Before we get to what will and won’t be happening in the parks this holiday season I want to talk about just getting into the parks. As of now, Disney isn’t renewing annual passes. Our passes currently expire 11/27/20, thanks to the month that Disney extended us due to the closure. We have a timeshare booked December 4-7th. We are gifted timeshare points every year by my in-laws so we get to stay for free.

If we aren’t able to renew our passes, we won’t be visiting the parks. If we are allowed to renew our passes, we have to hope and pray that we are able to get Park Passes that close in to our travel dates, which is highly unlikely. Passholders can only hold 3 Park Passes at a time, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is very difficult to get, especially on the weekends. This trip has us rather stressed out!

Walt Disney World Holiday Cancellations

The 2020 Candlelight Processional at Epcot has been cancelled. This has been a staple of our Christmas tradition for over 20 years. We usually attend the Candlelight Processional 2-3 times during the month of December. I own the CD and I will listen to it often, but it isn’t the same.

The 2020 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party has also been cancelled. While we don’t attend the party every year, it is a lot of fun, and it will be missed.

While we had hoped the Candlelight Processional and Christmas Party weren’t going to be cancelled, I don’t think anyone thought the Castle Dream Lights would be cancelled as well!

What to Expect while Celebrating the Holidays at Walt Disney World in 2020

A reimagined holiday celebration will begin Nov. 6, 2020, at Walt Disney World Resort, with the four theme parks, Disney Springs and Disney resort hotels decked for the season. Through Dec. 30, guests will discover seasonal food and drinks at The Most Magical Place on Earth, as well as special merchandise and enchanting new entertainment experiences.

When night falls at Magic Kingdom Park, projection effects will transform Cinderella Castle with a kaleidoscope of designs, including a whimsical Christmas sweater and a regal overlay of red, green and gold ornamentation. The iconic castle will provide the perfect colorful background for guests seeking a magical holiday portrait.

Highlights from the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will begin Nov. 27. Holiday kitchens will return around the World Showcase promenade, offering favorite dishes such as Slow-roasted Turkey with Stuffing at the American Holiday Table.

• At Magic Kingdom, characters synonymous with the season – including gingerbread men and elves – will join Disney characters in cavalcades through the park. On Main Street, U.S.A., toy soldiers will march with the Main Street Philharmonic as they bring musical cheer for all to hear.
• Favorite Disney characters dressed in their holiday finest will appear in festive flotillas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, holiday promenades at EPCOT and merry motorcades at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
• At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Minnie Mouse will host a yuletide dining experience at Hollywood & Vine, inviting some of her best pals – including Santa Goofy – to join the fun.
• Inside World ShowPlace at EPCOT, JOYFUL! will take guests on a musical journey of holiday music, while Voices of Liberty will use their eight-part harmonies to share songs of the season at the America Gardens Theatre.
• Elaborately decorated Christmas trees will spring up throughout Disney Springs, and a magical snowfall will occur within Town Center, West Side and The Landing. In addition, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar will transform into Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar with delightful décor and a limited-time menu of festive favorites.
• Disney resort hotels will deck their halls for the holidays, including iconic Christmas trees in lobbies and other festive flourishes.
• Santa Claus will wave to guests as he makes pop-up appearances at each park, as well as Disney Springs. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, for example, he will sail down Discovery River on a special flotilla.

Book Now for Holiday Travel

Even though the Christmas celebrations at Walt Disney World will look different this year, we will still be there, one way or another. I hope you will be there too. We need all the holiday cheer we can get this year and no place does that better than Walt Disney World! If you are ready to plan your magical holiday vacation, I am here to help you every step of the way.

Just Email me and we will get started. I am a certified Disney vacation planner with Destinations 2 Travel, LLC a Disney Earmarked travel agency. I love helping families plan their Disney vacations.

The post Celebrating the Holidays at Walt Disney World in 2020 appeared first on The Mom Maven.

This year’s Holidays event runs December 4 through January 1, 2011, and offers guests incredible entertainment themed for the season at both its theme parks.

At Universal Studios Florida, the Macy’s Holiday Parade will fill the streets every evening with the same iconic balloons seen winding through New York City. The parade features colorful holiday characters, floats, balloons and a tree-lighting ceremony by Santa Claus.

