Wednesday, December 17, 2014

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!



At Walt Disney World, the parks are already decorated for the holiday season.  As soon as Halloween is over, it’s time for Christmas and all of the special holiday events that take place during this time of year. 
At Magic Kingdom, you can enjoy Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on select nights in November and December.  At this party, you can enjoy complimentary hot chocolate and cookies as well as the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.  There is also a special version of Wishes fireworks that is themed for the holiday season.  The park is completely decorated for Christmas already!  Only through Disney magic could the park be Halloween one day and Christmas the next!
This year, there are some new additions to the Christmas décor at Magic Kingdom.  Namely, the garlands that used to stretch across Main Street had to be re-worked in order to accommodate the Festival of Fantasy parade.  Now, instead of garland, there are arches that extend from the buildings on Main Street.  These arches are a great compromise that still give the feel of the garland but also allow for the fantastic parade to make its way through the park.  In addition, Cinderella’s Castle is still covered in the Dreamlights; however, Queen Elsa uses here snowy powers to make them come to life every night! Olaf, Princess Anna, and Kristoff are along for the ride as well!  This show is very cute, and it will definitely thrill all of the Frozen fans who visit Walt Disney World.  Speaking of the royalty from Frozen, they are also a part of the Once Upon a Christmastime parade this year!
The Christmas magic does not only extend to the Magic Kingdom.  You can experience the holiday season by enjoying the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  This holiday treat involves millions of dancing lights throughout the Streets of America section of Hollywood Studios.  This beautiful display is hard to describe; it must be seen!  Basically, every surface of the Streets of America is covered with millions of lights that dance to various holiday tunes.  There are at least 43 hidden Mickeys throughout the area, and the guests are covered with magical snow every few minutes.  This show is one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season. 
Every Disney resort is also decked out for the season.  If you visit the Grand Floridian, you can see a huge gingerbread house that is actually used to sell gingerbread to guests.  Every resort has a beautiful Christmas tree as well as many other beautiful decorations.  The Contemporary Resort has a gingerbread display that is in the same style as the Mary Blair artwork in the Grand Canyon Concourse. 
Epcot also gets into the spirit of the season with all of the Christmas storytellers that visit the World Showcase.  You can learn about how the holiday season is celebrated in different countries around the world by visiting Epcot. 
Overall, Walt Disney World is gorgeous at any time of year, but the holiday season introduces a little extra magic that is definitely worth seeing!  Until next time, have a magical day, and keep moving forward!