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A Disney Local Perspective: Holiday Traditions Old and New

6 December 2018 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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There’s a special magic to blinking open your eyes from a long sleep and realizing it’s somehow both still dark and very bright out that morning – only to discover the reason for that is the windows and all outside are covered in snow. Tiny frozen stars etched onto the glass, snow glistening as it drapes over each tree branch and coats each pine needle. It was only yesterday you were stomping around in that very grass, crunching the fallen leaves under your feet releasing that earthy smell, combined with the crisp air that could only mean snow was on its way. There is nothing quite as magical as the blanket of freshly fallen snow, except maybe on Christmas morning…These are some of my fondest memories from growing up, along with, of course, the entire Christmas season and all it promised each year.

Being a December baby, it was always a time of surprises and never-ending wonder at the beautiful sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the season. My family would always wait to get our tree (real of course) till the weekend before my birthday, which is two weeks before Christmas every year. Decorating that tree was such a special tradition. Every ornament had a story, and we all had our favorites. Of course my mother had already been baking for weeks by that point, every family member, friend, and neighbor got a carefully packaged container of her famous Christmas cookies, wrapped in clear plastic and tied up with a red ribbon. She would store the dozens of them between sheets of wax paper in white 5 gallon tubs from the restaurant where my father was a M’aitre D’. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sneak quite a few back in the day. The Russian Tea cookies have always been my downfall (and my favorite).

Another favorite tradition was driving through the neighborhoods to see Christmas lights. For some reason, growing up, both my grandparents and our house only ever did white candles in our window at Christmastime. (I think my grandmother thought colored outdoor lights looked “tacky”?)  We had colored lights on the tree, candles in the window and a wreath on the door. No colorful C6 bulbs stapled to our rooftop or wrapped around our bushes. But what that austere decor made me do was appreciate everyone else’s lights all the more. Many towns in New England have a town square or green with big old trees, which are usually covered in lights, sometimes twinkling, sometimes not, including Watertown Square, which we would pass on the way to my grandparents house. The Boston Common in downtown Boston also did this with many of their trees, and we’d sometimes take a drive to the city just to see them, ending at the big tree outside the Prudential Center. I can still feel the cold vinyl of the backseat in the family car, as the dark winter night was suddenly lit with thousands of lights before my eyes.

Petee’s Hill in Sharon, Massachusetts

Of course I have other memories too; taking part in the Christmas pageant at school where I got to be an angel, the smell of the incense during holiday mass, and the opposite of extremes, watching all the holiday specials on tv, usually with a mug of hot cocoa and some of those famous Christmas cookies I mentioned above. Snow days off of school, walking up to the hill on the other side of our own town square and sledding down all day with friends till my socks were soaked and my toes and nose were frozen from cold. And I’m sure I’m not alone with these memories, and they probably still exist today for kids in New England towns or anywhere up north that gets snow. I know I’m not unique in that regard. By stark contrast to my current location, I never once visited Walt Disney World during the holidays as a child. Even when we moved to Ocala in 1985 and became annual passholders I did not experience a Disney Christmas, since we drove back up to Massachusetts to have the holidays with my grandparents. After college, I moved back to Florida from Massachusetts in 1995 to work at Walt Disney World, and finally experienced the holidays in the parks first hand, as a cast member on Main Street. U.S.A.

Which brings me to the purpose of my post today. If you asked any of my children to write about their holiday memories, they would have a very different answer, and not just because 25+ years separate our childhoods. Some parts would be similar; we still make cookies, we still watch those holiday specials (although I may be the only one that appreciates their vintage charm), I have managed to break the “only candles in the window” decorating rule, and of course we still drive around and look at lights, it’s just that our neighbors do a bit more decorating down here. In fact, there’s a castle down the street that really goes all out. All of my past memories and traditions are why, if I let myself pause long enough, seeing those icicle lights on Cinderella Castle brings me to tears. Because as many years of memories as I have riding in the backseat and looking at lights through the car window, I now have many more of myself and my children walking down Main St. U.S.A. and seeing the Castle lights for the first time, or images in my head of my oldest two side by side in a double stroller, looking up with eyes wide, mouths agape, and hands outstretched to catch the “snow” as we strolled through the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. And later, my youngest, now 10, dancing in the Streets of America to Feliz Navidad as a tiny 5 year old, laughing and spinning around, as I captured it on video. I’m tearing up just thinking about it. Don’t even get me started on Candlelight Processional and how I’m moved to tears every year as the songs swell and the voices sing out and you realize all the things you are truly, truly grateful for on this earth.

