Okay-now be honest. Raise your hand if you are OBSESSIVELY checking the Disney socials once every few minutes waiting on that long-awaited drop of NEW ANNUAL PASSES. We have been since July, but we are FINALLY at the end of this torturous game. I love the mouse, and he knows that. But I would be lying if I haven’t been slightly salty (read: fuming with rage) for the last six months. If you are like me, then you are probably looking for distraction techniques, and we have found the BEST (IOHO) ones.
1. Immersion Techniques
This activity is relatively free and is sure to provide the nostalgia needed to help you pass the time until Daddy Chapek releases the goods. Que up this Disney Fireworks video on your TV. Go ahead and grab one of your old Disney popcorn buckets from the depths of your closet (how long has it been since we’ve been to the parks??), fill it up with buttery kernel goodness, and sink into the comfortable refuge of your sofa. Relish in the delicious taste of a cookies and cream ice cream bar (we promise that if you close your eyes it tastes just like a Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich from the cart right beside the Teacups in Magic Kingdom), and watch Happily Ever After fireworks (wait… too soon?)
You can also tune into this youtuber’s awesome daily streams from the parks. We love this one which features a 5+ hour stream beginning at the monorails. It feels like you are REALLY there minus the families screaming at one another and the desperately hot heat of Florida summertime. Finally, ambience is key, and we have found a great playlist for the sounds of Disney.
BONUS: Kick spooky season off early and delight in Mickey’s Boo to You Parade. Trust us, you do NOT want to miss this.
Don’t forget your mickey ears!
2. Beignets for Breakfast
This distraction activity is a personal favorite of our resident BASIC from the streets of New Orleans-Katie. She’s a Louisianan born and raised and has a fondness for the culture and food. She was over the moon when I showed up with all of the ingredients needed to re-create Disney’s Tiana Beignets. We spent the afternoon covered in flour and listening to the music of the bayou. We did manage to somehow burn our first batch of beignets (Pro tip: Don’t forget about them while you are busy playing Zelda’s BOTW), but our second batch turned out wonderfully. I do have to say that this recipe isn’t the easiest in the world, but practice makes perfect. Hey, we should all be experts at baking by now. Didn’t we all buy bread ovens and make our own sourdough out of sheer boredom during lockdown? Wait…that might have just been Katie and I. Oh well. You should be fine. Let us know if you try this recipe on our Instagram!
3. Celebrate your Un-birthday in Style
“There are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un–birthday presents… and only one for birthday presents, you know.” – Lewis Carroll
We love any opportunity to dress up. Costumes are a way of life, and we never miss our chance to shine. We decided to visit a local tea shop in our most fabulous Alice-inspired fashion and throw ourselves one hell of an un-birthday. We exchanged little Disney-themed un-birthday gifts, drank so much tea that we all had trouble sleeping later that night, and reveled in being Disney-obsessed millennials. That was how we chose to celebrate the occasion of our collective un-birthday, but you may very well choose a different adventure. Whatever it may be-live fully present in the moments of joy and detour from the “daily grind.” That is the true meaning of an “un-birthday”-celebrating life and living well with friends.
We hope these ideas are ones that you have decided to replicate or that they have inspired new ones of your own. Let us know on Instagram (@bibbidibobbidibasics) any of the fun and creative ways that you are choosing to pass the time until we will all be together again in the hallowed halls of Disney!