Kadence Wolfe, 4, from Gainesville, Ga., couldn’t stop smiling as The Grinch welcomed her to Grinchmas at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Photo courtesy of Universal Studios.

At Universal’s Islands of Adventure, adults and children alike will be entertained when the popular Dr. Seuss book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is brought to life in Grinchmas. Guests can see a live stage show featuring The Grinch and The Whos from Whoville with an original recorded musical score by Mannheim Steamroller. Also, guests will have the opportunity to meet The Grinch and the strolling Whos, and on select dates, purchase a spot at a special character breakfast with The Grinch.

Guests can also enjoy the sounds of nightly a capella holiday music at Universal Studios. And, on December 4, 11 and 18, Mannheim Steamroller – the masters of Christmas music with more than 30 million albums sold worldwide – will play their memorable holiday music for guests on the Music Plaza stage. Guests can explore the nearby, all-new Holiday Village, filled with hand-blown glass ornaments, caramel apples, hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts and a cupcake decorating location.

The celebration continues at Universal Orlando’s three on-site hotels – Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort – all of which will glisten with holiday decorations. Hotel guests will be immersed in the spirit of the season with tree-lighting ceremonies, special musical performances, holiday “dive-in” movie presentations and holiday buffets and dining events. Loews Portofino Bay Hotel kicks off the season on Friday, November 26 with ‘Holiday Harbor Nights’, a wine tasting, food and jazz celebration on the piazza. Hard Rock Hotel welcomes Santa to the Kitchen restaurant on Fridays in December and Loews Royal Pacific Resort rings in the new year with ALOHA 2011, a New Year’s Eve celebration, with a special kids-only party right next door to the main event. Florida Residents can enjoy discounted rates at each of the three on-site hotels.

All holiday entertainment – including the Mannheim Steamroller concerts – is included as part of 2-Park or Multi-day admission to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

The post Universal Studios Orlando Holiday Festivities appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The people at Snapily , a photo-technology company, developed a new 3-D, animation technology that literally allows you to bring your photos to motion (flip-book style) on a card, invitation, wallet sized business card, scrapbook, or stationary. In a nutshell you can customize a card where 2 to 5 photos can be brought to motion on a card.

Aside from Snapily just being a cool new gift idea, it has a strong eco-friendly value. Over 7 billion greeting cards end up in the trash every year – something tells me, you’re less likely to throw out photos let alone ones that come to life.

These high-quality, plastic-coated lenticular photographs, or “living prints”, start at just $3.50.  With Snapily you can:

• “Blow your mom a kiss” from a far
• Morph an old photo of your children as babies into a photo of them grown up
• Wave “hi” to a grandparent all the way across the country
• New dads can create a family scrapbook by uploading photos of his precious newborn to the first family photo

Snapily is simple to use. It took me less than 3 minutes to make a Father’s Day card using a picture of my boys from 1999 and one from 2005. Make sure you check out Snapily today and order your Father’s Day cards.

The post Father’s Day Card Idea appeared first on The Mom Maven.

The Glue of Society

Johann Christoph Arnold
for Mother’s Day, May 10, 2009

Thank God for mothers! Mother’s Day is an opportunity to make life special for them. It is a chance to celebrate family. I thank God for my mother, who died some years ago. There is one thing I regret: for too many years I did not appreciate her enough and took her for granted. She was always there for us. I thank God for my wife. We have been married for forty-three years and have eight children. God has blessed us with forty-one grandchildren.

Mothers are the backbone of our society and the glue that holds a family together—their work is vital but often unseen. We all need to show greater appreciation for them. I pity the man who does not have a good wife to take care of him.

My favorite Hasidic saying goes, “God could not be everywhere at once, so he gave each child a mother!” Mothers should be proud to be mothers. It is a God-given task and privilege. Actually there is a mother’s heart in every woman, whether married or single. In the past, motherhood was regarded as the noblest calling of a woman. Today it is too often pushed aside by more “desirable” occupations or careers, and seen as an inconvenience or even an embarrassment.

A true mother thinks day and night about the well-being of her children, and is the first to praise, comfort and protect them. She is willing to sacrifice her life for them. The pains of pregnancy and childbirth are borne by the mother, and she continues to carry the child in her heart her whole life.

