Before I get to my answers I have a question for you. Do you like the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas? If your answer is no, if you thought it was the worst movie ever made, than skip the Haunted Mansion until January. Because this overlay is a complete remake. Disney changed out everything. From the intro, to the elevator ride, to the hallway, to the scenes viewed from the doom buggies, everything is different.

I am blah about the movie. It’s okay but I would not pick it to watch by myself. It happens to be one of my husband’s favorite movies so I have seen it many times. Therefore, while I wasn’t thrilled before I went on the attraction, I wasn’t repulsed.

Okay, enough stalling. Is it good? I would say yes. They did a wonderful job of bringing the story and the characters to life. It is very different but I actually enjoyed the changes more than I enjoy the movie. I would recommend everyone see it once, unless you absolutely despise the movie, so you can form your own opinion.

I only had one problem with the overlay and if you visit the park this December you won’t have this problem. I rode the attraction in September and even though Jack and his friends live in Halloweentown there is nothing about the overlay that made me think of Halloween. There are pumpkins but they are decorated for Christmas. It felt a little odd being immersed in Christmas in September. I’m sure that the discomfort I felt would disappear if I saw it again in December.

So take a chance. If you are visiting Disneyland go see the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay at the Haunted Mansion. It may become your favorite seasonal event or you may look forward to the 999 happy haunts taking back their home in January. Either way you’re sure to have a spooky time. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: If you want to have unique Christmas photos for your cards then stand in line and have your picture taken with the characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Jack, Sally, and others can be found outside the Haunted Mansion all season long. Jack is even in his Santa costume. Scary and merry!

Image from www.spoonful.com

Christmas cards are fraught with problems. If you don’t send any then you feel guilty when you receive some from friends and family. If you type up a nice family letter you hear that it is considered bragging. The photo cards are nice, but they take planning and it is already after Thanksgiving. You could just send an email card, but they are hard for people to enjoy the whole season. What is the answer?

My answer is to do whatever you want. It is the thought that counts. But if you want to send cards that everyone is sure to love consider having your kids make cards. This is easier than it sounds. While the kids are home for Thanksgiving break pull out the paper, the crayons, the scissors, and the glue. And if you need some ideas check out these cards from spoonful.com.

Any card made by a child is special and they cannot do it wrong. If you want to make lots of cards that are the same, like the gingerbread man card, you can set it up assembly-line style. I really like these cards because they are made with sandpaper and I think that is so inventive. They also have cinnamon and nutmeg rubbed on the sandpaper so they smell good and the card becomes an ornament. If you didn’t want to add the scroll you could just write on the back of the gingerbread man. Any of these cards can be adapted to your needs. That is part of the fun of making handmade cards. They are perfect in every way.

In one afternoon you can have all your cards ready to go. As a reward for being so organized you can make a fun card holder for your own house. I like the one made with an upside down tomato stake. Talk about creative! You’ll need it because when everyone receives your awesome card they will feel guilty and send a card back to you. Happiness squared.

Goofy Craft: If you are super organized get the perfect Christmas card photo while you are visiting the Disney parks during the year. Pack Santa hats in your backpack and find the perfect backdrop. Everyone dons a hat and you have your picture. With a little planning you can end your Christmas card stress!

Image from Disney Parks Blog

I love to look at the display cases in the candy shops at the Disney parks. They are filled with so many wonderful treats that I never know which one to choose. One item that I love but never buy is caramel apples. I love everything about a caramel apple except the stickiness and the mess that eating an apple on a stick makes. But the taste…Yum!

The Disney confectioners have now made a caramel apple that I can’t wait to try. The English Toffee Gourmet Apple is dipped in chocolate, dipped in caramel, covered in English toffee bits, and drizzled with more chocolate. Awesome! But it is still a sticky juicy mess. What to do?

My answer is to enjoy it like I would a fancy dinner. You wouldn’t eat a fancy dinner while walking down the sidewalk trying to keep the mess off your clothes. Caramel apples should be savored. So here are five tips to help you enjoy every bit of your sweet treat.

5 ways to enjoy a Disney caramel apple:

1) Take a picture of it. These apples are works of art. Take a picture of it before, during, and after. The memories will last long after the taste does.

2) Sit down. These apples are big and juicy. To avoid making a mess as you try to walk and eat find a bench or even better a table and chair so you can take your time and focus on your treat.

3) Slice it up. If you are at a place where you can get a knife then slice off pieces to enjoy. The caramel likes to slide around and if you try to take a bite out of the smooth round apple you may lose the coating. Cutting slices off also keeps the mess under control.

