Your parents may have told you to always save for a rainy day, but what about a sunny one?

t is a family tradition that the nickels, dimes and quarters that collect on the entryway table, are dived between our two children every week. They know that their newly bestowed treasure must go straight to their banks. Cailtyn deposits hers in one of three places: the animatronic recreation of “Trashin’ the Camp” from Disney’s Tarzan, the indestructible Cinderella coach, or the newly acquired metal purple box with key AND combination lock (very handy since the little brother came on the scene!) Connor, at 19 months old, is fascinated by the money but needs to be reminded to deposit it in the Fab Five Safari Jeep bank bought in Adventureland by doting grandparents. Once he gets started though, he sits diligently until all the coins are safe inside the tough chassis, after which he heads out looking for more.

few days before we leave for Disneyland the banks are opened and emptied, the contents deposited into fanny packs and prepared for transport to the nearby Disney Store so that the coin collection can be transformed into Disney Dollars; money that can buy Princess Accessories, giant lollypops and all kinds of hats with Ears. The staff at the store is so wonderful and patient! The Cast Members carefully count Caitlyn’s money with her. “Make sure I get it all,” they always tell her. When the amount is settled, Caitlyn is handed her crisp Disney bills and she tucks them away in her fanny pack, safe and sound until the time she will need them in the Park. The same is done for Connor, although he is more interested in what is playing on the big screen. His Disney Dollars are also stored away for safe-keeping, in Daddy’s wallet.

pparently we’re not the only ones with this Tradition. Disney Store cast members have told us that there are several families who save for their trips but doing just this. We were told of one father who came in after every pay check and bought $50 worth of Disney Dollars for several months before the family vacation. He knew they would not get spent before the trip.

e have done this ever since Caitlyn’s first visit. It is such a fun and tangible way to build up to the excitement of the visit. We always know that when the Disney Dollars are in hand, we will be heading South in a matter of days! It is one of the ways that we have turned the “waiting” into an event as well as the “visit.”

lanning the trip is also great fun! We will often select the hotel together, peruse the annual report looking at pictures, download articles from our favorite web sites, and count down the days on the calendar. We have readers who have taken planning to a high art form in a very selfless way:

ith about 37 trips to Walt Disney World under her belt (pretty good for someone living in Maryland), my wife is sort of an unofficial tour guide to the Florida Parks. One of the our Disney Traditions is that we like to take people to the parks who have either never been, or who haven’t been in a while. In fact, rare is it that we get to go to Disney World just by ourselves. We thought it neat that a couple who went with us remarked that they saw more of WDW in 3 days with us than they had in a week by themselves. Usually traveling without kids, this December we will be in a group of around 14 people, three of which are young children. It will be a new tradition for us as we finally get to see the Park through a child’s eyes.

hen we are in Orlando, we load-up on Park literature just so we have some to give friends and coworkers who are planning a Disney World trip. They usually ask my wife what they can do in appreciating for her help, her time and money-saving tips. Her Disney Tradition in this case is that all she asks is a postcard from them, so she knows they are enjoying their vacation. These postcards make the effort very worthwhile!

nce I continued this Tradition when I found that a coworker from my company’s home office in California (used to Disneyland) was planning a family vacation to WDW. I still have her postcard at my desk, which I cherish as a reminder of the fun they had on their trip. It’s a bittersweet reminder of a great coworker that was later forced out of the company. At least, before that happened, they had a good family time at Walt Disney World.

y wife and I hope to maintain these two Disney Traditions in the future, when we take people to WDW, or when we just help them plan their trips.

Thank you, DD1, for your contribution. You and your wife have undoubtedly touched many lives by the generosity of your time and attention. Have a wonderful time with that big group in December!

I would love to hear your family's Disney traditions, please drop me a line,

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— Allison