Thank you so much! She really is a wonderful student--and an amazing one. She was diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy at 3, and there was some question as to whether or not she would even be able to attend regular classes.
Progress was slow at first, but then, she kept doing better and better, and finally, she started overtaking the typical students. She finished high school in 2.5 years, and is now taking sophomore college level anatomy and physiology--and she's 16. She really, really earned this, and I couldn't be prouder.
mellers -
Wow! She's only 16?! Such amazing accomplishments for such a young lady. It sounds like she is going to do great things in life.
I didn't think we'd be back either but DS wants a trip to Disneyland for his bar mitzvah in leu of a huge party (the girls also chose trips). Because missing school is no longer an option and the summer just won't work, the next big break we've got is over the winter holidays.
While I'd much prefer early December, I'll take a crowded Disney over no Disney. Ideally we'd check in 12/22 and spend 5 nights at the parks and then stay with my best friend for another two nights with a night in Vegas on each end.
Thank you again for always making this thread and keeping it so fun.
Jenny -
You're welcome! And thank you for the kind words.
It took a while to hit the page limit in the previous thread but when we did it was time to start anew!
I agree - early December would be preferable, but going during the more crowded days may not be
so bad if you're staying multiple nights and can kind of stretch everything out. I think the crowds really factor in much more and are much more of a hindrance when trips are shorter. A 5-night trip with 5 days or so should be enough time to be able to get everything done despite the crowds.
The fact that DCA is now actually part of the holiday celebration (whereas in the past it seemed detached) helps a bit because it lures people over there and out of Disneyland. That way things balance out a bit more between the two parks and not everyone is packed into Disneyland to experience the season. I think that in the past people automatically gravitated to Disneyland because it seemed like the majority of the holiday festivities were there. If they have other holiday options then they don't need to stay in Disneyland the entire time.
And Vegas too? That will be a fun holiday extravaganza of a trip! That should be fun too! I miss Vegas. I haven't been there in soooooo long, and so many things have been built or added since I was last there.
Looks like I will have to keep tabs on this thread...we are wanting to go to the Grand Californian for a week (studio room) in the first two weeks of December so that we can see the decorations. I love christmas time and I think Disney might do it well...so I guess I have to wait for May before I can book the room at the 7 month mark (here is hoping I can get it ok). We have no kids so we aren't picky when, but I think it will be quietest at the park in the first two weeks.
Stefani
Hello and welcome,
Stefani! Thank you for joining us!
I hope you can get the Grand Californian room with no problem at all!
Yes - I can assure you that Disney does Christmas time (and the whole holiday season, starting in early November and lasting until early January) very, very well! I don't think you'll be disappointed at all. I am a Christmas season fanatic in general (love the music, love the decorations, love the treats, love the holiday movies and TV specials, etc.) and Disneyland's version of Christmas is amazing!
If you ever get the time, have a look through the previous Christmas Superthread (which I closed when it hit the page limit). The link to it is at the very top of the first post on Page 1 of this thread. You may not want to ruin any surprises for yourself by seeing pictures, but there are a lot of wonderful photos in that thread and lots of good info. Otherwise, stick around here and we will all be discussing breaking news or holiday season-related developments as they roll in!
The first two weeks of December are good. I feel like that's the best time to get lower crowds (not necessarily
low crowds, but just low
er than other times) with the complete array of entertainment, food and decorations - including the 3 hotels and Downtown Disney. Once it hits mid-December and beyond, the crowds increase as more folks take their holiday breaks.
That will be great. I think the moderator notes will be very helpful
TK -
I hope it will help.
My thinking is that there are probably certain trip reports that contain certain photos or info that will be of interest to certain readers, so I am hoping to help 'connect' readers to the TR's that could be most relevant to them.
Let's say, for example, someone wanted to see great pictures of the parade or of the fireworks. If they didn't necessarily know which reports had a large quantity of those photos they might never read them. The readers don't have time to read through every single TR to find one or two that contain what they are interested in...and chances are they probably miss out on or skip a lot of reports that have the exact things they would be interested in.
I am trying to point out the elements that I think will be the highlights or 'selling points' of certain TR's for the readers.
As I mentioned yesterday, I'm not even close to being done. I still have many more notes to make, but I got a decent start!
I cast my evil DLR holiday spell on people and it has worked yet again!
Why would DH think the idea is crazy? How could you not go there, is what I would say! Have a great time.
But we are spending six weeks there so he was able to be talked into only one day. But we can't tell this kids, as he said he couldn't stand hearing, "When are we going to Disneyland?" as we drive around looking at all this other cool stuff! 
), managed to score a $6,000/year college scholarship!
We will be going a bit later (Dec 17-19) because of when DH's conference is, so I'm a bit nervous about that. This past year it was nice and quiet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed again for one of those elusive PIN codes to stay at GCH. 
