Day 50: Modern Convenience

November 19, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today has been a busy day. Darling and I ran errands, did chores, and at the end of the day, we did not want to cook or clean anymore. Thankfully, we have choices. Today, for our 30 Days of Thanks, Darling and I are thankful for the modern convenience of Restaurants.

There is something about sitting down after a long day and indulge in good food and good company. Restaurants let us do that, and none more so, in our opinion, then the ones run by the Disney Company, especially Disneyland Jolly Holliday. Darling says it is one of her favorite places to rest, eat, sit, and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of Disneyland. She says that a perfect day at Disneyland would be to find a comfortable spot at the Jolly Holliday and take the entire day and eat the menu. I must concur.

What is your favorite restaurant, either at a Disney Property or elsewhere?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 49: It all started with a Mouse…

November 18, 2022

Dear DIsney,

94 years ago today, Steamboat Willie played on the silver screen across the United State and then thew world. It was one of the first fully synchronized sound cartoons and without it, we would not have the Disney we know today. Walt Disney himself said, “I hope that we do not lose sight of one thing…it all started with a mouse.” Today, Darling and I are thankful for Mickey Mouse. Happy Birthday Mickey!

I honestly do not know what to say about Mickey Mouse that other, better people have said. Walt Disney said, “When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it’s because he’s so human; and that is the secret to his popularity.” I concur. Another modern reviewer said that Mickey Mouse is sometimes bland and boring because he represents the common person. That reviewer is right too. Mickey Mouse is all of us. We can watch Mickey and Minnie (as today is Minnie Mouse’s Birthday as well) and see aspects of ourselves. If Mickey can do it, we can do it too.

To me, that is inspiring.

Happy Birthday Mickie and Minnie Mouse. Without you, there would be no Disney.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 48: Is the water sanitary?

November 17, 2022

Dear Disney,

Picture this. The sun is out and reflecting off of the cement of the Disney Parks. The temperature is hot, ridiculously hot, and it is magnified by the 100’s of people around you, pressing in on you. All you want, all you need, is something to quench your thirst. In front of you is one of the many, and free, drinking fountains found throughout the parks. It’s delicious. Nothing has tasted better. Water. Fresh, clean, free drinking water. Today, Jim and I are thankful for clean drinking water.

In the United States, where Jim and I live, fresh, clean, clear, and relatively free drinking water is something that many take for granted. Jim and I take it for granted until it is gone, either due to storms or drought or some other issue. What we are most pleased about is that it is one of the few things that the parks keep free. Yes, you can purchase bottled water and order water from the restaurants, but there is access to water everywhere. You can even bring in your own water and water bottles if you wish. Sometimes they even make the locations conveniently placed next to attractions and shows. It’s wonderful.

What is something that you are thankful for, but you take it for granted?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 47: Spoonful of sugar

November 16, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today, we have much to be thankful for. Today’s 30 Days of Thanks, Darling and I are thankful for modern medicine.

Mary Poppins says that a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down and she cannot be more correct. Modern medicine may not need that spoonful of sugar, but it does make it easier to swallow.

Without modern medicine we would not be able to experience the many things that life has to offer. We would be able to create any more Disney memories and for that alone, Darling and I are grateful.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 46: Tea!

November 15, 2022

Dear Disney,

Sometimes the simple things in life are the things that we are most thankful for. Today’s 30 Days of Thanks is relatively short and, literally for me, sweet: Tea!

I love tea. Tea is my comfort drink of choice. Some people like coffee, or hot chocolate, but when I am not feeling well; when I need to perk myself up; when I just need something to end the night, I brew myself, and Darling, a nice cup of tea…heavily sweetened.

Today was one of those day. The weather was dour. My mood was dour. So I needed tea.

When I was thinking about what I was thankful for I remember our Honeymoon. Darling and I found Mickey Mouse tea bags with different flavored teas. They were all good and long since used up. It is funny how things get connected in our minds.

What is your warm drink of choice? What, if any, memories do you have of it?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling.

