What’s Your Disney Thing?

You know how most of us go through phases in our lives where we are really into one thing? Like when you were a kid and for a certain amount of time all you could think about was that one cartoon, doll, race car, superhero or fill in the blank and you were obsessed with it. You scheduled your life around watching it, your entire bedroom was decorated with it, you definitely had PJs and guess what you dressed as for Halloween? While most of us don’t stick with that one thing too long (although this is where I’ll admit I named my first dog as an adult, Snuffleupagus) many of us continue to fall in love with and become a little crazy about certain things that speak to our souls and we just naturally gravitate towards. As teenagers it’s often a rock star, athlete or actor, as adults it may be sports, architecture, art or if you are reading this…probably something related to Walt Disney’s World.

For Disney fans, this can be taken to a whole new level

Chocolate trio

We can be obsessed with The Lion King one year (que intro music in your head) and Moana the next. “You’re Welcome!” Adults can become fascinated by a single Disney park and why it’s the best, or the one I hear most often, “Which DVC Resort is the best”. I have one friend whose current thing is dressing as a character and then running a marathon. She has a few days of outfits for each marathon weekend all coinciding with the overall theme. They are incredible! Yes, and some are even The Incredibles. Another friend, well, she loves desserts. I’m pretty sure you could name any restaurant on Disney property and she can tell you what desserts they offer and which she deems best. She usually looks at that menu first and it dictates how small of an entree she will order to save room for her sweet reward.

My own things have varied over the years, as I’m guessing most Disney fans have…

My first trip to Disney around 3-5 years old I got one of those big billed Donald Duck hats just to be different from my ear wearing sister. (Don’t judge me) So my favorite thing was Donald and his silly way of speaking. I even practiced it at home, much to the chagrin of my Mom. As I got older my family didn’t visit much during my formative years even though my grandfather helped with the wiring of the castle which was a HUGE deal at the time. But fresh out of college I moved to Orlando and went to work for the Mouse. I quickly learned how important the details are and why there are so many things for people to become a little, or a lot, obsessed over in the great big wonderful world that Walt created. Lately, my new thing is, well, a little odd. It’s not a character even though I love me some Stitch, nor some rose-colored ears (or a collection thereof), not a ride or a park or even a specific festival, although Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival always has my attention. But rather, lighting. Weird, right?

Having fun on Instagram I started taking shots of miscellaneous chandeliers and light fixtures in the Disney Vacation Club Resorts. Then restaurants. Now I can’t stop hunting for unique fixtures to share with followers. They are everywhere! And they are AMAZING. I am blown away at the attention to detail and the care that goes into theming. Not to mention the thousands of variations. So while I’ve been around Disney much of my life, I have found a fresh perspective with which to view it thanks to my new obsession…err, fascination. It has really brought unexpected joy in a world filled with very obvious magical pixie dust items.

What’s your current Disney “thing” and how has it changed over the years? Tell us the what and why….