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Finding Disney: When Do You Start?

halloween

Extraordinary Magic in Everyday Life

 

The day: September 1. After a day of class, I catch the bus from campus. As I wait for my stop, I pull out my phone and open the Twitter app. I was a bit confused by the statuses that greeted me.

“Ready to start the Halloween season strong! #MNSSHP”

“Boo to you! So excited to be here!”

“Got our costumes ready to go. Can’t wait for the party to begin!”

“Anyone have an extra copy of the COM 1200 syllabus?”

Ok, so maybe that last one was off-tangent from the others, but a large portion of my timeline was sprinkled with tweets from giddy party-goers for the first Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party of 2014.

What? How could it possibly be time already? School has barely started. Was it really time for Halloween?

Indeed, it was, but it got me thinking when the different holiday “seasons” are celebrated based on one’s proximity to the most magical place on earth. Personally, states away from Walt Disney World®, with nothing in my general vicinity hailing orange or black for a few more weeks, I’m content to wait until October 1 rolls around. If I was an Orlando local, I feel like I’d dive in right off the bat to maximize all the special events the city has to offer this time of year. Granted, I admit seeing all the party tweets did get me in a spooky mood and I couldn’t resist popping in my copy of Magic Kingdom Event Party Music to hear the soundtrack for Mickey’s Boo-to-You:  Halloween Parade. I’ve told myself I’ll save any more listens, along with viewings of Halloween specials, until actual October. (But we’ll see how that goes, haha.) I love reading all the reports of Florida Halloween shenanigans, I’m just fine to wait to have mine. (Christmas is a different story. November 1, where are you?)

This got me thinking: If people typically start celebrating holidays at different times, what’s the general time frame when families begin to get excited about an upcoming Disney trip? Immediately when the initial thought of a vacation comes into their head? When their FastPass+ selections are reserved? When a certain countdown day is reached? When does “excitement mode” kick in?

For me, it’s when the hotel and tickets are booked and that first payment is made. Before then, I know that even though the trip is probably a for-sure thing, there’s always the chance that dates and details may change. When we get that first confirmation, then I get pumped.

How about you? For holidays and for Disney trips, when do you let yourself start getting excited? How do you build that excitement?

(Photo images ©Disney.)

Blake studies Electronic Media and Film at Appalachian State University. He enjoys making his family of six watch the parade in Frontierland and then sprint to Main Street in time to see it again. You can find him on Twitter @olddirtyblake or at BlakeOnline.com.

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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