Day 45: Keep Moving Forward

November 14, 2022

Dear DIsney,

Today’s 30 Days of Thanks is one of variety. Darling and I live in a world where everything is at our fingertips. We look around us and it is easy to be overwhelmed by choice. Today, Darling and I are thankful for our opportunity to do anything our imagination desires.

I think that sometimes we take for granted all the amazing things we are able to do because who we are and where we come from. So, as we are almost halfway through our month of Thanks, I want to say “Wow, we are capable of anything and that is amazing.”

Walt Disney would come on and tell the world about the things that he and his Imagineers thought of every week on The Wonderful World of Disney. Every week, Disney would show us what imagination could do for all of us if we just tried. I think that is wonderful.

What does your imagination say you can do?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 44: Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness

November 13, 2022

Dear Disney,

Growing up, November was my least favorite month. October had Halloween and December had Christmas, but November was a time without. For me and my family growing up it was all about money. I am now an adult. Darling makes sure that I meet all my needs, and I do the same for her. But every November, actually almost weekly, I find myself thankful that Darling and I have been able to routinely make ends meet. For today’s 30 days of Thanks, Darling and I are immensely thankful for being able to support our family and our endeavors.

Darling and I have known each other a long time, but even she does not know all of my issues regarding life as a poor person. I grew up with Walt Disney and the Disney Company. I would watch things like The Happiest Millionaire and Ducktales and long to be Scrooge McDuck or Mr. Biddle with his pet alligator. I just wanted to not have to worry anymore.

Darling helped me, and continues to help me, deal with those issues. In our early years of marriage, she too learned a little bit about being the working poor. But Disney gave us hope. When I was young, I read this quote by Walt Disney that was relatable to me: “I’d say its been my biggest problem in life - Money. It takes a lot of money to make these dreams come true.” Mr. Disney is not wrong. Not at all.

However, recently I’ve had a different Walt Disney quote that I am trying to understand: “Do a good job. You don’t have to worry about money. It will take care of itself. Just do your best work.”

Darling and I are trying to do our best work and allow money to take care of itself.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 43: Communication

November 12, 2022

Dear DIsney,

Sometimes the things that we are most thankful for are brought forward due to not having that thing. Recently, Darling and I had a moment of misunderstanding, a moment of miscommunication that caused a small hiccup to occur. Once we were through that issue, I realized how important communication is: either between Darling and myself or between anyone. So today, for our 30 Days of Thanks we are thankful for communication.

Walt Disney said “…of all our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.” It has been decades since Disney spoke these words and they are as true now as they were then. Modern American society communicates via GIFs and emojis, memes and pictures. We relate experiences we have watched and seen to those we have done personally or want to do.

Cartoons, animation, were once thought as children’s media, but Disney knew that that was not the case. Disney spoke of insuring that his animation was important to old and young alike because the story and the characters relate to our own existence.

What is something that you are thankful for, but only once its been lost?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 42: Relaxation

November 11, 2022

Dear Disney,

Some days you rush around trying to get everything done. For me, Jim tries to get errands and jobs finished as quickly as possible. Sometimes, that takes a long time. Today, for our 30 days of Thanks, Jim and I are thankful for the ability to relax.

Disney is synonymous to relaxation for me. When we go to the parks, we relax and allow the flows of the parks carry us. Yes, we are exhausted by the end, but we feel relaxed. Other days, putting on a Disney short or film allows our minds to wander and settle down, to relax.

Jim has anxiety and find it hard to relax sometimes. I do my best to help him relax, but sometimes it never comes. Thankfully, today was not one of those days. Jim says that he is thankful for the ability to relax today as the holidays are seldom time to actually relax.

How do you relax?

Sincerely,

Darling

Day 41: Timber!

November 10, 2022

Dear Disney,

Some of our traditions are time sensitive. Others are not. Today’s tradition is. Later in this month, the weekend after Thanksgiving, Darling and I will be going hunting: Christmas Tree Hunting. For today’s 30 days of Thanks, we are thankful for the tradition of Our Christmas Tree.