Motherhood is a mystery. It is something truly divine for which every human heart longs. This is why mothers provide the most powerful influence on a child’s life, and are the most important role models for positive change in our society. When anyone is in trouble, or knows that they are dying, the first person they think of is their mother. When children start going wrong ways a mother’s prayer is powerful. Mothers remind us that there is a loving God above us who will take good care of everyone, especially children. Whenever a tragedy occurs—no matter where in the world this happens—you will always find mothers both weeping for the dead and bringing comfort and security to the living.

As we seek to improve the education of our children, let us start by taking better care of our mothers. This will enable them to provide better homes for all of us, and ensure the survival of our society. Never before in our history have so many men abandoned the children they fathered. Fathers are vanishing from their children’s lives, not just physically, but legally as well. Therefore, congratulations to all single mothers and grandmothers who do their best to raise children on their own. They often struggle under the most difficult circumstances. They are the real heroes of the family—and not just on Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you!

You can find this and other articles at http://www.plough.com/articles/theglueofsociety.html

The post The Glue of Society appeared first on The Mom Maven.

Featured Products

Chic and Carry Wristlet – Make mom’s quick trips out with baby much easier with this great product.

Miessence Organics Mothers Day Set – Every mom deserves to be pampered once in awhile, and these organic body products allow her to do just that.

Sara Lee Simply Sweets Pies – Sara Lee’s Simply Sweets line gives you a delicious way to treat Mom this Mother’s Day with a fast, easy and delicious dessert.

Children Should Come With Warning Labels – Patti McKenna offers a humorous take on motherhood, giving mom a chance to laugh, cry, and identify with her tales.

Roundhouse Designs Desktop Mobile – Roundhouse Designs origami mobiles and wall art are handcrafted creations that make a unique Mothers Day gift.

Roundhouse Designs Jewelry – Roundhouse offers a wonderful selection of handmade jewelry, with styles that are perfect for every mother on your list this Mother’s Day.

Heart of A Mother – Heart of a Mother is a gift book filled with touching tributes to Mothers and Grandmothers, inspirational short stories, poems, proverbs and quotations.

Protect-A-Bed – Protect-a-Bed waterproof mattress covers provide protection from allergens, dust mites, and bedbugs, helping to extend the life of your mattress and mom to sleep a little sweeter.

Ultimate Woman Vitamins– Make sure that mom is getting everything she needs to stay healthy and active with the Vitamin Shoppe’s Ultimate Woman vitamins.

More Great Gift Ideas

April Cornell Shoulder Bag

BabyPlus System

Not Just Any Old Day Keyrings

Menu For The Week Subscription

For My Mother Reflection Journal

Vintage Body Spa

No Throw

Me Time Sportswear

Peek-A-Boobs

Kind Notes

Aventine Hill Bath Products

Treadlight Eco Snack Kit

Name Your Tune CDs

Things Remembered Charm Stories

Diaper Clutch

Pedometer

Lia Sophia Riverside Necklace

Lia Sophia Beaujolais Necklace

Lia Sophia Mandalay Bay Necklace

Lia Sophia Athena Necklace

Lia Sophia Love Dust Set

More Great Gift Guides

The Mom Maven

MomECentric

All reviews listed in the Momfluence gift guide were product provided. 

Featured positions were purchased by sponsors.  Member gift guides are not affiliated with Momfluence. 

The post Momfluence Mother’s Day Gift Guide appeared first on The Mom Maven.

While reading “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Like Mother, Like Daughter,” I was struck by how similar, yet how different we all are. As I read about:

• How contributor Lizanne Southgate was reunited with her daughter after nearly 20 years
• How cyclist Peggy Newland recreated her mother’s cross-country bicycle ride
• How contributor Shana Helmholdt battled-and survived-leukemia, with her mother by her side
• Why contributor Sylvia Rosa-Casanova describes the period that her mother moved in with her as a time of “the most grief and the most joy”

I could connect to each story, each person-even though I haven’t walked in their shoes-I am a mother, I am a daughter and we are all connected.

You can purchase the book here or you can enter to win it from The Mom Maven.

Mandatory EntryLet me know in your comment if you would keep this book for yourself, give it to your mother, give it to your daughter or give it to another significant woman in your life.
Bonus Entries
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This giveaway is open to US residents only and the winner will be chosen 5/9/09 at 5:30pm. Good Luck!

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