2017 Disneyland holiday trading pins

You know you're a Disney geek when you can spend a full day inside a Disney park without getting on a single ride. There are so many other things to entertain you: the shows, the parades, the shopping, the dining experiences... and the pin trading.

If you like Disney characters and memorabilia, you'll love Disney pin trading and collecting. Half the fun is shopping for bright, shiny, new pins, and the other half is trading pins. You can trade with other pin collectors, or you can trade with cast members around the park. We started collecting and trading pins in 2012, and have been enjoying it ever since.

Disney releases new pins year round, but I have a soft spot for the holiday pin trading, because Disney's holiday pin designs are so stinking cute (click here to view some of Disney's holiday pins from past years).  Also, I love the fact that you can't get these pins at any other time of the year. Here are some of the cutest Disney holiday pins that I ran into this year:

Disneyland Holiday Trading Pins: 2015 releases

The kids and I have been into Disney pin trading and collecting for a couple of years now. Two years ago I made the mistake of not buying the limited edition Mickey's Halloween Party pin. I saw the $15 price and cheaped out. Of course, since was only available at the Disneyland Resort during Mickey's Halloween Party in 2013, the pin is now selling for $30 on eBay. It would have been the perfect memento of my visit, and I've regretted my decision ever since.

After that episode, I make it a point to buy a pin every time I visit a Disney park (and thanks to the Disney Visa card, I can  redeem points for Disney dollars to treat myself and the kids to a small souvenir each time we visit). There are so many pins available at the parks, it's always tough to choose, but I pay special attention to seasonal pins because they're only available at certain times of the year, and they change every year (at least the limited edition ones do).

If you love Disney pin trading or if you're curious about what all the fuss is, you're going to love the rest of this post. If the idea of spending $15 on a pin (and buying dozens of them) mystifies you, then please accept this photo of the beautiful holiday candy apple display as a reward for reading this far! You may not like collectible pins, but everyone loves candy apples, right?

Spinach Smoothie

Spinach is one of my favorite vegetables.  I use it in salads, scrambles, soups, sandwiches and a few more dishes that I can't remember at this moment (probably because they don't begin with "s").  But I never really thought about using it in a drink (spinach to sip!) until the advent of Pinterest.  The prospect doesn't disgust me (Naked Juice's Green Machine, which has spinach, broccoli, wheatgrass and other good stuff, is one of my favorite storebought smoothies ), I've just never thought of making it for myself.

Leprechaun Brownies

St. Patrick's Day is coming up, and Pinterest is full of Pinteresting crafts and recipes for St. Patrick's Day.  I fully intend to make a rainbow fruit plate, Lucky Charms cereal with green milk, spinach smoothies and other green goodies before the month is over, but the pin that caught my eye wasn't even green.  It was a pin for Lemony Lemon Brownies.  Our dwarf lemon tree bears fruit every other year, and 2013 is a Lemon Year, so I've finally got some lemons to use up!  Fortunately,  green and yellow are in the same color family, so all it takes to turn these lemon brownies into Leprechaun Lemon Brownies is a touch of green food color.  For some reason the lemon rind refused to turn green, but I think it just makes this treat look even nicer.