Many families visit Disney theme parks over the holidays to appreciate the special magic that Disney brings to the season. This week we asked the Parenting Panel for their Holiday Tips: What are the little touches at the holidays at the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort not to miss with the kids?
Mary Kraemer is an avid Disney fan and travel consultant with CruisingCo/MouseEarVacations who loves to travel with her husband and children to Disney destinations as often as possible! Mary writes;
Disneyland is my “home” park, so most of my Disney holiday memories come from there. And oh, what wonderful memories they are!
The park goes all out for the holidays, and it seems that almost no part is left untouched by the merriment of the season. Every place you look, it’s festive and happy. It’s like Tinker Bell put on a Santa cap and touched every spot with a magic wand.
Just walk into the park at the beginning of the holiday season and see the impossibly big tree right in Town Square with its absolutely perfect decorations, ideal for your holiday photos. Main Street has strolling carolers singing holiday songs in perfect harmony, dressed in their winter finest, fitting the Main Street theme perfectly.
Every holiday season we’ve been at Disneyland, stopping at the candy shop is on our must-do list. Located on Main Street, the candy shop makes amazing candy canes by hand. It’s a special treat to watch the creation process as the sugar is pulled; the white, red, and green “ribbons” become twisted in absolute perfect swirls, and the cane is pulled around the “crook” of the candy cane form. It’s simple enough, yet tantalizing to see. And, if you are one of the lucky people who can actually buy one (the limit is two), you are in for a mouthwatering delight. We also have a weakness for white-chocolate peppermint bark with its red-and-green sprinkles. Even though I’ve been given the recipe, somehow the batches I make at home don’t quite have the same magic to them.
Years ago, Santa used to meet young visitors in Town Square which was a thrilling thing for kids who got to climb up into the sleigh (and I’m sure it’s truly “The Sleigh,” if you know what I mean) for photos with the Jolly Old Elf. But the past few years, Santa’s moved into his own little cottage to meet visitors, back on the Big Thunder Trail between Fantasyland and Frontierland (and the queue of families waiting to see him doesn’t clog up Main Street). This cottage is charming and, well, Santa-esque to the max. There’s old fashioned holiday trimmings that make the cottage a welcoming and cozy place, and it sure beats the “see Santa at the mall” experience hands down.
I admit that I simply adore over-the-top holiday decorations, and New Orleans Square dazzles me every holiday season with glittering decorations strung between the buildings, above the “streets,” and there’s bright beads, ribbons, and lights everywhere. I think if Main Street is the source of real holiday candy, then New Orleans Square is certainly some of the best holiday eye candy of the park.
But, for the true over-the-top holiday eye candy, head over to “it's a small world,” particularly at night when the lights are ablaze in a sight that has to be seen to be believed. Mary Blair’s designs on the exterior of the building have been electrified in a way that would make Jennings Osborne proud. You won’t mind standing in line to see the festive changes inside the ride, where the holiday cheer rings around the world in song and beautiful decorations.
If you’re not into light displays that almost require sunglasses, then check out the Nightmare Before Christmas-themed Haunted Mansion Holiday, where Jack Skellington and his friends have taken over the mansion with changes to the much-loved attraction that transform it completely.The collision of Halloween and Christmas could not be brought to life more compellingly than at Disneyland, and it’s a holiday favorite that cannot be found elsewhere.
As twilight descends, Sleeping Beauty castle begins to glitter with thousands of twinkling lights that make it look as if its covered with shimmering ice. Seeing it in person is breathtaking, and utterly magical for kids (even ones in their 50s).
And what else is there to make the holiday special? Well, the wonderful A Christmas Fantasy parade! A tradition at Disneyland that never fails to please. You can see the toy soldiers, skating snowflakes, your favorite Disney characters, and, of course, Santa at the end of the parade with an amazing sleigh and his reindeer, greeting everyone along the parade route.
After you’ve seen the parade, hang tight for the fireworks display, the perfect way to end your day at Disneyland…especially when “snow” begins to fall on Main Street. What? It doesn’t snow in Southern California, you say? Well, it snows every night during the holidays at Disneyland, and that’s a sight your kids shouldn’t miss. So grab your kids and get to the park because it is guaranteed to bring out the most magical, jolliest memories ever.