Growing up, Darling had a fake Christmas tree, except one year when they went up into the mountains and cut down a real tree. I am not sure why, but they only did this once. For me, we always had a natural tree. Some years we would get a tree only days before Christmas, other years we would get it sooner. For almost every Christmas Darling and I have been together, we have gone out and purchased our own tree. Most of the time we would cut it down ourselves, but for the last few years, we have not been able to.

So today, I find myself, weeks before we need to get the tree, looking at our local adds for our Christmas tree lots and Christmas Tree Farms. I am making sure the car is ready and the decorations are together. So much goes into making sure that day works. In addition to all this logistics, there is Disney. The Christmas classics and Darling’s traditional movie must all be ready.

And it will be.

When do you go get your Christmas Tree and is it fake or natural? Either way is great. Or, if you celebrate another Winter Holiday, what are some of your traditions?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 40: I smell cookies!

November 9, 2022

Dear Disney,

As much as I like Halloween, Christmas is a holiday that I can celebrate all year long. Darling has a rule that Christmas songs before Thanksgiving, but when I am alone I break that rule. Today’s thanks for 30 Days of Thanks is the Tradition of cooking for the holidays.

Darling never grew up with many traditions, so she adopted mine. When I was growing up, throughout the year we did not have much, but, somehow, we had enough materials to make cookies and pies for the holidays.

It is now my turn to make the cookies and pies and I enjoy doing that. I cook the food and my family decorates them. Today I made a practice batch of Christmas cookies using a new recipe. Darling came to a kitchen smelling of fresh cookies. The batch was not perfect, I will need to change the recipe slightly, but it was nice to begin the cooking season.

What is your favorite Holiday recipe or dish? Darling says hers is pie. I will have to make some soon.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 39: Tradition

November 8, 2022

Dear Disney,

I was thinking about today’s 30 Days of Thanks for most of the day. 30 Days of Thanks is supposed to help us focus on the positive aspects of our lives. During this time of year, it is easy to focus on the negative: the days are shorter, the weather is miserable, things are stressful. Today’s 30 Days of Thanks is going to lead to other things we are thankful for, but it starts with tradition. Today, we are thankful for our traditions.

Disney is a big part of our traditions. We sing Disney songs and watch specific Disney movies. Darling likes to countdown to things, so about this time every year I begin looking for Advent Calendars for her. I enjoy the hunt. I know that many people in the US think of November as Pre-Christmas, and that is not fair. However, it partly is. All of our November Traditions are in preparation for Christmas.

I like that.

What are some of your favorite November Traditions?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 38: Churros for Days

November 7, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today, for our 30 Days of Thanks, Darling and I are thankful for the amazing Disney Food. Saying we go to Disney for the food is not whole accurate, but it is not far from it, especially the churros.

Kindly provided, under creative commons uses, by Flickr user Punctuated

When we first got married, Darling and I had plans on going to Disney for every anniversary. Then life got in the way. In 2020, as we all now know, the pandemic occurred, and it caused Darling and I to look at our circumstances. As soon as we were able, and it was safe, we booked tickets to Disney. Once there, although we were excited for the rides and events, the amazing smells shifted our priorities.

We ate. We ate it all. It was wonderful.

The memories we have associated with the food of DIsney will stay with us until our next trip.

What is your favorite Disney food item?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 37: Food Glorious, Food

November 6, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today, for our 30 Days of Thanks, Darling and I are thankful for having an abundance of food.

This was not always the case. Growing up, food was not always abundantly available to me. As I have stated before, Darling and I had different childhood's and mine was growing up poor and longing to escape into the worlds Disney created. So now as an adult, I realize how important the basic things of Food, Shelter, and safety are.

Disney allowed me to find humor in the lack of food. In Fun and Fancy Free, there was a “Jack and the Bean stock” story with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. At one point, they share a bean between the three of them, slicing the bean in almost transparent slices. As a child, I found that so funny, and somewhat relatable.

Now, I see the filled pantries and refrigerators and realize how blessed we are, how thankful I am. Darling tries to empathize with me, but, honestly, I do not want her to know those memories. I am not ashamed of them, but I have better memories.

