“Dear Santa, What I want for Christmas is a doll from It’s A Small World. No, make that ALL the dolls from It’s a Small World. Or just one doll with all the costumes from It’s A Small World. Whatever works, I think you get the picture.”
Oh the big dreams we have as little kids. That was one of mine, and though I never did get any of the dolls from It’s A Small World, I still enjoy visiting them at Disneyland every year for the holidays.
“It’s a Small World” is to credit for being an early inspiration for me, fueling my desire to travel the world and discover the many different peoples and cultures represented with the colorful costumes and brightly painted scenes of far away places. As an adult having traveled to many of these places, I now appreciate it all the more.
So, in honor of Disney’s power to inspire, and the “Festive” theme of today’s #Frifotos on twitter, I present, in photos,
The far away places….
The costumes of culture…
And….the magic of SNOW and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle….
For more festive photos of Disney Holiday Magic, check out:
This is such an exciting post for me to share for many reasons. First and foremost, I absolutely LOVE the holidays….almost as much as I love traveling! Second, this collection has taken years to accumulate, and I’m thrilled now to have so many regions of the world represented, with many more to go! And being highly sentimental, each ornament has a story and brings a memory.
I have posted previously about my favorite souvenirs to collect while traveling. Well, truth be told, I collect more than textiles. I collect ornaments, too. NO WAIT! Before you imagine a tree covered in tacky plastic Eiffel Towers, Pyramids and snowglobes, hang on. One of the reasons I love textiles is that they are made of natural materials and often by hand in the country of origin. I have the same criteria for my ornament purchases, pretty much. I’ll consider anything that is not mass-produced or made of plastic. Ideally, hand-made, hand-painted, ceramic, glass, wood, metal….but most importantly, representative of and made in the country where purchased!
Where to start when you’re covering the world? I’ve decided to break it out by continental regions, and here I’ve created mini slideshows for each one. I hope you enjoy your trip around my tree…and around the world!
AFRICA
(includes ornaments from Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, and Morocco)
This is a re-post from last December, back by popular demand! I wanted to share the fun and enjoyment of a visit to Walt Disney World in December. It would have been too easy to post a bunch of pretty holiday light pictures, so I gave myself a challenge. Featuring the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in photos, I present here…
THE TWELVE LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS (verse 12)
On the 12th Day of Christmas, the Osbornes lit for me…
12 Angels Spinning
11 Red Lights Blinking
10 Pretty Windows
9 Toy Soldiers
8 Reindeers Flying
7 Angels Flapping
6 Golden Arches (no, not those ones)
5 Car-o-lers
4 Halos’n’Wings
3 Shooting Stars
2 Mischievious Elves
And a PEACE ON EARTH message to ALL!
Happy Christmas, Hannukah, Muharram, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Whatever-it-is-ious to all of you, all over our beautiful planet, from Mira Terra Images!