Angela (a.k.a. Malcon10t) is Mom to 4 adult children, Auntie to more than 20 children younger than 10, and grandma to one. They visit Disneyland many times a year, during all seasons, but Christmas is their favorite time to go. Angela writes:
We have been visiting Disneyland for Christmas since the kids were little and it has always been my favorite time of year. With 20 nieces and nephews younger than 10, and one granddaughter, there is so much I enjoy showing them at Christmas time:
- Santa’s Reindeer Roundup They get to meet Santa and usually Mrs. Claus, and get to see Santa’s reindeer. The area is beautifully decorated and has several excellent photo opportunities. They usually have a crafts area where they have coloring projects and cookie decorating, and, every 30 minutes or so, they have a sing along or play games. There are usually two to three characters available during this time.
- Main Street Take the horse-drawn trolley up Main Street to see all the decorations. The horses are usually dressed up and the garland draping Main Street can create a great first viewing, followed by the first glimpse of the castle adorned with snow.
- Fireworks The Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks are among the best. While it is great to view them from in front of the castle, the view from”it's a Small World is great also. The projections on the façade, along with the much lighter crowds, make it a great spot to watch with younger children, there is a larger area for the children to enjoy the snow. Be forewarned, the “snow” is soap, so tasting isn’t the greatest idea.
- Court of Angels There is a small courtyard area tucked away in New Orleans Square at the end of Royal Street near the chalk artists. Each year it is dressed up with wreaths, garland, and poinsettias around a curving staircase. It is a beautiful area to take your Christmas card pictures.
And the trip is not complete without a Krispie treat and a hot chocolate!.
MousePlanet columnist Chris Barry his wife Diane, 11-year-old Samantha, and twin 8-year-olds, Casey and Alex, live on Long Island and are all major Disney and Walt Disney World fans. Chris writes:
As the holiday season approaches, so many images come to mind. We all have our favorite traditions and special ways to celebrate the season. If you’re lucky enough to be heading to the Walt Disney World Resort over the next few weeks, maybe you already have some holiday traditions there as well. Most of us are familiar enough with all of the holiday decorations in the parks and at the resorts. Maybe Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is your favorite. Maybe you spend some time in each country in Epcot’s World Showcase listening to the Holidays Around the World or basking in the Candlelight Processional. There’s so much to choose from and you really can’t go wrong with any of it.
What I’m going to suggest is just something small that I did one December evening at the Magic Kingdom a few years back that stands out as one of my all time favorite Disney moments. We had spent a long wonderful evening at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party enjoying the parade, the shows and the free cookies and cocoa. The park was closing and we typically like to hang around as long as we can to avoid the rush to the buses, boats and monorail. My twin boys were out cold in the big Disney stroller, zonked after a long day. Everyone else in the group wanted to make a stop at the Emporium on the way out. Now, if you’ve read my columns here on MousePlanet, you know I take every opportunity to scope out and purchase cool Disney stuff. This particular night, however, I was pretty enamored with the fact that it was “snowing” on Main Street, U.S.A. It was our first time in the Magic Kingdom at Christmastime and if you’ve never experienced Disney’s “snow” let me just say that as a lifelong skier and resident of snowy New York, it’s quite convincing.
So, on this snowy night in Florida, I decided to sit outside on Main Street with the boys asleep in the stroller and forgo shopping. The crowds were emptying out at their usual hectic pace. Why everyone is always racing to leave I’ll never know. Anyway, the crowd thinned out to the point where we were just about alone. I began to get completely lost in the vintage Christmas carols coming out of the speakers and the beautiful light snow that was falling. It was a wonderful moment. I could’ve easily been in a place like Main Street’s inspiration, Marceline, Mo., on a cold Christmas night watching the snowfall and listening to some carolers and not in tropical Orlando with a giant fairy tale castle to my left. That’s the power that this place can have on you sometimes. It really can be transformative.
So, that’s my big suggestion for your holiday trip to the Magic Kingdom. Stop. Stop running around. Let everybody else do that. Stop and take the time to sit and appreciate the snow, the Christmas lights, the perfect selection of Christmas carols and really soak in the ambience of Christmastime on Main Street, U.S.A. I guarantee you, if you weren’t already in the Christmas spirit, a moment like that will completely immerse you in it. Enjoy. I wish I was sitting there right now.
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