Disneyland: A Love Letter

The Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. Disneyland, 2026.

This past December, I received an unexpected early Christmas gift. My uncle shared some old home videos of my grandparents, my mom and my two uncles that had been digitized. The videos captured moments in their lives in the late 1950s. In these videos, I watched my mom as a young girl with white blonde curly hair… joyful and smiling. She was filling the role of the older sister taking care of her younger brothers and leading them by the hand - yet there was an innocence about her that I had never seen before. I had only known her as an adult and as my mom. 

As I watched the grainy footage of them on vacation, I was mesmerized by it all. My memories of my grandfather were of him as a frail man in his 70s and 80s. Years of smoking cigars had taken their toll on his health and he had always struggled to breathe because of his emphysema for as long as I could remember. He had hearing loss and wore hearing aids that whistled a high pitched sound off and on. He also had a full set of dentures that he had to take out when we had a family meal. But here on the screen he was a vibrant middle aged man walking hand in hand with a young adolescent version of my mom and her brothers.

At the 17 minute mark of the home videos, an image completely took my breath away. The previous minutes of the video had been shot in Canada. My grandmother was Canadian and they had gone on a family road trip up there. The footage captured gardens, mountains, lakes and wildlife strolling by. But as the scenery changed and I watched them cross under “the berm” that surrounds the theme park - I saw a banner that read “Disneyland ‘59.” I immediately knew where they were. I gasped. This was their first family vacation to Disneyland. 

My grandfather, my uncle and my mom crossing under “the berm.” Disneyland, 1959

I had just attended the 70th anniversary celebration at Disneyland with my own family a month prior and have taken many vacations there in the past. I am always amazed at how pristine Disney keeps the park despite its age, but here in this old video footage was a Disneyland just a few years after the opening. It was brand new. It was 66 years prior to where I had just been - walking the same path that I had just walked. I watched them as they crossed under the plaque that I too have walked under many times and have always loved. It reads: “Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy.” They were a young family… my family… taking their first steps into Disneyland and I had a front row seat to watch. 

Seeing them on that screen very much alive and well (both of my grandparents and younger uncle have passed and my mom has been suffering from dementia for 12 years) was a magical moment. It was amazing to both myself and my boys that were watching with me how empty the park was. There were no huge crowds like the Disneyland we now know and there were no concession carts lining the streets. It was immaculate. Practically brand new. What that must have felt like. 

Two months after seeing this footage, we had to cancel a vacation to a different destination. When given the choice to go somewhere else instead, my boys requested to go back to Disneyland. I was happy to oblige but it began to make me wonder why I enjoy going so much. What I realized is that Disneyland has been a constant. From my childhood, through my single years in my 20’s, as a newlywed and now as a middle aged mom of two - it’s always been there. It’s a thread that is woven its way throughout, piecing together all the stages of my life.

Nostalgia

My dad and I during my first trip to Disneyland on the Dumbo ride. Disneyland, 1980.

My family only had two big family vacations that we could afford when I was a kid. They were both to Disneyland. It was a big deal for us to stay in a hotel, eat out and get souvenirs. I still have some of those precious souvenirs today. In that way, Disneyland is a huge memory from my childhood. When I graduated high school, I saved my money and went there a third time with friends to celebrate. I also went in my early 20’s when I was single with girlfriends or roommates once or twice. I went with my husband when we were first married. My sisters’ and I even took my mom there to celebrate her 59th birthday. Unbeknownst to us at the time, it would be my mom’s last trip to Disneyland before she got dementia and could no longer travel. Regardless of that sad fact, it has always been there waiting for me no matter what stage of life I was in.

My high school graduation trip. Disneyland, 1995.

My mom’s last trip to Disneyland to celebrate her 59th Birthday. Disneyland, 2005.

Traditions

After pulling Pluto's tale in 1980 to get his attention, we have made amends and are now friends.
We take a picture together every time I visit now. Disneyland, 2017.

