Greetings from 40 degree Florida! Boy, talk about trying to be hospitable. Those nice folks at Disney World must have really wanted to make this New Hampshire-ite feel right at home. Which is why they dialed back the state’s thermostat to the mid-40s. Which is sweater weather for me. Whereas the Orlando natives … They’re pulling on parkas, strapping on snowshoes and mumbling darkly about moving someplace even warmer.  Which — given the average annual temperature around here — that would have to be someplace like … Oh, I don’t know … maybe the surface of the sun? Anyway … This is just a quick update on the whole MouseFest 2005 thing. I’m really hoping that a number of you JHM readers can make it over to WDW property over the next couple of days. So that you can then get the chance to chat with yours truly. As well as some of your favorite Disney webmasters and authors. Speaking of which: Scott Liljenquest of  Mouseketrips.com wants me to remind you about the meet-n-greet that the two of us will be hosting tomorrow at DAK’s Flame Tree Barbeque restaurant starting at 11:30 a.m. Mind you, if you can’t make it to that meet-n-greet … Not to worry. You can still find me — along with dozens of other Disney webmasters and authors — at WDW’s Dolphin Resort this coming Saturday afternoon. Scott & I be setting up shop in the Northern Hemisphere Ballroom (Salon E) starting at 1 p.m. So be sure to come by and say “Hello.” Of course, if you can’t make it to either of these two events, there’s always the JHM Christmas Party. Which is being held in the Buena Vista Room at the Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel near WDW’s Downtown Disney on Saturday night. There’ll be lots of great desserts & door prizes. Plus noted Disney historian Jim Korkis and myself will be holding court, telling seasonal stories that I’m sure will entertain & amuse you. Sooooo … If you want to attend Saturday night’s shindig, be sure that you drop Mr. Liljenquist a line at Scott@Mouseketrips.com ASAP. So that Scott can then put your name on the official JHM Christmas Party guest list.

Also … Roger Colton and Jeff Lange want me to remind you that this trio of JHM contributors will also be hosting their very own very-low-key JHM reader get-together at Disneyland this coming Saturday … So if you’re already planning on being in Frontierland around high noon, be sure and mosey on over that cigar store indian in front of the shooting gallery. There, you’ll find Roger & Jeff. Be sure tell them “Howdy!” for me. Beyond that … We’re coming down to the last few days of  JHM’s first-ever reader’s poll. So if you really want your voice to be heard, be sure and take part in the poll before midnight Sunday night.

That’s it for now. I really hope to see some of you folks at the next few days’ worth of Mousefest 2005 events and/or at the first-ever JHM Christmas Party. Now, if you’ll excuse me … I have to go outside and annoy Central Florida residents by saying things like “You think that this is cold? I had to shovel seven inches of snow off of my driveway this past Thanksgiving morning. Now THAT was cold.” Talk to you later, okay?