It is December! - We all know what that means. Regardless of which holidays you celebrate, it likely means decorations, family dinners, excited children and gift giving; and if you are anything like I used to be, it also means headaches and frustration. There is so much pressure to find the “perfect” gift, having to fight crowds looking for this year’s “Must Have” item or spending countless hours searching for it in stock online. Even in childless or grown children families, gift giving can be a source of anxiety or exasperation, especially when people tell you they do not “want” anything.
As I said, that USED to be me. My family celebrates Christmas. When I think back over my own Christmas mornings as a child, there are very few tangible items I can actually recall receiving without having to look back at old photo albums. Most of those things did not last very long - the novelty quickly wore off, pieces were lost, or I “grew out of it” and lost interest all together. This coupled with much too busy lives has led to us focusing on “memories over things” for our daughter these past many years. Now, I am not crazy mind you. She has plenty to unwrap - too much probably! But we feel that memories are WORTH MORE than things. As UNIGLOBE’s Magical Concierge, I am sure you guessed that often our “gift of memories” involve travel to Disney locations! And some of those wrapped gifts are things useful on our Disney vacation. Even now, mere months from being a teen, she is never disappointed when Disney vacations are a part of Christmas morning!
So WHY and HOW do I recommend giving the gift of Disney this season? Let’s start with WHY. There are many reasons – some I have eluded to already. In my opinion, a Disney vacation is the definition of a “perfect” gift. YOU get to be the hero and receive the praise instead of Santa! It is the gift they did not even think to ask for and it is memorable for years to come, unlike material items that fade from memory. Surprises such as this are unexpected, thus exciting and fun, with even MORE excitement and fun to be had when the trip date arrives. Family vacations mean dedicated time together and Disney is fun for all ages: from the youngest of children to the hard-to-shop for teenager, from a couple without children to grown siblings and from aging parents to family reunions.
HOW you give the gift of Disney can happen in many ways. In addition to a gift certificate, ancillary gifts can be things useful for your trip - perhaps an autograph book, a stuffed Disney character, a Disney classic on DVD. It also is a wonderful lesson in delayed gratification as the family helps with the countdown and trip preparations after the reveal. You can get the relatives involved by asking them to give Disney Gift Cards for the kids’ spending money, reducing temporary toys later to be relegated to the corners of the house with other obsolete clutter (or am I the only one who has corners like that?) Last, with a low affordable deposit ($200 for a Walt Disney World Vacation Package), you have much longer to pay off your vacation instead of cramming all your money and/or running up debt in December.
To give the gift of Disney, call UNIGLOBE Ohio Valley Travel. Whether Disneyland in California, Walt Disney World in Florida, Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii or the Disney Cruise line, our agents can help you book the perfect vacation for the "perfect" gift!
As UNIGLOBE’s Magical Concierge, I would be happy to assist in surprise planning with you. And as always, our planning services are free of charge and include assistance with all aspects of your vacation. Give us a call let us help make this holiday season MEMORABLE for years to come!