How to spread joy and help others create magical moments on your Disney destination vacation.
I just heard the collective “say what” from the vast majority of people and I’m here to tell you, this is an awesome thing. Most of us understand the idea of random acts of kindness, right? The concept is simple enough, you do something kind for someone you know or don’t know without any expectation of receiving anything in return. We do it at church, school, work and some of us do it as a “pay it forward” at the drive thru window of our favorite fast food restaurants. Well, put a Disney spin on that idea and you get pixie dusters! Disney magic and pixie dust are things I hear a lot about as a travel agent. Sometimes Disney throws a little pixie dust on guests through room upgrades or unexpected perks. Disney guests pixie dust other guests by spreading joy and being a blessing to others for the sole purpose of brightening a stranger’s day. I was not familiar with this idea until my first adult trip to the Magic Kingdom. On that trip, I got to witness people doing this randomly throughout the park and it was awesome! The first Pixie Dusting I witnessed almost made me cry. There were four tween girls with a dance/cheer team for a competition. They were so excited to be at Disney World. They were walking around one of the stores looking at the prices of the mouse ears and debating on collectively purchasing one set and sharing them throughout the day. A lady walking by in the store stopped and asked what team they were with and the girls responded with their team name and how they had placed 2nd in a portion of the competition. She congratulated them and continued to walk around in the store. As we exited the store, the girls were just a few steps ahead of us, having decided not to buy the ears. The lady from the store rushed out and called out their team’s name to get their attention. She had purchased all four girls sparkly mouse ears that matched their team colors. These girls were so excited and grateful that they hugged this complete stranger and of course cried. She said “I just wanted to share a little pixie dust. Y’all have a magical day here!” It was such a sweet thing for someone to do. I decided then and there that I’m going to be a pixie duster.
There is something intrinsically rewarding about doing nice things for others. We are created to serve and even in our moments of vacation, we are still capable of kindness and generosity. Some people may think this is silly because “anybody who can afford to go to Disney World doesn’t need my generosity.” But that’s not necessarily true. For some families, it’s literally a once in a lifetime trip they have saved for years just to make it to the parks. Some people are there as a last hoorah before they decide to let a terminal illness run it’s course. Some people get to go because someone passed away and left them the funds to do one trip as a way to associate their passing with something better than a funeral. So yeah…a lot of folks can afford the ears, the bubble wands, the shirts, balloons and other souvenirs, but not everyone can. Not every pixie dusting has to be a big purchase either. Sometimes it can be something as simple as playing peek a boo with an infant who is on the verge of freaking out. You can help someone struggling to figure out where they are going by directing them down the right path. Encourage a parent who is obviously frustrated. Take a photo for someone struggling to get a good selfie with the group. Give up your seat to someone who is struggling to walk. Have blister bandaids, spray on sunscreen or ponchos ready to share with people who are less prepared for the potential problems of an all day theme park day. Sometimes the biggest impact is made by a simple act of thoughtfulness.
So what makes for good pixie dust? Anything that could brighten someone else’s day. If you are an acts of service kind of person, use that. Take the photo for a family, stand on the shuttle instead of sitting, hold the bag while the parent puts the kid in the stroller. If you‘re someone who likes to give people stuff, you can keep it simple and small or go big. It’s totally up to you. I saw people handing out cold water bottles, bubble refills, organic fruit snacks, ball caps, and umbrellas when it was raining. One kid gave another kid he didn’t know a coloring books on a ferry when the little guy was just losing his mind. It doesn’t have to be expensive or specifically from Disney World. I started putting together inexpensive pixie dust packs for our family and for clients heading to a Disney destination who want to add the tradition of sharing joy to their vacation. I fill these bags with things we have found useful to adults and kids. Wanna know what’s in our Pixie Dust Packs? Good! I was going to tell you anyway!