What is your favorite food that you are thankful for?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 36: Thanks for the Memories

November 5, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today’s 30 days of thanks is all about our memories. Darling and I started Dear Disney in order to write down and share some of our most treasured things, our memories. The memories of Disney are the memories of our family and friends, of time long gone. Walt Disney said, “Goodbye may seem forever. Farewell is like the end, but in my heart is the memory and there you will always be.”

Growing up, my memories of Disney was the cartoons and movies, the shorts that I saw at my grandmother’s house or with my family on Sunday evenings. They were Summer Days with my sister when it was too hot to go outside. It was watching TGIF Disneyland and Disneyworld specials and longing to be there. Darling remembers singing Disney songs to her grandfather and going to Disneyland with her mom and dad.

We are both thankful for the memories we have and the memories we plan on making.

What is your favorite Disney memory?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 35: The Castle

November 4, 2022

Dear Disney,

Darling and I were talking about the things in which we are thankful. As this is our 30 Days of Thanks, I expect that you will hear about all of them at some point. Today’s 30 Days of Thanks is that we are both thankful for our home, our castle.

Growing up, Darling lived in pretty much the same house throughout her school years. She played with friends at that house. Parties were had, memories made. When Darling met me and we decided to spend our lives with each other, we had to find our own home.

Finding our home took time. We lived in different houses, different cities. We made memories in each of them, but they were not our home. A few years ago, it happened. We found our home.

This home is where we have built our family. It may not be our forever home, but for now it is our castle.

What makes your home a castle? What are you looking for in a home?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 34: Music in Our Hearts

November 3, 2022

Dear Disney,

There is something about music that calls to inner most aspects of who we are, who we want to be. Music inspires us. Music makes us feel. Sometimes, music is the thing that we cling to in our darkest moments. No one, without any sense of hyperbole, no one makes music like Disney. Today, in our 30 Days of Thanks, Darling and I are thankful for the music in our lives and the music that inspired us, the music that was always there: Disney Music.

Sometime soon we shall look more in depth on some of the master that have made our lives richer: Sherman Brothers, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Danny Elfman, Randy Newman, and others, but today we are just going to touch on a few songs. Songs that mean something a little more to Darling and I, songs in which we are thankful for being in our lives, either because of the song itself or the memories around it.

For me, the songs of the Sherman Brothers capture my imagination like none other. Yesterday I talked about their works on Winnie-the-Pooh and how it calmed me down and made me feel better, comforted. Another masterpiece was their work on Sword and the Stone. The songs made the movie, made it magical, made me forget about who I was when I was a boy and reminded me who I wanted to be.

Darling says there are so many songs that mean a lot to her that she has lists. She should make a top 10 list of favorite Disney songs, but today we will talk about her absolute favorite song was “Part of Your World” by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman in The Little Mermaid. She has memories of belting the song during Junior High and High School Choir, of singing it to our children, of sing along every time we watch the movie.

What are some of your favorite songs?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 33: In Rushing, Rising, Rivlets…

November 2, 2022

Dear Disney,

We are dealing with some minor, seasonal illnesses at our house. So in addition to stock-piling chicken soup, I turn on Disney and console my mind to happier times when Darling’s and my nose does not look like one of Santa’s Reindeer. Although we are all not feeling our best, today’s 30 Days of Thanks is for our health.

It could always be worse, and for some it is. For those in our lives who are dealing with immense health issues our hearts go out to you. We wish you nothing but positive thoughts and better times ahead for yourself and your family. So, when I say that I am thankful for our health I am very cognizant about what that means.

Whenever I get sick certain things make me feel better: chicken soup, hot tea, a thick blanket, and The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh. Darling does not have the fondness for the movie as much as I do, she enjoys that it is one of my comforts, laughs at the fact that I cannot make it past the second act and the sound of the Sherman Brother’s amazing song “Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down” makes me fall asleep immediately.

Over the years, Disney has become somewhat integral in our lives. Certain memories getting tripped by the sound of a song or the animation of a short. Today, with my thankfulness for my health, Darling and I will wrap ourselves in a warm, thick blanket, have a cup of tea, and watch Disney.

What makes you thankful on days when all you want to do is feel better?

