so much christmas cheer

the old lady and i decided to squeeze in a quick trip to disneyland one day while the bean was at school so that we could do a little christmas shopping.  her special friend's birthday is a week before christmas and there was something she wanted to buy for him that could only be found at disneyland, so of course...we HAD to go.  like, HAD. TO.  can you tell how much of a burden this errand was for us?

instead of hopping onto the tram, we decided to walk over to downtown disney straight from the parking structure.  it was actually a lot easier for us, and since we hadn't gotten a workout in that morning we counted it as cardio.  and as soon as we got through security, we spied the monorail making its way to the station.  since we had a little time to play with, we scurried on through the turnstile and up the stairs to take a ride to tomorrowland.

and when we got off of the monorail, what do you know...only a 15-minute standby line for space mountain.  it was practically begging us to come and ride it.

and as we walked through that line and i checked the disneyland app to see if there were any fastpasses available for us, i saw that we could get onto star tours pretty much right after we left space mountain.  and so that's what we did.

obligatory castle selfie:

we decided that we needed a snack, and that snack came in the form of a mint julep and candy cane beignets.  mmmmmmm.

as we made our way back towards main street so that we could start shopping, we came across this adorable brood of baby ducks.  their mama was sticking close by, keeping an eye on her babies as they maneuvered their way through the crowds that were oohing and aahing over them.  also helping to keep them safe was a cast member who asked everyone to clear a path for the little family.  i always think that's really sweet.

we attempted a couple more selfies with the holiday decor, but the lighting was all wrong.  oh well.

back at home, we picked up the puppies from the groomer.  only teddy would allow a photo, of course.  cocoa is very camera shy.

the christmas prepping continued as the old lady started wrapping presents and i worked on cookies for a friend.  i'm always surprised when i'm asked for cookies at christmas time because most people like to make their own.

and the bean got in on it too, as she crafted a present for her girl scout gift exchange.  they always do handmade gifts, so she was happy to put together a little stuffed elf (that looks very yoda-esque but still cute) and then threw together a batch of chocolate chip cookies to add to it.

spoiler:  those cookies did not make it to santa's plate.  one of her BFFs managed to snag her present and ate a couple of them before her parents snuck the rest into their bellies.  i'm still cracking up remembering her BFF's face as her mom 'fessed up to the crime.

ah, christmas.  it's coming all too quickly.