Christmas

Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas! It was a quiet week for us with not much going on other than going to Epcot a couple times to watch the Candlelight Processional and the fireworks. Both nights the guest narrator was Christian singer/songwriter, Steven Curtis Chapman, and as you can imagine, he sang along with most of the songs. What an incredible experience it must be to stand in the midst of those hundreds of gloriously singing voices! I told Russ I want to work at Disney so I can audition to have a chance to sing with this group! :-)

The first night we went this week the temperature had dipped into the 40s, and the wind whipping off the lagoon cut right through you. Surprisingly crowds were light, and undoubtedly the weather had something to do with that. However the next day the temperatures were back up into the 80s, but for one night the chill in the air made it feel even more like Christmas. The other night we went was appropriately Christmas Eve, and we met up with Richard and Shelly. The place was much more crowded, which isn’t surprising, and we just barely got in for the 6:45 performance. Afterwards we walked around and talked as we admired the decorations. We staked out a spot near the front of World Showcase to watch the fireworks, and I tried taking a picture of the giant Christmas tree from where we stood, but no matter how low I got, I could not get the entire tree in the picture…it’s huge! Illuminations was spectacular as always, and we decided that this particular spot is probably from where the creators envisioned this incredible event should be watched. Though it can be seen from anywhere around the lagoon, everything seems to be really geared for viewing from this vantage point. As we headed towards our cars afterwards, we felt like salmon swimming upstream because we were going in the opposite direction of nearly everyone else in the park! We had a great time with Richard and Shelly, and as you can tell, we never tire of the Candlelight Processional. We’d have seen it even more often this year had we gotten to Orlando sooner, but with the ever increasing crowds between Christmas and New Year’s, it can be such a hassle.

Christmas Day was quiet with us mainly watching movies. Santa managed to find where we were and brought me a Disney watch and Russ a pair of Mizzou flannel lounging pants. Yeah, he needed that flannel a few weeks ago not right now! We shared dinner with Scott, who had brought over a rib roast earlier in the day which I cooked along with cheesy hash browns, asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, biscuits, and cherry cobbler served with a nice bottle of Merlot…yummmmm!

This is a wonderful time of year at Walt Disney World, and I’d thought I'd share a little more of the enchantment and beauty of it with you, though these few additional pictures do not do the atmosphere justice. WDW goes all out with dazzling decorations and special events such as the Candlelight Processional and Osborne Family Lights. Because of our late arrival to WDW this year, we haven’t seen as much as in the past but I do have some photos to share, some from this year and some from other December visits. All of the hotels on Disney property get in the spirit, too, as you can see by this gingerbread gazebo in the lobby of the Boardwalk Inn and this holiday village set up in the Yacht & Beach Club lobby.











Magic Kingdom holds a special holiday parade, and if you get to the park at just the right time, you can catch a performance by The Main Street Philharmonic!










Animal Kingdom also has a huge tree out front, decorations galore, and dresses up their Jammin’ Jungle Parade with the holiday spirit calling it Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade!













Throughout the holidays, the pavilions at Epcot’s World Showcase come alive with Holidays Around the World. Each country brings to life their unique holiday traditions and legends through decorations and Holiday Storytellers. For instance here’s Nowell, a Canadian lumberjack who tells of their many holiday customs, and Sigrid from Norway who will tell you of the mischievous Christmas gnome, Julenissen, a truly funny and entertaining performance.










You’ve seen pictures of Hollywood Studios’ Osborne Family Lights in an earlier blog, which helps demonstrate the magical feeling of a Disney Christmas. Mickey, Minnie, and all the gang help make the holidays special for everyone, and for just a few moments you can forget your worries, harken back to a simpler time, and enjoy being a kid again. There's something for everyone at Disney World!