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights These are the holiday traditions and memories my children grew up with. And I know they wouldn’t trade them for the world. We are extremely blessed to be so close to all of these amazing holiday experiences, and to have been able to attend them for so many years so that they have become traditions, not just holiday happenings, but part of the ever-growing tapestry of our family story. One could say that these new traditions couldn’t possibly mean as much, since they take place at the globally dominant headquarters of capitalization and money-hungry corporate messages of “buy this!” abound. And you would be right, and wrong. Yes, Disney parks are corporate wizards at marketing their way into your wallets and making you think you need more and you need it now. But if you sift past the mind-numbing amounts of instagrammable offerings thrown at you, you can experience the holiday spirit in its refined, concentrated form. Christmas lights, traditional holiday storytelling, holiday treats from around the world, parades, cookies, holiday music and trees and decorations everywhere. Gingerbread houses, caroling, Santa and Mrs. Claus, the story of Christmas….These are the takeaways and the memories created at the Place Where Dreams Come True (and the Happiest Place on Earth because we’ve been to Disneyland during the holidays too and they are pretty darn magical over there as well), which will carry my children into adulthood as they create their own traditions with whatever and whomever the future holds for them.

Our neighbor’s holiday light display…

My holiday story has gone from one where you never know who would show up at the front door for some coffee and Christmas cookies, to walking through a Disney park and never knowing which friends and neighbors you’d bump into. My oldest children drove right around the Magic Kingdom every day on their way to and from high school. And now they walk into a park and see friends working as Cast Members, or work there themselves, sharing the magic that they grew up enjoying with thousands of guests each day. I know they realize how “magical” their lives are as far as our connection to Disney and Orlando in general, and it amazes me to see how grounded and inspired they are by those connections that have become their backstory. And as happy as my memories are of waking up to new fallen snow and the promise of a day of sledding, theirs are just as happy of celebrating birthdays and milestones at favorite Disney restaurants or riding through Fort Wilderness to see the holiday decorations or attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party each year. Times change, the backdrop may change, even family shrinks and grows over the years, but the holiday memories still abound, no matter where you may find them.

Have your holiday traditions changed over the years? What are some of your favorites? I’d love to hear them. 

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Filed Under: Commentary Land, Disney Holidays, Family Memories, Top Stories Tagged With: Boston, Christmas, Disney Christmas, Disney holidays, Disney memories, Family Memories, Growing up in the 80's, Holiday traditions, Massachusetts, New England

Disney Infinity hitting the road for Multi-City Tour!

11 July 2013 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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disney_in_843x403px_5-M

Disney Infinity, Disney Interactive’s biggest and most ambitious video game to date, is embarking on a multi-city “Summer of

Endless Fun” tour to showcase the most anticipated game of the year. The cross country road trip, which is free to the public, kicked off on July 7 in the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, Calif. Players will get an exclusive sneak peek at the game before it hits store shelves on Aug. 18.

 

Zigzagging across the country, fans will get the chance to play Disney Infinity – featuring the innovative Toy Box mode that truly brings every kids’ imagination to life. Who hasn’t thought about building a world where Mr. Incredible uses a Monsters University toilet paper launcher while driving around in Cinderella’s carriage with monster truck wheels? Now players can let their imaginations run free and create their own adventures.

 

The “Summer of Endless Fun” Tour will make stops in Chicago, San Diego, Boston, Detroit and Richmond, culminating with a

weekend of launch activities in New York City on Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18. Activities at each tour stop include game demos, surprise guests, photo opportunities, giveaways, contests, entertainment provided by Radio Disney and more.

 

Disney Infinity is an all-new game platform that gives players the freedom to create stories and play experiences featuring characters from The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios. Players can place real-world toy versions of beloved Disney characters onto a device called the Disney Infinity Base and transport them into the virtual game worlds of Monsters University, the Incredibles, Pirates of the Caribbean, Cars and The Lone Ranger, as well as into a giant Toy Box.

 

DISNEY INFINITY “SUMMER OF ENDLESS FUN” SCHEDULE AND LOCATIONS

July 13-14: Taste of Chicago in Chicago, Ill.

July 18-20: Gaslamp Quarter during San Diego Comic-Con, San Diego, Calif.

July 19-21: Revere Beach National Festival in Boston, Mass.

