A Very Disney Christmas

I have never been to the original Disneyland in California, but as I child I visited Orlando's Disney World several times; so many, in fact, that I became a bit sick of the theme park. There is a Disneyland in Hong Kong as well, and I was a bit surprised at how much I wanted to go.

Well, I finally made it to Disneyland this past Sunday, and I was well pleased with the park. My students were correct in saying that it does not have many exciting rides, but my personal preference is not for the rides anyway. This Disney has four zones: Tomorrowland, complete with Space Mountain and a fun Buzz Lightyear shooting ride; Fantasyland, with the classic Tea Cup and Dumbo rides; Main Street USA, which is much more exciting when you're not in the USA; and Adventureland, where we took a corny, but enjoyable jungle river cruise.

The best thing about going to Disney last weekend, though, was the Christmas decorations. The entire park was decorated, with a giant central Christmas tree and jumbo candy canes by all the lampposts. It's a Small World had an entire section of the ride decked out in holiday colors, too. I am pleased to say that the overall atmosphere did the most yet for putting me in the Christmas spirit this season (it's a bit hard to feel Christmasy when it's not always cold outside).

I think the only other really interesting thing about Disneyland Hong Kong is something I noticed in the gift shop. I walked past a display of purses and thought, "Hmm, these really look like Dooneys." Then, I looked closer and saw that yes, Dooney and Bourke has made a special line of purses that say Disneyland HK on them, along with images of cartoon characters and rides. It was quite surprising, as I don't think I've seen any Dooneys here at all, and I wonder if they sell similar purses at other Disney parks.

It's funny the things you like and don't like when you are in a new and different place from home. For me, going to Disneyland almost felt like going home, even if I'd never been there before. I guess that, despite its corporateness, the company still knows how to make the magic happen, even for 24 year olds.

Oh, I'd also like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I will be spending the holidays traveling with friends in Thailand and Laos, and I will be back to blogging in 2011.