Merry Christmas from Portland, Oregon

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas from Portland!

Merry Christmas from Daniel & Michele 2013

I haven’t had this blog very long, but I’ve already been so blown away by the response!  It’s made me so happy to see the likes, shares, and repins!  It feels so rewarding to share things that people genuinely seem to be looking for.  I find myself loving the writing process each and every time I write a new post,  and I hope I can continue to provide useful, relatable articles through the New Year!

Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read this lil ‘ol blog – it means the world to me!  I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas and New Year’s Eve!


Christmas Tree Farm near Portland, Oregon

Oregon Christmas Tree FarmI am so excited to finally say that Daniel and I have our Christmas tree up, and our house is all decorated for the holiday!  It finally feels like Christmas time!  We usually get our trees from a lot near our house, but this year we decided to go to a Christmas tree farm.  I mean, we are in Oregon after all!  I did some quick research and found three farms, all about 20-30 minutes outside of Portland.

One I found was the Sauvie Island Farms, which we decided not to go to because we went to a pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island durin the fall.  We figured it would be fun to go somewhere we haven’t been before.  Our other two options were Quail Creek Ranch and Plumber Pumpkin Patch and Tree Farm.

We chose to go to Quail Creek Ranch because it looked beautiful.  Take a look!

Christmas Tree Farm

Quail Creek Ranch

Daniel and Michele - Quail Creek Ranch

Unlike Plumber Farms, basically everything was free at Quail Creek Ranch (except the trees, of course)!  They provide saws if you want to cut your own tree, but they will also cut them down for you free of charge too.  They also shake, bail, twine, and help tie your tree to your car for free as well!  That was all I really needed to hear to make my decision.  I guess I’m a sucker for the word free!

They also serve complimentary hot chocolate and cider by a big, warm bonfire!

Bonfire at Quail Creek Ranch

Daniel Cutting Down the Christmas TreeWe decided to cut our own tree, since I had never done that before, and Daniel hadn’t in a really long time (ok, maybe Daniel did the cutting).  Plus, now that we’re Oregonians, we wanted to do it the lumberjack way!  There was even some snow on the ground, so it really felt legit!

Quail Creek Ranch has a variety of trees – Douglas Firs ranging from $15-$25, Grand Firs ranging from $20-$35, and Nobles ranging from $50-$100.  We found our tree after searching the farm for about 30 minutes, and we chose a douglas fir this year.  Ours was over 4 feet tall, so it was $25 – not too shabby!  Way better than the $80 we always had to spend in Hollywood!

Daniel & Michele at the Christmas Tree FarmEveryone at the farm was very friendly and helpful.  All the little complimentary touches really added in making our experience wonderful.  If you haven’t gotten your tree yet, I highly recommend visiting Quail Creek Ranch!  And don’t forget to grab a candy cane on your way out!

Tip:  They don’t really have much of a selection of tree stands, so you will want to pick one up before you go.  We got ours at our local Fred Meyer!

Here’s our tree all decorated!

Decorated Christmas Tree

Donut Christmas Tree Ornament

 

We have a tradition of buying a new ornament each year, and this year it was a donut!  What are some of your traditions?


Christmas Time at Disneyland

Disneyland Snowflake Entrance

Ok, so if you read my Halloweentime at Disneyland travel post, you know that it’s my absolute favorite time to visit.  But a VERY close second is during Christmas Time at Disneyland!  Seriously, if you love the Christmas season, this is the perfect time to plan your Disneyland trip.  Disney goes all out with their decorations, festive food, and entertainment.

The entire park is adorned with holiday touches, aromas of gingerbread waft from cafes, shops have a variety of Christmas gifts and ornaments – but don’t take my word for it, check out some of my photos and tips below!

As you walk into the park, you’ll see Main Street is all decked out!

Main Street Christmas Decorations

Disneyland City Hall Christmas Decorations

Make sure to get your picture taken in front of the HUGE Christmas tree!

Disneyland Christmas Tree

Daniel & Michele with Disneyland Christmas Tree

Sleeping Beauty’s castle gets a Christmas makeover as well.  Another great photo opportunity!

Christmas Sleeping Beauty Castle

Daniel & Michele with Christmas Sleeping Beauty Castle

Sleeping Beauty Castle Christmas Decorations

I love how they decorate New Orleans Square within the theme.

New Orleans Square Christmas Decorations

New Orleans Square Santa Decorations

Disneyland Christmas Desserts

I’m sure you can guess that Disneyland’s bakeries would have a plethora of Christmas treats, well, you’re right!  My favorite treat that I had to get every year was the hot chocolate!  I was sort of expecting it to just be a packaged Swiss Miss-like drink, but was pleasantly surprised at the richness and quality of the chocolate.  So good!  Plus, it will help to keep you warm as the sun goes down!

Tip:  While some of you from colder states may think:  “how cold can LA possibly get?”  You’d be surprised!  I’m originally from Maine, and I was often taken aback at the how cold it got, especially at night.  Certainly not that face burning, nose hair freezing frigidness, but it still manages to chill you to the bone!  We would always see tourists looking pretty miserable, because they were unprepared for the cold.  I suggest dressing in layers, wearing warm shoes, and having a stash of gloves, hats, and scarves.  Take advantage of the lockers at the entrance of the park, so you don’t have to carry everything all day long! Read more »