July 26-28: Coast Guard Festival in Detroit, Mich.

August 10-11: Prince William County Fair in Richmond, Va.

August 17: Nintendo World Store in New York City, N.Y.

August 18: Times Square in New York City, N.Y.

 

For additional information about Disney Infinity, please visit www.disney.com/infinity and www.youtube.com/disneyinfinity, join the Disney Infinity Facebook community (Facebook.com/disneyinfinity) and Google+ community (https://plus.google.com/+DisneyInfinity),  and follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/disneyinfinity) and Instagram (instagram.com/disneyinfinity.

 

Disney Interactive

Disney Interactive, one of the world’s largest creators of high-quality interactive entertainment across all platforms, is the part of The

Walt Disney Company responsible for the global creation and delivery of interactive entertainment, multi-platform video games, and family-focused content across all current and emerging digital media platforms.  Disney Interactive produces and distributes a broad portfolio of content from Disney Interactive Games and Disney Interactive Media.  Products and content released and operated by Disney Interactive include blockbuster mobile, social and console games, online virtual worlds, #1 kid’s entertainment destination Disney.com and the #1 Family/Parenting portfolio on the Web.

disney_in_843x403px_3-L

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Filed Under: Official Disney, Top Stories, Video Games and Apps Tagged With: Boston, Buzz Lightyear, cars, Cars 2, chicago, detroit, Disney, disney infiinity, disney interactive, Disney video games, fun, game demo, hitting, imagination, infinity, interactive, jessie, Lone Ranger, Massachusetts, mike, Mike and Sully, Monsters University, multi-city, official Disney, Pirates, Pirates of the Caribbean, press, press release, richmond, road, san diego, Sully, summer, summer of endless fun tour, summer tour, the incredibles, The Lone Ranger, tonto, tour, toy box, Toy Story, toy story 2, Toy Story 3, video game, virginia, woody

Kings Bowl Rolls Into Orlando With Flair, Food, and Fun!

25 April 2013 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

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Kings Bowl Orlando Last week a new kid on the block opened up over on I-Drive – Kings Bowl, a luxury bowling and dining establishment, hailing from the great city of Boston (proud Boston girl here!) opened its doors to those looking for a fresh spin on a classic pastime. As seems to be the norm with these new, deluxe bowling alleys, the emphasis is on great dining, great drinks, and a place for adults to kick back and enjoy.

Kings Bowl features a really fun atmosphere with a definite adult vibe. 60 Big screen HD TV’s show the latest sports action, two separate 40-seat bars offer unique alcoholic creations and two tables over in the dining area actually feature kegs IN the table, chilled to a perfect temperature, the spinning tap allows you to choose up to 4 of your favorite brews and serve yourself. Truly a unique draw and something I think every beer drinker will want to try. One of the bars is located in an outdoor, climate-controlled patio, perfect for the summer months (or most of the year) here in Orlando.

The food at Kings Bowl was incredible. Definitely not what you’d expect at just any old bowling alley, and I dare say it rivals most dining spots around town. The Steak Tips were my favorite, but the Pulled Pork BBQ and the Buffalo Chicken Wontons were delicious too. I can totally see folks just hanging out here for the food, drinks and atmosphere, but the bowling offers another element to keep the party going. Be sure to try the Fizzy Lifting Drink if you’re up for something stronger!

Kings Bowl Orlando
One of two bars, featuring HD TV’s and a live sports ticker

Speaking of parties, Kings Bowl has two private available to book, accommodating 50 or 100 people. One features a closed-in glass walled area, where you can bowl and have access to the outside bocce court. The other opens onto the billiard and shuffleboard area. This area is also home to the VIP room, where two lanes can be curtained off, with a private back entrance to the building for any celebrities wanting to bowl a few frames. There are 22 full-sized lanes to test your skill on, and yes, there are bumpers for the kids (or grown-ups).

Kings Bowl Orlando
The lighting and decor is swanky and cool

 

I think Kings Bowl is a wonderful addition to I-Drive and the kitchy, 50’s feel to the design makes it a fun experience for all. The place switches over to adults-only (21+) after 6, so leave the kiddos at home after then. Perfect for a date night, girls night or guys night out – there’s something for everyone! Kings Bowl is the first partner to open up in the I-Drive Live project, an area of the burgeoning I-Drive District which will feature a new Madame Tussaud’s wax museum, Sea Life Aquarium,  giant observation wheel, multiple shops, restaurants, and more.

