Walt Disney World Holidays – Celebrating the Christmas Season With Magic

If you are fortunate enough to have an upcoming Christmas vacation trip to Walt Disney World, how exciting! You will be visiting Disney during the most magical season of the year, and Disney specializes in magic. Having celebrated several Walt Disney holidays over the years, my family and I have a number of Christmas favorites, and in the article I will share a few of them.

First stop is the Magic Kingdom. There, you will find Cinderella’s Castle shining in stunning “icicle” lights that are truly breathtaking. Make sure you get pictures! If night-time pictures are not your specialty, then have a PhotoPass photographer preserve the Castle holiday magic for you.

Magic Kingdom also hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on a number of nights in December, prior to Christmas. This is a separate ticket, so if you want to attend, you will need to purchase tickets separately from your park pass. One of the highlights is the Christmas parade, featuring the famous Wooden Soldiers. If you want to see the parade, but don’t plan on going to the Party before Christmas, you will be able to see it daily, every afternoon, typically starting Christmas Day…no separate ticket needed! (Please note: The Walt Disney World Christmas Parade that you see on TV every year on Christmas morning is not a live event and is, in fact, taped weeks before. So do not go to the Magic Kingdom on Christmas morning expecting to see/be in the parade!)

In Epcot, the World Showcase provide the focal point for the beautiful decorations of the “Holidays Around the World”. If visiting other countries and learning what it would be like to celebrate Christmas in another country sounds interesting to you, then this is the place to be. Each country showcases their favorite holiday traditions, and many even have special Holiday Storytellers that share some very interesting and fun customs. In fact, it is not unusual to find Father Christmas in England, Pere Noel in France, and St. Nicholas in Germany among others. It is a delightfully fun and educational way to learn about Christmas customs around the world.

Not-to-be-missed in Epcot is the nightly performance of the Candlelight Processional, a moving presentation of the Christmas story, narrated by a celebrity guest, along with a fantastic massed choir made up of professional and student choirs from around the nation. There are 3 showings each night, but you should know that due to the popularity of this event, guests line up hours before each performance. The best way to be certain of getting a seat is to purchase a Candlelight Processional dinner package. If you would rather not do this, then my advice would be to have someone from your group wait in the stand-by line to insure your ability to get a seat. This is a powerful and dramatic event and has always been the highlight of my family’s Christmas visits to Walt Disney World.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has their fair share of holiday entertainment with the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, held nightly on the Streets of America. There are literally millions of lights in this display and it is truly an amazing one. The streets can get very crowded however, during this busy season, so to get the most of your visit here, go during the nightly Fantasmic show, or at the end of the evening, before the park closes. It is much more enjoyable when you are not elbow to elbow with people!

And if this is not enough, then hop on over to Animal Kingdom for Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade, featuring all of the characters in their holiday finest. In addition, Downtown Disney showcases the Festival of the Seasons, the perfect place to finish your holiday shopping. While there, visit Santa before Dec. 24, and say hi to Santa Goofy from Dec. 25 to Jan. 4. And be sure to also visit the Disney resorts to see their wonderful holiday decorations! Of special note is the Grand Floridian for the Gingerbread House, the Boardwalk for the Carousel, and the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge for the enormous trees. Whimsical and festive, these displays are a wonderful way to also get away from the crowds for a little.

With stunning decorations, festive atmosphere, and the usual brand of Disney magic, celebrating the Walt Disney World holidays are sure to provide a vacation that will be filled with wonderful family memories.

Nancy Bobby has been visiting Disney World (and doing it frugally) for over ten years, and has had 11 (and counting) family vacations to Walt Disney World. To learn how to plan an affordable Disney family vacation, and to receive a free Disney vacation planning bonus, visit The Affordable Mouse.