It’s November 1st, which means that Halloween is now over, after the six-month lead-up and final 24 hours of the actual day. This can only mean one thing: the holidays are now upon us! Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, whatever you celebrate, the season of festive cheer is about to set in. If you are like me and have felt as though you are running about four weeks behind all year, this isn’t going to leave us with much time to complete all the planning that makes the Holidays special. Each year, I tend to have one big surprise, and I get super excited about the best way to share it.
Even though I might have a house full of overgrown teenagers — some mine, others that seem always to be here — they are still little children at heart, excited for the Christmas celebration that we enjoy in our house. For many, I know that the holidays are a common time to reveal an upcoming Disney vacation. Combining that electrifying anticipation at this time of year with the excitement of revealing a trip to Disney Parks is an opportunity not to be missed.
Today, I wanted to share with you my absolute favorite Disney Reveal method that is perfect for the Holidays. While my kids know about our upcoming trip to Disney, there are a few surprises that I have firmly hidden up my sleeve that I’ll be using a similar technique for!
What You Will Need:
- A 24-day Advent calendar that you can fill yourself. I find something with drawers works best.
- A Disney Puzzle that isn’t terribly large and best suited to the ages of your family. The pieces need to fit in the drawers of your Advent Calendar. Around 100 pieces are best.
- An area of flat space where this reveal can be pieced together.
Have you guessed what we are doing? They might have an inkling as well; that is why we are going to preface this whole charade by letting your family know that you created something that is just a little bit of fun. Downplay it. Behind the scenes, we are going to create one of the coolest Disney reveals I know of.
Get your puzzle, and quickly put it together so that you can see everything. Choose a reasonably clear area of the puzzle where you can write on it, and it will be easy to see. Now, it is time to leave your big reveal message. Something simple like “WE ARE GOING TO DISNEYLAND”. If using a 100-piece puzzle, you want it to fit within 6 or 12 of the pieces. This will allow you to either reveal your writing over the final day or the final two days of the calendar—your choice. Now, remove those pieces from the puzzle and set them aside.
Grab your Advent calendar. We are going to start filling those drawers. Start in one corner and work around the outside so that the pieces for each day will connect to the next day. In other words, don’t add pieces in randomly; it will make the process too difficult. Remember, we are leaving those big reveal pieces for the last day or two.
For the first 22 days, you will use four pieces in each drawer. On the 23rd and 24th days, you will use six pieces. This makes up your 100-piece puzzle. Of course, you can increase the size of your puzzle to suit your family, though you will need to do your own math to distribute the pieces evenly. Whatever the size, make sure you clear a space that can be dedicated to this long-winded activity throughout December. If you decide to split up your word pieces over two days, leave them guessing by not adding in the obvious ones on the 23rd.
When your final pieces are placed in the puzzle, your family can read the message and get the surprise you’ve been waiting for. Just make sure to have the camera ready to capture that special moment. Don’t feel discouraged if they aren’t too excited about the puzzle itself along the way; that will only add to the unexpected thrill of finding out the true meaning of their activity.
Finding the right calendar and puzzle can be a bit tricky, which is why I am giving you all so much extra time before the big day to make this one happen.
Want To Step Up Your Reveal?
If this wasn’t tricky enough, there is a pro-level version that you can opt for. It takes a bit more time, but it might be worth it for your big reveal moment. Have a custom puzzle made. It might be a photo of your family from the last trip to Walt Disney World or just about anything else you can think of. You can even have the writing for your message included in the puzzle image itself. This will give your big reveal that personal touch as the whole image comes together.
What do you think? Is this the coolest Disney Vacation reveal you’ve seen for the holidays? If not, and you have a better one to share, add it to the comments below and let us know your favorite Disney Reveal method around the holiday season.
