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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Christmas Vent!
I will begin with saying that I love my extended family very much, with that said...
I am really sad that this Christmas will be less magic and more running around
We will begin tomorrow when we go to my dads for the eve. Lucky its a nice short one. He is starting at 4:30pm having finger foods/appetizers and then opening gifts. Home by 7:00pm. Then Christmas Morning we have to pick up my daughter at noon at her Biological fathers head to MIL's and have a 6 course Italian feast, do dishes, have dessert, do dishes have coffee and then open gifts. We don't get home until 7 or so and then open our own gifts(I want to open our gifts as a family not just DS, DH and me then DD after). You think it ends there....nope, the 26th we get to run around to FIL's house and then DD goes back to her Biological dads house to visit for a few more days before coming home and getting ready for school again.
I wish it was like when I was a kid. We visited with my moms family on Christmas eve. The entire family would meet at my aunts and exchange gifts. Christmas day was spent with just the immediate family and the grandparents would come to us.
Oh well vent over, thanks for listening.
__________________
-Amanda
Last edited by mommadjones; 12-23-2010 at 11:05 AM..
sending you some I'm lucky and don't have a busy schedule
xmas eve we go to my sisters not to open gifts but to celebrate my nephews birthday!
christmas we go to my parents in the AM and home by the PM but this year i might stop at my friends house for dinner
I sort of miss all of the family visits, but not running my child around. I get to stay home, there is no family to visit anymore. Both of my parents are deceased now. My DD and I will spend a quiet morning opening presents and relaxing the entire day. I am really looking forward to it.
Happy Holidays!
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
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I hear ya...Christmas Eve..to DBF parents for gifts and Mass....then Christmas morning we will open presents together myself, DD, and DBF, then to my Dad;s for gifts, then back to DBF parents house, then to my aunts for dinner, and gifts, oh and a few small stop ins along the way. Then the 26th we meet with friends for drinks and lunch....ANd DBF Mom wanted us to stay the night....I put my foot down there noway, we will wake up in out house and have our family Christmas. I love each and everyone of them but man....I will be glad to be home Christmas evening....sometime!
I know what you mean. It was harder when the adult kids were younger - DH and his ex each had custody of one child. They took turns having the kids for Christmas Eve/Morning. That meant that we'd go half way up to his ex's (2 hours north, she drove 2 hours south) on the last day of school and either give her a child or we'd take one from her. Then, on Christmas day, we'd either wake the kids early and hurry to get all gifts opened, go to the in-laws and have Christmas there, and meet DH's ex to give her the kids. OR we'd wake up, NOT have Christmas for my DD and then later our children together, go get his kids back from the ex, then to the in-laws' house and then home for gifts (finally).
This year, it's home, then to my dad's at noon (15 minutes away, so not a big deal), leave there by about 2, then to my BiL's for a couple of hours, and home for dinner. Then on Sunday, it's off to my mom's (1/2 an hour away).
I wish it were more like my childhood. We did go see my grandparents, but it was always some time near Christmas. Christmas day was spent either with my mom or my dad if mom was working (nurses don't get holidays off). We didn't run everywhere, at least I don't remember it.
Honestly, I think it's rather unfair for your son to have to wait. Your DD gets to open gifts at her dad's. Why not let your son open at least some gifts? Maybe the ones left by Santa? Then, he can open a few more when his sister gets home. She'll be excited about what she got that morning, let him have that also. (we did this for my DD after a few years of not letting her open gifts when the step-kids were at their mom's)
I put my foot down the year we brought our daughter home. We were not traveling anywhere for Christmas. Santa came to our house, so could any family members that wanted to see us on Christmas Day. It means that I get to make the big Christmas dinner, but that sure beats travelling. This year we'll have my DF, DSis, and her partner joining me, DH, DD, and DS.
Sending good wishes your way. One way to think about all your visiting is to think of how grateful you are to have all these people in your life that love you and want you around on such a special day.
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Thanks everyone. I do feel lucky to have everyone still so I don't want to sound ungrateful in any way. Joanne as much as everyone loves DH and me they really just want to see the kids
Teresa that is the plan. Santa leaves all the gifts at our house and as always there will be plenty to open so we are going to do a few in the morning and let him play with those(he is easily distracted at this age 2 1/2). When we all get home later that day we will finish the gift opening and do stockings.
As awful as it sounds I am hoping for some snow on Christmas so we will have to shorten the visit at MIL's house. I can wish can't I.
When my parents were alive, we always traveled over the holiday so we would have an early Christmas here-the kids were fine with it, they got two Christmases. As they got older and my parents passed, we still traveled but just brought their gifts along. This is my first Christmas at my house (DS1 is 27).
I do divorces and don't understand the hang up with everything happening on the 24-25th. It doesn't make a celebration any less special.
We used to have to run all over for different Christmas parties with the family. Then we said that is enough and wanted to make a tradition for our kids. I didn't think there was much tradition in driving all over Michigan for two days. Now its Christmas eve at the inlaws for a couple hours. Christmas morning it is our family Christmas and in the afternoon the grandparents come over with their gifts and for dinner. Its much more relaxing and the kids like it a lot better.
I'll send some pixies your way to help keep the stress levels low!! We're lucky and Christmas is very laid back! Christmas Eve we get pizza and make bean dip and watch movies with just dh and the boys and I. Christmas Day we go to my parents' for lunch, but it's right next door, so no biggie there! Then we go see a movie! I hope your busy stuff goes smoothly and you get a little bit of quality time with your immediate family to truly enjoy the season! HUGS!
I do divorces and don't understand the hang up with everything happening on the 24-25th. It doesn't make a celebration any less special.
That's the way my parents saw it. And the way I've always been. Christmas was still Christmas no matter what day it was celebrated on. Unfortunately, DH's family says it ONLY happens on Dec. 25. He also has a sister who says if the kids aren't with her when she buys their presents, she won't get them any. She hasn't gotten them either a birthday or holiday gift for years.
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Christmas Vent!
-Amanda 
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