First, we use inexpensive little backpacks. These are not intended to be a long term use item, but rather a means for carrying stuff while in a Disney park or on a Disney ship. We decorate the bag with our “Spread Joy and Pixie Dust” decal and fill them with some great inexpensive sharable items. Most of the items are found at our local dollar store or big box stores. We also offer an upgraded version that includes some Disney branded options. But our basic pixie dust pack includes at least 12 of the following items.
Mickey/Minnie Coloring Book
Mickey/Frozen Crayons
Mickey themed Matching Game
Hair Clips/Ties
Fidget Bracelet
Mickey Activity Pack
Mini Disney Tsum Tsums
Princess Tiara
Light Up Sword (kind of like a lightsaber)
Glow Sticks w/ necklace ribbon
Adult Poncho
Umbrella
Bubbles (sealed so they don’t leak)
Kid Sunglasses
Fan- handheld or mini battery powered
A Mini Notebook (can be used for autographs)
Stickers
Reusable Water Bottle (washed)
Handmade Bookmarks (from Jaibirds Worthy Works)
Handmade Inspiration Bracelets (from Jaibirds Worthy Works)
Kid T-shirt with a themed iron-on decal (from Jaibirds Worthy Works)
Depending on the items in the bag, it costs between $20.00 and $30.00 to fill a pixie dust pack. This allows a Pixie Duster to spread joy to 10 or more people during their Disney trip. Imagine giving someone a moment of magic through something as simple as a pair of sunglasses for their kid when the sun is blinding them. You see an elderly person who is sitting down trying to recover from the heat and you have a little fan and a bottle of water you can give them to help cool off. A child is melting down outside a store because their parents can’t purchase a lightsaber or princess dress. You happen to have a tiara or light up sword in your pack to offer as a way to help this parent recover from the frustration of the situation. We always ask before giving a child anything, but so far, even the smallest things have been appreciated. Of course, if you want to go full on Disney dream maker, do it! Some more grandiose ideas that are always appreciated include:
Buying a treat for a future customer at a treat stand in the parks
Disney Bubble Wand
Disney Trading Pin
Disney Plushie
Disney Gift Card
Mouse Ears
Disney Mouse Head Balloons
Disney Bag/Wallet
Disney Action Figure
Disney T-shirt/hat
Disney ornament
Disney art: post card size prints of various characters
Disney Magnets
Paying for someone’s meal who is celebrating an anniversary or birthday.
You can also Pixie Dust cast members. Last year, one of the cast members helped me figure out what mouse ears I wanted for myself and told me the best place to find them. She was planning on getting her daughter a pair, but had been unable to because they were always gone by the time she got off work. We were able to purchase the last two pairs and give her one pair for her daughter. She was ecstatic and it felt amazing to be able to do something nice for someone who has to be “on” all day long during a time when Disney World was incredibly understaffed. It doesn’t have to be something like that. You can give a Starbucks gift card to your Jungle Cruise captain, a larger tip to your server or the housekeeping staff at the hotel, or even an amazon gift card to the photo pass photographer who made your angry toddler smile for a photo. You never know what kind of impact you can have by sharing a little joy with those who have the job of making magic happen for Disney guests every day.
Well, just writing this makes me want to start looking into other things we can add to our pixie dust packs for our next trip. I love that we can do this kind of thing and know that we are incredibly blessed to have the means to share even a little. I firmly believe that recognizing the blessing we have and being willing to share them with others is possibly one of the most important things we can do in this life. Whether it’s something we do during our daily life or while we are on vacation, it’s important to always be generous with our time and our resources. That’s my 2 cents and I’ll get off my soapbox now. I hope this gives you a starting point for your own pixie dusting tradition. I’m happy to share more information about the concept or our pixie dust packs. You can reach out through our Contact page for more information about this or any other vacation questions you might have. We are always happy to help you plan your next adventure. We hope your next vacation is totally triptastic and filled with amazing memories and lots of magic and pixie dust!
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