This week’s Disney Wordless Wenesday, hosted by Focused on the Magic, has an awesome theme… photo you would use for the cover of your 2012 calendar.  This one definitely required more thought than most Wordless Wednesday photos do!  Ultimately, I had to go with my favorite Disney moment from 2011.  This is definitely not my best pic of the year, but seeing Dick Van Dyke perform in person at the D23 Expo was pretty much the highlight of a lifetime of being a Disney fan. 🙂  Be sure to head over to Focused on the Magic to see all of the other great calendar shots!

Thanks to Focused on the Magic for hosting this week’s Disney Wordless Wednesday.  Be sure to stop by to check out all of the joyful Disney posts!

The Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, hosted by Focused on the Magic, is celebrating Disney Holidays once again… be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic to check out all of the other great posts.  These carolers were a welcome treat at the Paradise Pier Hotel.  We were waiting for a shuttle back to the airport at the end of our wonderful visit when these carolers came into the lobby and serenaded us to cheer us up. 🙂  They sang White Christmas because they knew we were headed back to Colorado, and even tried to convince us to stay in sunny California, while they took our places in snowy Colorado.  It was such a wonderful experience and these Cast Members were some of the best I’ve ever met.  Thanks to them for making such fabulous memories for us!

This week on the Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, hosted by Focused on the Magic, we’re celebrating Disney Christmases, both at home and in the Parks.  Be sure to head over to Focused on the Magic to see all of the great holiday posts!  I’ve posted this pic before, in a smaller and less edited version, but it is probably my absolute favorite capture from my Christmas trip to Disneyland.  The day we arrived for our big adventure in Disneyland, it poured rain all day long, and if you’ve followed Rays of Disneyland for a while, you know that rain at Disneyland makes me just about the crankiest person alive.  But, near the end of the day, the rain suddenly stopped and we went from our dinner at the Storyteller’s Cafe into California Adventure.  Out on Paradise Pier, the big Christmas tree was beautifully illuminated and twinkling with rain drops.  This “hidden Mickey” was just waiting for me to take its picture.

As I’ve mentioned before on Rays of Disneyland, my family likes California Adventure… in all of its not-quite-themed-enough glory, we have a fondness for Disneyland’s neighbor. It’s no surprise, then, that I was so sad the day that those giant CALIFORNIA letters in the esplanade came tumbling down. I liked that the insides of the letters could be changed to match the season and I especially liked that there was an A for Alyssa. 🙂 Christmas was the best time of year for taking pictures with the letters as they were decked out in red and green and even featured larger-than-life characters hanging over the sides.

As was the tradition, I got my picture taken in front of the last A a couple of years ago at Christmastime.  This letter was adorned with Goofy, all tangled up in lights and ready for his close-up.  He was so much fun! 🙂

While I haven’t seen the new DCA entrance in person, I have seen pictures, including the Christmas decorations draped over the turnstiles, and it really does look nice. But, I’ll always miss my California letters and I’m so glad to have my own pictures to keep the memories alive.

It’s time, again, for the Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, hosted by Focused on the Magic!  This week the hop is celebrating all things Muppets, so be sure to check out all of the other great Muppet shots from bloggers around the Disney blogosphere.  These shots are from the queue for Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney California Adventure.  It may not be as elaborate as the Muppet courtyard, complete with a fountain and awesome, themed Muppet store at the Walt Disney World version of Muppet*Vision, but these Muppet figures in the queue in California are lots of fun!  Oh, and if you haven’t seen the new Muppet movie yet, GO! 🙂

This week’s Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, hosted by Focused on the Magic, is a tribute to Thanksgiving and all the Disney things we’re thankful for.  During this week of giving thanks, I couldn’t think of any single Disney thing I was more thankful for than Walt Disney himself and his vision and imagination that have brought us this entire Wonderful World of Disney.  Disney reminds me to Just Keep Swimming, to Wish Upon a Star, and that a little Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust can solve just about any problem.  I’m thankful too for having the opportunity to meet so many wonderful Disney friends.  Happy Thanksgiving to each and everyone of you and God Bless.

The holiday festivities officially kicked off on Rays of Disneyland yesterday, so I figured what better way to celebrate the season than with a quintessential Disneyland Christmas moment?  This picture was taken at the end of the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks show.  I remember reading about the fireworks and the snow that falls on Main Street for a long time, but I could never have imagined how amazing this sight really was until I was witnessing it in person.  There’s a gentle whirr when the snow starts falling on the street that I can still distinctly hear and a sweet hush falls over the park, as guests stand in delighted silence, watching each flake descend onto the world below.  This is Disney Magic at its finest, and my Christmas wish is to be able to experience it again one day.

I’m kicking off the Disney Holiday Season blog hop style, with the Thursday Disney Blog Hop hosted by Babes in Disneyland!

Working in retail, at least during the holidays, for the past 11 years has meant no holiday traveling for me… but one year, in conjunction with a business trip, I did get to spend a few precious days in Disneyland during the Christmas festivities.  It was a dream come true.  While it has left me yearning to get back for the holidays, I feel so blessed to have been able to see all the things I had been dreaming of experiencing for so long.  From the Christmas Fantasy Parade, to Small World Holiday, and even just Christmas music wafting down Main Street, Christmastime at the Park was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had.

From now until Christmas, you can expect to see lots of those memories relived here on Rays of Disneyland.  I’m piping in the holiday sights, sounds, and smells of a Disneyland Christmas… and to kick things off in style, check out this PHENOMENAL video from Tours Departing Daily.  If you haven’t checked out their website, Tours Departing Daily posts unbelievably wonderful hi-def pics of Disneyland everyday.  This Christmas video they made is such a festive and fun tribute to the holidays at the Parks.  Enjoy!

A Christmas Tour from Tours Departing Daily on Vimeo.

Thanks, once again, to Deb at Focused on the Magic for hosting the Disney Wordless Wednesday blog hop!  This week’s theme is Mickey Mouse… I have lots of pics of Mickey, but this one, perhaps because of its fun interpretation, really stuck out for me.  Vinylmation might just be my favorite incarnation of Mickey!  This, admittedly, is just a small part of my personal collection. 🙂