Bringing Disney Home for the Holidays – 2020

The countdown is on this festive season, with many of us looking for ways to bring a bit of that Disney spirit home for the holidays. Today, I wanted to take a few moments to suggest a couple of ways to introduce some Disney cheer to the days ahead, especially if you cannot spend the occasion with your loved ones.

There are the usual suggestions we looked at last time, such as watching some Disney movies or your favorite holiday-themed episodes of TV shows, but this year we’re going to dig a little deeper to warm the soul and feel the magic.

One of our favorite things to do at Christmas time is to make a gingerbread house. Not only do they look fantastic, but they also smell incredible, filling your home with the scent of home cooking and love. If you are looking for a distraction, and a challenge, try this Mickey Mouse Gingerbread House from Disney Family.

Making gingerbread houses can take a surprisingly long time if done correctly, so this can be a great way to pass the time if you are home with the kids or spending the holidays by yourself.

If you have a neighbor that might be a little lonely these holidays, wrap up your baking, seal it with a bow and a card, then leave it for your friend to discover at their doorstep. Do you have a few people that might benefit from a gingerbread delivery? Try making miniature ones using your own design or trace one you’ve found online onto a baking sheet of paper.

If you are ready to cuddle up on the couch, why not take a trip down memory lane and watch some of your favorite holiday parades from the Disney parks in years gone by?

When we do this at home, the music and parade floats bring back all sorts of memories that we hadn’t thought about in years. Like that time we were sitting on the curbside in Disneyland next to another Australian family that, it turns out, lived less than 20 minutes away from us. Or, another time when we were waiting for the parade and saw a couple across the street completely asleep.

Here are a few of my favorites to get you started:

• Once Upon A Christmastime Parade | Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2017
• Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, 2014
• Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade | Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2016
• Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade | Walt Disney World Resort, 2018
• “A Christmas Fantasy” Parade at Disneyland, 2013
• “A Christmas Fantasy” Parade | Disneyland, 2018
• Christmas Fantasy Parade 2017 | Disneyland, 2017

Decorations are a holiday must, but they don’t come cheap, and in times of financial hardship, it isn’t easy to deck the halls. Have fun with the family on those long days off school and give your home the Elf treatment with Disney paper chains.

First up, grab some cheap wrapping paper with your preferred Disney characters on it from a local store in at least two different colors or patterns. If you have younger children, you might want to spend the night before cutting up the strips yourself to make the activity run a little smoother. Put out some snacks and throw on your most-loved Disney holiday movie while you staple, glue, or sticky-tape your way to paper chain heaven. Drape them over doors, curtain rods, around bench tops of side tables, anywhere that needs a bit of colorful cheer. For an extra Disney edge, add a black Mickey every so often like below:

You can also use the same paper, cut into squares and folded into quarters, to create snowflake designs that can be folded back out and suspended from the ceiling with a little bit of string.

If you have an architrave or door frame with a gloss or semigloss paint finish, I find these are more forgiving surfaces to work with when I suspend decorations as they are less likely to damage the paint. Before you know it, you will have spent the day decorating your home in a fun and inexpensive way.

Hopefully, one of those options adds a bit of festivity to your next few days. I hope you all have wonderful and safe holidays. If you aren’t able to spend this time with the family or friends you usually would, I hope you find ways to find happiness. It can be a rough time of year for many, and it’s ok if this isn’t the happiest time of year for you. Know that those around you love you, whether you can be together or not.

Happy Holidays, everyone!