My family and I are huge Disney fans. This is evidenced by our season passes and frequent trips to Disneyland after school and on weekends. We've spent countless happy, memorable days at Disneyland, often bringing along friends and family "virtually" for the ride.
But somehow we've never managed to get our act together and do the Holidays at Disney thing. Which is kind of shocking given the hype and our proclivity.
Naturally we were all very excited to go and see the lights and displays at Disneyland and California Adventure. We'd heard so much about the spectacle that we were willing to brave the dense holiday crowds to get a gander. And so, two nights before Thanksgiving we joked, "Cover me Mickey, we're going in!"
The lights, the decor, were dazzling. Beyond. Over the top and blingarific. Just the way we'd expect from Disney. We oohed and we ahhed at the Christmas tree that seemed tall enough to touch the stars. The basketball sized ornaments that reflect the entire town square were a joy to behold. But something was clearly missing.
"Mommy," my 5 year old son asked. "Do you think Mickey has a menorah here somewhere?"
"Of course!" I answered, confidently. Too confidently, in retrospect. "I've got a special prize for the first kid that spies the menorah!"
We went on, deep into the park. Through New Orleans Square with its beautiful Mardi Gras and vintage themed decor. I marveled at the amount of detail on every single festively festooned lamppost. We fought our way through the crowds to get a glimpse of Small World. What a glimpse! The light show, the snow... Wow, wow, wow! The two hour line was too long for our youngest tots, but we still snapped pictures of the facade. If there was a menorah within, we weren't getting close and it would have to wait for YouTube *
Hours went by as we made our way through the rest of the park, expecting at any moment to discover a nook or a cranny with a decorated dreidel. Underwater by Nemo? On Autotopia? Someplace in Tomorrowland? Alas, we spied nothing. Not until we were sailing through Pirates of the Caribbean.
"Mommy! I found it! Woot! I found the menorah! What do I win!?" shouted my 12 yr old. The people sitting behind us looked startled and confused. They asked us if we'd found a hidden Mickey or something. I was too speechless to respond.
My daughter was technically correct. She HAD found a menorah. But it was hardly the image of holiday happiness we'd been anticipating. The eight branched candlelabra, considered the universal sign of hanukah, was overturned and broken in the window of a burning building. Yo ho, yo ho aside, the only party that came to mind with this image was a pogrom. A memory that's only a couple of generations old in my family, and hardly the one you'd expect to stumble across at the "Happiest Place on Earth".
Our search for another menorah became almost desperate after this ride. Something to replace the distasteful image lingering in our minds. Oh beloved Disney! How could you disappoint us so cruelly?
I couldn't merely give up. Back at home I searched Google and discovered a flickr photo of a menorah, lit in a window on main street. We pointedly returned a few days later to see it for ourselves. I was just too heartbroken to have my children's memory of their holiday at Disney be such a negative one.
Before searching for the menorah we'd seen online, I made sure to check in with Disney PR on Main Street. They told me the exact location of the one menorah in the park that was not concealed within a ride. You can find it above the jewelers. Once again my stomach sank. All I could think was, really? Really Disney?! Who came up with this plan? Goofy? This felt like stereotyping of the worst type. Adding insult to injury. But good thing we had the tip. It's easier to accidentally find Hidden Mickeys. The menorah is quite small, as is the window.
The Disney attendant on duty went on to happily tell me that they not only had a menorah for hanukah but there was also more Jewish holiday decor in the form of a mezuzah on the door of Dr Silverstein's office! This was just ignorant. Mezuzahs have absolutely nothing to do with the holidays. They are a traditional Jewish way to bless a home or place of business. All year round.
I made sure to take my own picture of this needle-in-a-haystack menorah that took us so long to find and ultimately broke our hearts a little. I'd like to say it made us feel better to see it, but in some ways it made us feel worse. We've been relegated to one tiny little window where we're unlikely to be noticed. Are we supposed to feel welcomed by this compartmentalization? Certainly I'm not. I am both baffled and offended by this wisp of an effort. Then again, it could have been worse. The little menorah could have been over the bank or a lawyer's office, right? Ho ho ho!
The fact of the matter is that there was more attention paid to any one of the hundreds of super-sized lamppost wreaths in the park, than to that single dollhouse worthy symbol of our winter holidays.
Just between us Mickey? You might want to get a menorah (and a Kwanza kinara or two) in a more prominent place. I'd lose the menorah in the burning building, though. That's just in bad taste Mickey. Dr. Silverstein would plotz!
Mickey, I'm not a hater. I desperately want to stay in love with Disney. It's
been such a part of our lives. And our family celebrations. We have Disney dreidels and menorahs in our collection like these.
Ironically we couldn't find any Jewish holiday items to buy in the gift
shops at Disneyland, even when we would have spent almost any amount
just to make ourselves feel better. That's how desperately we wished
to be included in some small way in Disney's "Holiday Magic".
So at the very least, Mickey, stock the gift shop. Us non-Christmas celebrating people are willing to fork out for our holiday joy like the rest of the tourists, and you're missing out on some serious retail ops.
*Note: We've scoured multiple Holiday Small World videos for a glimpse of a menorah or a dreidel. If it's in there, we've yet to find it. That doesn't mean it's not there. We'd love to see your photos or footage if you photographed other-than-Christmas holiday decor at Disneyland.
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