5-Ways to Bring the Magic Home
During the pandemic, I have followed countless vlogs, blogs, videos, and posts. Most of the Disney Peeps out there are lamenting the fact that we can’t go to Disney. It’s true, we are not able to go to the Parks, we are not able to take a Disney Cruise, heck, we can’t even go to the Disney Store or Outlet right now. But there are ways to bring the Disney magic home. Here are my best tips for bringing Disney magic to you, when you can’t go to the Magic!
Reminisce: “Today’s special moments become tomorrow’s memories”
A few weeks ago, I pulled out some old Disney photo books and of course I went through some pictures on my phone. It is amazing how your mind begins to recall the small little details that you have let go of, or forgotten. As I looked at the pictures of my kids so many years ago, the memories flooded me. Laughing, crying, screaming, and laughing again. I looked at the details of those pictures, I mean really looked at those memories. I let those moments consume me. The different trips, the stories they told me afterwards that I didn’t know about. There is something to be said about taking pictures and videos of your family vacations. Years later, you will have those special memories with your family and that can never be taken away. So, if you can’t BE there right now, you can take a walk down memory lane and remember the good ole days.
Watch Disney Videos on YouTube
There are multiple venues to watch Disney content from the comfort of your home or pretty much anywhere, like your phone. I have spent countless hours during this COVID pandemic watching YouTube videos from folks like: Morgan’s Very Unofficial Travel Guide, Tim the Tracker, the Disney Food Blog, the WDW Couple and Here with The Ears. It’s fun to watch their footage of the Disney Parks and Resorts, fun eats, and the Disney Cruise lines. They also provide up to date content about what is happening right now. It also helps me escape the reality of our current situation.
Disney+, “My newfound addition”
There are so many classic movies that I thought I knew but realized I had never actually WATCHED them. Mostly because I am a busy mother of four, so there was never a time when the kids were little when I could actually sit down and watch a whole movie. There was always something else to do: wash the dishes, cook dinner, change a diaper, you know the drill. Now that my kids are older, and Disney+ is available, I have had the opportunity to catch up on those classics. Dare I even say, movies like: Tangled, The Little Mermaid, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame! Yeah, I know, right? Think about the movies you might have not watched all the way through, go back and watch them again. I recommend putting the kiddos to sleep first.
Plan a Disney Trip: “Nobody plans to fail; they just fail to plan.”
If you are thinking about a Disney vacation, the best thing to do is to start planning. I happen to be planning my 50th birthday for next year, so although my focus is usually on Disneyland Resort, this time, it’s all about Florida and the planning of that trip. If there is one thing that all Disney gurus agree on, is that you MUST plan your Disney vacation. There are so many details that if you don’t plan, you will completely miss out. Educate yourself about the processes, the policies, the expenses that will make your Disney vacation the best, ever. While you are planning, you are also bringing that magic into your life—you get to watch Disney videos, you get to learn about the resorts, hotels, parks (or ships if planning a cruise). And even if you have never been, that exposure gets all your positive juices flowing for a great vacation, but also helps to bridge the gap between now and then. The anticipation and build up is worth it!
DO Something fun with your family!
Games Puzzles, arts & crafts, recipes: There are so many ways to occupy your time in quarantine; Why not use Disney as a way to meet your need for some home-made Disney magic? What am I talking about? Well, in the first few week of quarantine, we were so bored, we ended up buying a 4-pack 1,000-piece Disney puzzle set. We put those together as a family. We also went to ShopDisney.com and purchased Disney “Pirates of the Caribbean” Battleship and Disney’s “Perfection”. So much fun! My kids played together at the table. It was a awesome to see their faces in strategy, rather than their phones! And of course we taught our boys how to play Monopoly, Disney Style!
Since then, we have made some of our favorite recipes: Churros, Dole Whip, The Grey Stuff and various mixed drinks. A simple google search will get you started. If you are like me, some of these will NOT be successful, but you can still have fun trying. I am many things, a cook/baker is not one of them!
So, you see, there are so many creative ways to bring the Disney Magic home. You don’t even need to spend a ton of money to do it. This helps bring your mind back to “Happiest and/or the Most Magical Place on Earth.”
Enjoy!
Vee
Grumpy and Vee Travel 