4) Use lots of napkins. Your hands are going to be sticky. Your face is going to be sticky. Stock up on napkins before you start so you can enjoy the treat without worrying about cleaning up.

5) Share an apple with friends. These treats are huge and there is a lot of variety. Why not share them with your friends. If you use the four previous tips you’ll have more than just an afternoon treat, you’ll have a great memory.

So, go ahead. Try a caramel apple. It’s a fruit, right? And as you know an apple a day keeps the doctor away. However, I don’t promise that these treats will keep the dentist away. Happiness squared.

Goofy Food: Even if you are not visiting a Disney park soon you can enjoy caramel apples at home. Spoonful.com has a nice basic recipe to get you started. Remember the skies the limit when it comes to toppings. I think chocolate, caramel, English toffee bits, and more chocolate is perfect. What combination would you try?

Image from Disney Parks Blog

Have you seen The Princess and the Frog? This is a wonderful movie with unique characters and wonderful music. Photographer, Annie Leibovitz, and Disney have created a new photo layout with Jennifer Hudson as Tiana. It is quite magical, but I’m still not kissing any frogs.

Goofy Tip: If you would like your own photo shoot with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen visit New Orleans Square at Disneyland. They make appearances there near the Mark Twain Riverboat. It is the perfect setting for getting a photo with this couple.

I would probably have replaced some of my photos with updated photos of more current Disney trips, but I found a wonderful family photo taken about 35 years ago and I realized that I would like to display some older photos along with newer ones. So I am shaking things up. Out with the old and in with the new. But also, out with the new and in with the old.

How about you? Do your photos need to be shaken up? Finding different photos is a fun way to spend an afternoon. After you have gathered a bunch why not ask your family to pick their favorites? You may end up displaying photos you never thought you would. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: The next time you are at the Disney parks buy a picture frame as a souvenir. When you get home write the date of the trip on the bottom of the frame along with who was with you. If you want you can put a picture of the trip in the frame but if you end up putting a non-Disney photo in you’ll always remember the trip when you see the frame.

I think photos make amazing gifts. They are personal and can often be useful if they are turned into coasters or bookends. I always love it when people give me photos even if they are just in a frame because it is often a photo I don’t have and I know I will enjoy looking at it often.

So if you want to give photos as gifts the time to start working on the gift is now. Are you going to be doing things with your friends and family before December? Make plans to take pictures of each person or each group of people. Don’t just assume you’ll remember. I have often had such a good time with my family that I forgot to take photos. I always kick myself afterwards.

Also, if you are planning to turn your photos into a gift know how many photos you will need. If your collage frame holds six pictures plan to take ten or twelve so that you have lots to choose from. I once got some lovely glass coasters that each had a slot to slide a photo in. There were four coasters and four members of the family I was giving them to. I planned to get multiple shots of each person so I would have the perfect photo for each coaster.

It is also important to know if you need upclose photos or large group photos for your gift plans. Plus if you are going to be at a Disney park you will want to know each person’s favorite ride or character so you can take photos that include their interests.

If you plan ahead you’ll have the photos you need to make the gifts you want to give. Finishing your Christmas gifts early is fun and stress free. I think everyone’s Christmas should be that way. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: In the process of taking photos for gifts don’t forget to have pictures taken of yourself. People will want to have you in their pictures, too. Pass your camera around, have Cast Members take your picture, or use PhotoPass +. However you do it, you’ll be glad you did.

So why have I never done this? When I was a kid I cared more about going on rides than eating special meals. Plus, you usually have to make reservations and we didn’t plan our trips very far in advance. Now that I am older I know I can go without any children, but I think it would be more magical with kids. I am hoping that next year I’ll get to visit Disneyland with some youngsters and experience a character meal.

Since I have not personally been to a character meal I would not be a good source for advice. Luckily, I read some great Disney websites that have reviewed many of the character dining events. One of these resources is disneydining.com. They have many articles about character meals and I think their most recent post will be useful to anyone who like me has never experienced character dining events.

These ten character dining tips work for any character meal of your choice. I especially liked the advice they have for not disappointing children. I know I would be disappointed if the one character I truly wanted to see wasn’t there, so it is better to not make promises. That advice is useful for most of a Disney vacation since changes happen in the parks all the time.

If you have never thought of going to a character meal I recommend that you try it out. I have read a lot of articles about it and overall the reviews are stunning. It really is a great way to interact with your favorite princess or mouse. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: Reservations are a must for character dining. When you set  the dates for your trip I would figure out which meal you want to go to and make those reservations first. It is easier to plan your trip around a special meal than miss out because you waited too long to get a table.