 

Here’s a gallery of photos from the swanky Kings Bowl Orlando (click to enlarge):

Kings Bowl Orlando
Woody, the Kings Bowl mascot!
Kings Bowl Orlando
General admission bowling lanes
Kings Bowl Orlando
Ready to roll!
Kings Bowl Orlando
Kings Bowl…ing ball!
Kings Bowl Orlando
Lucky 13
Kings Bowl Orlando
View from the VIP room
Kings Bowl Orlando
Menus at the bowling tables
Kings Bowl Orlando
VIP room
Kings Bowl Orlando
Table Tap – pick your 4 favorites and keep pouring!
Kings Bowl Orlando
Mac and Cheese bites
Kings Bowl Orlando
Buffalo Chicken wontons
Kings Bowl Orlando
Soy Ginger glazed wings
Kings Bowl Orlando
Hawaiian Pizza
Kings Bowl Orlando
Cheeseburger and Pulled Pork sliders
Kings Bowl Orlando
Steak Tips – so good!

Pricing is as follows:

Bowling Pricing/Shoe Rental

Before 6PM
Every Day – $5.oo
After 6PM
Sun-Thurs – $6.00
Fri & Sat – $7.00

All prices are per person, per game.
There is a two game maximum when on a waitlist.

Shoe Rental – $3.00
Socks – $3.00

Billiards & Shuffleboard Pricing

Before 6PM
Every Day – $8.oo
After 6PM
Sun-Thurs – $10.00
Fri & Sat – $14.00
All prices are prorated to the minute

Bocce Ball Pricing

Before 6PM
Every Day – $20.00
After 6PM
Sun-Thurs – $24.00
Fri & Sat – $32.00
All prices are prorated to the minute

You can follow Kings Bowl on twitter at @Kings_Orlando or facebook at facebook.com/KingsBowlOrlando for the latest happenings and specials, and check out KingsBowl.com for further info. I can’t wait to go back! Let me know if you check it out.

 

*Disclosure: I was invited to a media preview of Kings Bowl Orlando where we were provided with complimentary food, drinks and bowling. My opinions are my own.

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Filed Under: Central Florida Family Entertainment, Disney Movie News & Reviews, Florida Theme Parks & Attractions, Orlando Area Attractions, Reviews, Top Stories Tagged With: adult bowling, bocce court, Boston, bowling alley, city of boston, deluxe bowling, gourmet food, hd tv, I-Drive, I-Drive Live, kings bowl, Kings Bowl Orlando, luxury bowling, Orlando, Orlando bars, Orlando dining, table tap, vip room

Super Bowl? Go Pats!

7 February 2010 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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Baby G in hand-me-down Patriots gear from C

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Filed Under: All blogs Tagged With: Baby G, Boston, New England, Patriots, Pictures, Super Bowl

Once Upon a Time…

2 February 2010 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

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This is part 1 in the All About Me series for NaBloWriMo that I’m taking part in for February.


So I figured what better place to start than the beginning right? My parents met in Boston, when my dad was working in the same restaurant as my mom’s ex-husband – my siblings dad. Her ex-husband was working there on the side, his actual career was that of a high school English teacher. My dad had moved up from waiter to Maitre D’ of this particular place, The Cafe Budapest. This was a 5-star Hungarian restaurant run by a feisty woman named Edith Ban, a Holocaust survivor with her concentration camp number tattooed on her arm, a flair for business and wearing beautiful white dresses. The restaurant was famous for its cuisine as well as its color-themed rooms and was featured briefly in the movie The Housesitter.

Click to continue reading Once Upon a Time

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Filed Under: Family Memories Tagged With: 1980s, Boston, Cafe Budapest, Capitol Hill Club, childhood, Clifton Park, Fairfax, Family Memories, NaBloPoMo

Of Reservoirs, Candles and Kings-Massachusetts Road Trips

24 September 2009 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

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Many of you know that my family has not always lived on Main Street, South. My husband and I both grew up in Massachusetts and though we relocated to Florida right before we got married, we moved back to MA after our first son was born. We then spent some time moving back and forth as we tried to figure out where we wanted to settle down. For about two years, we lived in a tiny apartment in Worcester, MA. During that time, I felt like I was going to go insane, trying to keep a 2 year-old and a 1 year-old happy and entertained. Let’s just say naptime was a very happy time back then. The problem was, getting two kids to nap at the same time, when they shared a room, was next to impossible. What they did do was fall asleep in the car easily. (Something baby #3 has not yet figured out much-but with gas prices, I guess that’s okay.)