When I had my own kids, we started taking them early. Larry’s first trip was at age two and half while I was pregnant with Chucky. He immediately loved it, requesting to go on certain rides that appealed to him again and again. We have continued to take our kids almost every year since. We have come to learn that certain times of the year are our favorite because of the special touches that come with the holidays or specific celebrations. When other vacations have been cancelled, Disneyland is always our back up destination. We relish in the traditions and also get excited for the changes. Make no mistake, Disneyland is a marathon. Not a sprint. (At least that’s how our family does it.) It’s not a relaxing vacation but we love it nonetheless. Every year is different. No two trips are ever the same. There is always a new ride to try, a new hotel to stay at, new and seasonal food offerings or a part of the park that has been completely reimagined. There are rites of passage too - like surpassing a ride height restriction which opens up something new. One year you’re driving your child around the Autopia and then before you know it - they are driving you or are in a separate car all together. As Walt Disney famously said, "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world" - so with each new ride or change… we find the joy in experiencing something new but we are still rooted in what has stayed the same.

Disneyland is for everyone

Brenda and I on the Matterhorn. Proof that Disneyland is more fun without kids. Disneyland, 2016.

I have also gone on several trips to Disneyland without my kids - both with my sister Brenda and my long time friend and declared “Disneyland Bestie,” Michelle. People ask why we would go on an adults only trip without our kids to a place inundated with kids. To which I answer, Disneyland is not just magical for kids but for everyone. (Plus Disneyland is so much better without kids! Don’t tell mine I said that!) Every time I enter those gates and cross under the berm, I smile. The liveliness of Main Street invigorates me no matter who I am with. There is the distinct smell of pirate water on Pirates of the Caribbean. The stretching room in the Haunted Mansion that plays with your mind. The creamy, citrusy taste of a Dole whip, a hot churro and the smell of popcorn carts on Main Street. And there is the wind in my hair as the train takes the curve on Big Thunder Mountain or over the hills in a race car at Radiator Springs Racers… there really is nothing else like it.

History

Michelle, my Disneyland Bestie and lifelong friend, and I living our best life at Club 33. Disneyland, 2019.

I love the history of Disneyland and relish all the information about its origins. In college, I had an assignment to read a biography and write a report. I chose Walt Disney. I have watched most of the specials on Disney+ about the building and the evolution of the theme parks. It is fascinating to me to see the similarities and the differences between them all. I even have had the opportunity to visit and dine at the coveted Club 33 in New Orleans Square with Michelle. Talk about history and the traditions of Disneyland in the fanciest way! 

Most of all, I have been there to witness history in action across my many trips.. When America Sings became Captain EO and then Honey I Shrunk the Audience. When E-Ticket rides and paper tickets became obsolete. When one park became two. When wait time reader boards became an App. When Fast Passes turned into Lightening Lanes. I was there for the 50th anniversary year, the 60th and now the 70th. Yet, I still remember the feeling of floating in the buckets from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland, going through Matterhorn Mountain and looking over the side down onto the crowds from above with a birds eye view. I even remember my first time riding on the Jungle Cruise in the dark at 3 years old… I thought the hippos in the water were real! It was one of the rides that started it all the day they opened the gates for the first time… and 70 years later it still remains.

It’s a Whole Thing

There is no time for costumes! You have to be ready for anything! Disneyland, 2025.

Disneyland culture is unique. You may have read or seen things about “Disney Adults.” Don’t let it deter you from going. There are many categories of them. I don’t consider myself to be a Disney Adult but a Disney Enthusiast. I don’t wear mouse ears in the park or spirit jerseys. I am not a die hard Star Wars fan carrying a light saber around. I don’t dress up as characters (aka Disney Bounding) or participate in themed events like Dapper Days. It’s just not my jam. I love the subtle Disney gear. A baseball hat. Maybe a sweatshirt or t-shirt. Otherwise I am dressed like I always am and always in jeans and running shoes. Comfort is key in my book. When it comes to souvenirs, I treasure the small, unique collectibles like my silver charm bracelet that has years of charms from my many trips. But I do love that being in Disneyland gives everyone, young and old, license to just be themselves. Let your freak flag fly. Anything goes. Plus it makes for the best people watching.

Final Thoughts

After watching the home video several times, I texted my uncle to thank him and he shared an anecdote with me. He said that my grandfather had resisted that trip to Disneyland. He said it was nothing but a “god damn carnival” (Grandpa was a fiery half Italian half Irish man with a colorful vocabulary) and he didn’t want to go. However, by the end of the night my grandpa loved every second of it. So much so, that my uncle had to stay with him in the park until closing when the staff finally had to ask them to leave. I guess we are a Disney family after all. 

Thank you for all of the memories Disneyland and for the ones that are still to come. Yesterday, today and always.