Image from www.endorexpress.net

When I was a child I went to Disneyland three or four times a year. I liked Space Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean but my favorite attraction was Adventures Thru Inner Space. Guests would ride in an atomobile and travel through a microscope until they were shrunk and then explore molecules and atoms. I could ride this all day long. When you stood in line you watched the atomobiles shrink into a 37 foot microscope eyepiece. I loved thinking that I was getting smaller and smaller. It was awesome!

Adventures Thru Inner Space opened today in 1967. In honor of its anniversary I want to explore what made this ride so fantastic. I found these facts from This Day In Disney History and The Disneyland Encyclopedia. Let’s explore Adventures Thru Inner Space in more detail.

5 fun facts about Adventures Thru Inner Space:

1) This attraction lived at Disneyland’s Tomorrowland from August 5, 1967 to September 2, 1985.

2) Monsanto sponsored this attraction and the previous attraction housed in the building, the Hall of Chemistry.

3) During the era when admission was free and tickets were used to ride the attractions (an A ticket ride to an E ticket ride) Adventures Thru Inner Space was free to ride thanks to the sponsor.

4) This was the first attraction to use the Omnimover. These are the vehicles used today in the Haunted Mansion and many other attractions.

5) Here is another Haunted Mansion connection. Paul Frees, the voice of the “ghost host” in the Haunted Mansion did the narration for Adventures Thru Inner Space. Spooky!

My first big disappointment at Disneyland came when this ride was removed. However, since it was removed so Star Tours could be built I wasn’t sad for long. Disney is always changing but luckily we can revisit our favorite attractions in our memories. Let’s go make some Disney memories today. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: I always say you can’t take too many pictures at the Disney parks. One of many reasons to do so is because the parks are always changing. Do you have pictures of Adventures Thru Inner Space, or the Skyway, or the Mike Fink Keel Boats (three of my favorite rides ever.) These attractions no long exist except in photos and memories, so take lots of photos before the parks change again.

Image from Disney Parks Blog

One of my favorite memories from my last trip to Disneyland was meeting Mickey Mouse at his house in Mickey’s Toontown. We had entered the park early and were in Mickey’s Toontown just as the park opened for the general public. Mickey was standing on his porch waving at Guests. There was no line and we got a lot of great pictures. It was a magical way to start the day.

I had not had my picture taken with Mickey Mouse for many years because I didn’t want to stand in line. I mean there are other characters around, right? Well, yes and no. There are other characters who might have a shorter line, but here is only one Mickey Mouse. I look forward to visiting him again.

Mickey and Minnie have a fun new spot to greet Guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. At the Adventurers Outpost you can get your picture with both of them against a postcard backdrop. This sounds like a great memory making opportunity. The line and the meet and greet are all inside so you can be cool while you wait. There are fun items to look at in line, plus there is a Fastpass option if you want to skip the line. And last it sounds like you get to spend time with the famous duo before your picture is taken. That is how great memories are made.

My favorite part of this new meet and greet is that Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a slower park so I won’t mind taking the time to see Mickey and Minnie. I can’t wait to visit and add more great pictures to my scrapbook. Happiness squared.

Goofy Joke:

Q: How did Mickey feel when he first saw Minnie?

A: It was glove at first sight.

Image from www.spoonful.com

Have you heard? Spring is here. Boy, it has taken its own sweet time arriving and in some places it is still more of a wish than a reality. So what is a kid to do on rainy, snowy, or windy days when going outside is a miserable idea? Thanks to spoonful.com the answer is…play a game!

In this article there are 14 different games to choose from and they all feature fun Disney characters. Some of them work best with a group. Anyone want to pin the tail on Bullseye? Others are perfect for one or two people. Mickey Mouse chess or checkers perhaps? My two favorites are Mater’s Highway Bingo and the Disneyland Scavenger Hunt. Any day is a perfect day to visit a Disney park and a scavenger hunt can make a magical day that much more special.

So don’t sit around hoping the sun comes out soon, have fun indoors with games you make yourself. I find that a game is more fun when I make it first and then play it. Happiness squared.

Goofy Tip: Want even more fun when you are in the parks or back home? Download the new Disney Memories HD app and turn plain photos into Disney photos. There are lots of Disney decorations you can use on your photos like stickers and frames, and you can get a photo of the day. This app allows you to customize your photos the same way the Photopass photographers do. Awesome.