To keep my sanity pass the time, I would buckle them both into the mini-van and just DRIVE. One of the many things New England is known for is its scenic roads, so I had plenty of options. Worcester is almost in the center of the state, a little closer to the eastern side, so I could head anywhere and find something beautiful to look at. Of course my very favorite time to take these drives was in the Fall, when the leaves began to turn.

My good friend came from Boston to visit us one day and asked if we wanted to go to the The Quabbin reservoir. I had heard the name but didn’t really know anything about it. It was over an hour to drive there, but I love bodies of water and hills and mountains and sleeping babies, so I was game.

The town of Enfield, MA once stood here
The town of Enfield, MA once stood here

I listened in awe as she told me the tale of the Quabbin reservoir. When Boston and its surrounding cities realized they needed a larger water supply, it was decided that this reservoir would be built in Western Mass, thereby destroying and completely flooding the 4 towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, Prescott, and parts of seven other towns in the process. The town’s houses and buildings were either moved or bulldozed, bodies moved from their grave sites (except those of Native Americans) and the towns were simply no more. Something about that is just so unbelievably eerie yet intriguing. I love strange historical stories like that and there are so many others in Massachusetts, like the Great Boston Molasses Flood and the great Mill River flood (both unplanned) which killed so many.

The hill next to the tower
The hill next to the tower

There is a wonderful stone lookout tower with a huge field surrounding it where the kids liked to run around. When it’s open, you can climb the many stairs (which I’ve done carrying a 25lb baby before) and see parts of the reservoir and all the trees. It is such a beautiful site to see and one of the many things I miss about living within driving distance.

Quabbin reservoir tower
Quabbin reservoir tower
The Old Stone Church in West Boylston, MA
The Old Stone Church in West Boylston, MA

Near where we lived in Worcester there was also the Wachusett reservoir, the second largest body of water in the state (the Quabbin being the first). That one was a much closer drive, and unlike the Quabbin, is surrounded by a main road so you can see the beautiful water views from many angles. Some houses were lost in the flooding to build the Wachusett as well, and the Old Stone Church in West Boylston remains standing as a monument to those houses that were destroyed. I’ve driven by the church on many a nap-drive, and though it always seemed spooky to me, I guess people are always getting married there!

This is just one small part of the huge Factory Store
This is just one small part of the huge Factory Store

Another place my friend introduced me to (what can I say, I hung out in Harvard Square a lot and didn’t explore much in the state until then!) was the Yankee Candle Factory store. Never heard of it? It is so much more than candles. It is a mecca hidden within the hills and valleys of western Massachusetts. When my friend first described it to me, I thought surely she was joking…a Medieval castle room? A Bavarian Christmas room? A Black Forest room where it snows year round? Audioanimatronics? AND unending bins and displays of candles? As if I needed any more convincing, it also was located at the end of one of the most famous foliage roads in Massachusetts – Route 2.

I fell in LOVE with this place. It’s really busy on the weekends because they get bus loads of tour groups on leaf peeping tours but it’s worth the crowds to me. When we were living there, they had just opened a new Home store which has every imaginable item to decorate your home, after you pick up the candles to match of course!

They also have a restaurant and candle-making museum, a pastry shop and cafe inside the themed candle rooms and an all new children’s program – Wax Works. Now we have to go back to see what that’s like!

One of the best parts of driving along Route 2 out to western MA was the French King Bridge. For one, it was gorgeous with views for miles of the fiery reds, oranges and yellows lining the hills and mountains, and for two, it meant we were almost there! (The Yankee Candle Store was a 3-hour drive from Worcester.) The scenery is absolutely breathtaking and a great place to stop on the side of the road, stretch your legs, and get some amazing photos.

frenchking3 frenchking2 frenchking1
If you ever get the chance to visit more of Massachusetts than the historic Boston area sites, I hope you explore some of these places above. This of course is just a drop in the bucket of all there is to see and do there, but if you have two kids 2 and under and need to drive for a while…you can’t beat these choices! It’s no secret I miss Autumn in New England, so I might share a few other stories of our adventures off the beaten path.

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Filed Under: All blogs Tagged With: Boston, day trips, Massachusetts, New England, scenic drives, things to do, travel

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