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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Just a note on appetizers, most can be re-heated and actually come out pretty well. I use the selections you can get frozen as well as some homemade ones. My kids love a selection of cheese and crackers, something that pretty easy.
I would ask your guests to bring dessert if they ask if they can bring something.
Like, Rob, I grew up in an Italian family so we always had seafood on Christmas eve and still do it, albeit not the same ones. When my father went fishing, if he caught an eel, it was always kept for Christmas eve and other holidays. Maybe you could include a seafood appetizer or two, crab puffs, scallops in bacon, shrimp cocktail?
Traditionally, we do Lasagna, salad and bread on Christmas Eve. I don't even make the Lasagna....I let Stouffers do the work.....they have large party-sized pans of it. Yum.
I agree with the Chick-Fil-A party platters if you have one near you. They
have some wonderful chicken nuggets. If not I would go with a grocery
near you for appetizers platters. If you go this week you should be able
to have them ready for Christmas Eve.
Our family always had Danish Soup for Christmas Eve. It would cook all day
and was nice and warm on a cold night. DH's family is Italian so they had
all the fixins.
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The past two years, we've done barbecue (some call it sloppy joe's). Its only my immediate family and my parents. DH mentioned something this year about meatballs. We just keep it simple.
I am pretty sure I am going with Boston Market for dinner that night as I am hosting the next day so like you I do not want to cook twice, but it is just my folks and my DH so it's not to bad.
Growing up, Christmas Eve was/still is at my Aunt's house. It's mainly appetizers. She gets a deli platter so people can make sandwiches. Has a shrimp platter, cheese platter, chicken wings, cheese potatoes, cocktail meatballs, potato salad. Desserts are cookies and chocolate cream pie!
We're going to my brother & sister in-laws for Christmas Eve. The whole family will be there. My parents and brothers & sisters and their kids. Everyone is asked to bring something simple. I am going to bring my crock pot with meatballs. I buy the already made meatballs and add chili sauce & grape jelly. The kids love it. I don't know why I only make it at Christmas. My mom is bringing these little sandwichs that my grandma used to make. They are canadian bacon & swiss cheese with a butter, horseraddish (sp) and poppy seed type dressing on it. Use little potato rolls and wrap individually in foil and put in the oven until hot. They are soooo good!!!!!!!
Christmas Day we're staying home so my DH wants to do surf & turf!! DD17 & DD14 said that sounds good too.
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Becky think*tink
Last edited by think*tink; 12-12-2008 at 01:04 PM..