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 32: Un Poco Loco

November 1, 2022

Dear Disney,

Today is Dio de los Muertos and what better way to cap off the 31 Days of Halloween and begin the 30 days of Thanks is with the great 2017 Pixar film Coco.

We have spent the last 31 days reviews movies, shorts, and specials that we felt encapsulated what Disney Halloween is all about, but these letters are not just movie reviews. As we go into the month of November, we want to show our 30 days of Thanks and how Disney has helped us realize how to present those thanks through films watched and memories made.

For Darling, one of the things that she is thankful for is family and the movie Coco was one of the first Disney films that she felt really showed what she things as Family. Darling is a first generation Filipino-American and when she watched Coco for the first time, the familiar struggles and implications really touched something inside of her. She says that she enjoys watching Pixar movies, but every time she watches one, she always cries, and Coco is no exception.

I think that people thing of family Disney movies they think Encanto, but without Coco, Encanto may have had a harder time being created. Frequently, Disney and Pixar movies require a hero and a villain. In Coco, although there is a villain, the real overcoming obstacles is not a
”Big Bad” but rather the internal struggles of interpersonal communication between family members.

Growing up, Darling was pressured into going into a medical field. Her parents were in medicine, her aunts and uncles were in medicine. It was expected for her to follow in her family’s footsteps. Similar to Miguel, the main protagonist of the movie. All of his family were shoemakers, from his great-great-grandmother to his current mother and all of his aunts and uncles. However, Miguel’s heart was not in shoemaking, it was in music. In Miguel’s family, music, all music was forbidden. HIs great-great-grandmother loved a musician who left her and her daughter and never returned. Because of the love that his great-great-grandmother had for his great-great-grandfather, the loss hurt more than anything else. Because of that hurt of one-person, multiple generations were forced to except that. Miguel could not. Darling relates to Miguel. As I stated, Darling was supposed to enter the medical field, but, instead, she followed her heart and became a librarian. She feels Miguel’s story and her story were similar enough that she found catharsis within the movie.

Even without the parallel stories between Darling and Miguel, both Darling and I love Coco. The art direction, beautiful; the music, amazing; and the setting and characters of Latin America, perfection. Darling’s favorite song is “Un Poco Loco” and my favorite song is “La LLorona”. When we watch this movie, we must sing-along: to everything.

Tomorrow will be another day of thanks, come back and share with us your thanks.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 31: Chekov’s Roomba

October 31, 2022

Dear Disney,

For the last day of 31 Days of Disney Halloween Darling and I watched the 2023 sequel Hocus Pocus 2. Darling and I had two very different thoughts on this movie. We are not going to spoil it, so if you want a review without fear of ruining the movie, feel free to read on.

First off, Darling enjoyed this movie. Darling felt that this sequel gave more to the character arcs than the first movie. Hocus Pocus 2 allowed the writers to explore more nuanced characters than the first movie. The first movie was more about stopping and destroying the Sanderson Sisters. This movie was more about understanding the Sanderson Sisters motives. We spoke yesterday about how the characters in the first movie felt real because of how they were flawed. The sequel not only makes them feel real, but gives them depth that the first movie did not, or could not do. Darling also enjoys the small amount of campiness and light-heartedness that the movie had. Overall, she thought that Disney did a great job of making a sequel 29 years after the original. The actors were amazing. Bette Midler was wonderful, and Darling had a moment of pride for Sarah later in the movie regarding something that Sarah said finally confronting Winnie.

I had a hard time getting into the movie. My initial thoughts were that the fan service was too much. I did not understand where the plot was going. Everything felt shoe-horned into its place. I talked with Darling about this and she shared her views. I realized that what I was feeling as shoe-horned and fan service was really a misunderstanding of the plot and the use of fun allusions to the previous work. Thinking back on it, the allusions were never over-the-top or without cause. It was not fan service, it was good writing.

Finally, I think both of us feelm like this was a solid movie. It end capped the series, while allowing Disney+ to make a show or another series if they wanted to. If they do, Darling and I will be there to watch it.

For this Halloween season, we are saying good-bye.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling