Through the Eyes of a Child – a reflection from Celebration Magazine's Tim Foster

Earlier in the summer I ordered all the back issues of Celebrations Magazine. I had heard about the publication for years and never pulled the trigger, but goodness – it would have cut down on my distraction time if I had just been reading all along instead of trying to play catch up! 🙂  I have just started digging into the magazines, and I know I’m going to find so much value in each issue!

When I picked up the first issue I was going to read – published December 2009 – I had gotten no farther than the inside front cover when I read the first piece I knew I had to share with you, lovely readers and friends.  So without further ado, a piece from Tim Foster himself about why we love our Disney Parks. And this time? We’re actually going away from the details for a moment…

“We often talk about what it is that makes Walt Disney World such a magical place. Whether it’s the music, the details, or the people; there’s something about this land that makes you believe that wishes really can come true. But what does that mean? When we talk about “the magic,” what are we really referring to? To me, the magic is that special moment when you can become a child again, the moment where you rediscover your innocence and find yourself in a whole new world.

“That’s hard to do in our day-to-day lives, where the stresses and realities of everyday living often make us forget the wondrous places that our imagination can take us. Children possess that wonderful gift of being able to transform a cardboard box and blanket into an elaborate pirate fortress, or a shiny two-wheeler and streamers into an intergalactic star cruiser. When we’re wandering around the parks, it’s easy to get caught up in the minutia, whether it’s seeking out new Hidden Mickeys or looking for subtle details. And indeed, that’s a lot of what makes Walt Disney World so much fun. But if you can step back and lose yourself in the totality of it all, you may be fortunate enough to experience that most cherished of magical moments, when you can simply say “wow” for “wow”’s sake.

“While wandering through World Showcase the other day, I witnessed a special moment that made me remember the wonder of seeing the world though a child’s eyes. I was in the Yong Feng Shangdian Department Store in the China Pavilion, and I happened upon a couple of Cast Members playing with a Chinese yo-yo (an hourglass-shaped toy that spins on a string held by two handles). A little girl of eight or nine was there with her grandfather, watching intently. She was standing between them, and as one of the Cast Members got the yo-yo spinning and jumping and dancing, her eyes were transfixed on this unusual but fascinating new toy. Her jaw fell open, she breathlessly said “wow,” and it was there that the magic happened. A simple toy had whisked her off to a faraway land, and she and her grandfather spent the next few minutes wandering throughout the store, the little girl excitedly pointing out all of the new wonders that lay before them. I could tell that initially the grandfather was ready to move on, but as he saw the exotic treasures of China through a child’s eyes, he experienced them in a whole new way, and he took great joy in sharing these discoveries with his granddaughter.

“When that magical moment arrives, it’s something you’ll never forget. And at Walt Disney World, these doors to our imagination are everywhere, beckoning us to come inside. You can find them in a giant fairy-tale castle, a magic carpet ride, a ghostly graveyard, or under the sea.
And even in a child’s toy.”

Disclaimer: Nothing, really. I paid for my copies of Celebrations and reached out to Tim on my own for permission to share. He responded quickly and graciously. I highly recommend the folks I’ve conversed with at Celebrations, and everything about the magazine that I’ve experienced so far!