friend, Mark, and see the Osboune (no, not Ozzy, or Sharon) Spectacle of lights, maybe go on a few rides, and have dinner at the Brown Derby (mmm).
It mostly worked out.
We saw two Storytellers, had lunch, and then the crowds came in.
Crazy crowds.
Crowds like I have never seen.
Crowds that made me think of New Year's Eve on Bourbon Street.
Crowds that made me terrified to lose Isabella (I never get that fear).
Note to self - next year, go on a Wednesday.
The Candlelight Processional was majestic as usual.  Our narrator was Whoopi Goldberg.  How cool was that?
When it ended, the crowds were even thicker.  We abandoned any thought of more strorytellers, and bailed.
The rest of our evening was great.  Yes, totally crowded, but whatever.  We met Mark, saw the lights, had dinner, and called it a somewhat early evening.
The next day we were back to normal, hit Hollywood Studios again and Isabella got to ride on both the Tower of Terror (I skipped that one), and the Rock and Roller Coaster.
My baby girl went upside down!
Then the weather turned ugly and we ran for the car and headed home.
I can't believe I forgot the ponchos!