What do you do when your plans for a Disney trip change?
Do you meltdown and have a Kleenex-fest moment? (Maybe…*sniff*)
Do you refuse to accept it, find a friend and their family that is going, and pack yourself in their suitcase? (Hey now, that’s an idea!)
Or do you gather yourself and make the most of an unexpected turn of event? (awww…do I have to act mature about this??)
Well, your reaction may be a combination of at least 2 of these, and you would not be alone in your experience! I am sure that many of us who have planned a trip have had to deal with a change in plans at one point or another, and this year I personally am in that company of folks.
For the past several years, I have had the blessing and the pleasure of making an annual trip to Walt Disney World with my family to celebrate Christmas. However, we decided that we would not be able to swing it this year. Our children have handled it well, but it was I who has had to process! I have shed a few tears, prayed, journaled, talked with my hubby, and I am gradually getting to a really good place with this. But what am I to do now? We have made all these super precious memories there together for so many years…can I still incorporate those into this years’ experience? I sure can! Here is how I think we will do it.
First, I am going to be thankful and grateful to God that we have had as many opportunities to visit WDW as we have! Our family has so much to talk about together, and to smile and laugh about together from our Christmases there. We are a family, a team, and our world hasn’t ended, only shifted for a moment.
Secondly, we have scads of photos from our trips…it’s time to break them out and reminisce! I have pulled out the CDs that are our archives, and I am actually making a DVD slideshow (complete with our favorite Disney music) for my family as a gift. I also think my momma-in-law is going to get a photo mug too….
Thirdly, I will set my sights on making some new and different memories. While we deal with a change, we are already allowing ourselves to make the shift to exploring what we CAN do. It will be nice to relax, pack lightly, eat good food, have free lodging, and do some activities that are a hop, skip, and a jump away!
And lastly, I am determined to NOT act like we will never go to Disneyworld again…of course we will! We’ve made great memories, and there are more to be made. We are going to take a breather this year, be thankful that we can celebrate Christmas together as a family, see some other sights, and look at a lot of photos and a slideshow. We will have a great time…and we will be fresh and ready for next year’s trip to Disney!
Merry Christmas everyone!
And don’t forget to watch the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade!!!