As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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My sisters and I buy Aunt and Uncle gifts for all of the sisters and brother-in-laws. We also give these gifts to the nieces and nephews who are now adults with their own kids. We don't want to spend a lot of money, but we try to be creative with the gifts. One year one of my DSister's bought glass drink coasters that contained a picture of her only child (like of course you would put coasters out in your living room with a picture of a nephew in them). The next Christmas I bought Liz Claiborne knit covered hot water bottles, that also had a spot for pictures in them. I used the pictures of my nephew in everyone's hot water bottles.
A few weeks ago, on the way to work I heard a radio program that was interviewing a monk from a monestary in Utah. The monks roast coffee. They pray for the people who drink the coffee while they are making it. All of my brothers-in-law drink coffee, so it would be a useful gift, and it was such an sweet idea - that monks were praying for you - that I went on-line and bought several packages (as well as a CD of their Gregorian chants which I sent to my sister-in-law). For the sisters - I went online and had aprons made of my signature pic - a picture of all of the cousins as WDW.
Any creative ideas you can share? I am always planning ahead.
Those are the types of gifts I give. I may order some of that coffee for next year!
Back in the early 70s when my 2 brothers were around but I wasn't yet born my father got all crafty and dressed my brothers up in "puritan" suits and took a photo of them in front of our 1800s fireplace in sepia tone and gave it to everyone, it was made to look like it was from olden days (except, my mom's olden-days sign for good will towards men obviously was attached to the mantel with scotch tape. ) and all our grandparents and aunts and uncles had the framed photo in their homes. It was so common in our family that we kids actually thought it was sold in stores. Anyways, this year I wanted to give photos in the same spirit of my dad's photos, and Michele (minemoz1) was way kind enough to photoshop-help me with coming up with an Alps/Sound ofMusic photo to frame and give to my family....they d it!!! http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oHafLNejOD...jimmyfinal.jpg
Here is the website for the coffee. There is a link to the monks if you want to read about their life. And I have to say - can you imagine that life? You pray all day. You do physical labor in your home to keep it clean, and at the coffee roastery. And the rest of the time is spent praying. You are not worrying about your spouse, or your kids, or how the credit card bill will be paid, or if you will be downsized. Your job is to pray. It is just hard for me to comprehend.
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This year I found some REALLY soft fuzzy throw blankets at Sam's Club. I gave one to several people on my list, along with a DVD I thought they'd like, to watch while under it.
I like the coffee idea! I like to think ahead also- I actually bought some things on clearance for next year for the kids teachers gifts because I always struggle to get them something nice with out spending a fortune since I have 5 kids in school. Anyway I found these bath sets in gingerbread and other Christmas scented in super cute bags for only $1.50 each. They were normally over $5. and I needed a couple dozen so it will be nice to have that taken care of next year!
I might check into that coffee- I really like that idea!
I too like to give a unique "Aunt & Uncle" gift. Two years running I had the kids do "home made" gifts. The first year the oldes made Oreo Truffles for everyone, the second made porceline ornaments, the oldest girl baked home made banana bread, and the youngest made glycerine soaps. Last year (just past) the oldest bought his gifts, the second made "nativity" ornaments, the oldest girl made Mickey "Snowbabies" ornaments, and the youngest made snowman ornaments.
This is a pretty easy craft to do because I buy the plain ornaments at Michaels. The rub on transfers and paint pens are sold right there along side the ornament display. It only costs about $3 an ornament and the family love them because it is something the kids made. I also give my parents and my in-laws a photo ornament of each of the kids every year. I buy these at the Dollar Tree early in the season and use their school picture. For the oldest we just get a cheap photo session done at a local studio and make sure to get wallets as part of the package.
I also give a lot of dish towel/ potholder sets. I know mine get kinda grubby throughout the year and I appreciate it when someone gives me some. I will often find these in the clearance section of my local dept type store. I try to stay away from a holiday theeme and stick more to everyday patterns so the person receiving the gift can use them all year.
A great gift that I gave this year was a glass measuring pitcher with a plastic lid on it. The proceedes from the sale of these went towards breast cancer research, so it was a two fold gift (breast cancer tends to run in our family). I got them for about $3 at our local dept store outlet (Meijer Thrifty Outlet).
I'm sure no matter what you give, as long as it comes from the heart, they will love it. Good luck with your bargain hunting and don't rule out the clearance section. Sometimes you can get the best things from there.
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) and all our grandparents and aunts and uncles had the framed photo in their homes. It was so common in our family that we kids actually thought it was sold in stores. 
Anyways, this year I wanted to give photos in the same spirit of my dad's photos, and Michele (minemoz1) was way kind enough to photoshop-help me with coming up with an Alps/Sound ofMusic photo to frame and give to my family....they 
d it!!! 
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