December is always a festive time
of year with lots of decorations, but ours were kind of sparse this year though
you can see we did hang our stockings for Santa and of course put up our
nativity. We didn’t get around to
getting a replacement Christmas tree, but I still had a small stained glass one
that had belonged to my mom and we displayed that in the window this year. And 
keeping with the festive spirit of the
season, several folks here held a golf cart parade driving up
and down every row late one afternoon.
As you can see, some folks go all out with decorations!
EPCOT
Of
course, Disney definitely knows how to do Christmas right! One
of our favorite things this time of year is Epcot’s Candlelight Processional. A
50-piece orchestra, a mass choir of approximately 200 cast members and high
school groups from around the country, members of the nationally acclaimed
Voices of Liberty, a guest celebrity 
narrator reading the nativity story, and a
sign language interpreter…what’s not to love!
We made it over one evening to see one of Broadway’s greatest stars,
Chita Rivera (Sweet Charity, Chicago)
narrate, and she’s still going strong at 81!
I didn’t have my long camera lens with me but she’s in the center of the
photo above left. (For those who may not
be able to place her, here's a notated and copyrighted promotional photo of
her.)
One other
night we experienced first-timer Jonathan Groff, already a star of stage,
screen, and TV at the young age of 29.
Some of you may remember him from the TV show Glee, but he’s most currently known as the voice of mountain man
Kristoff in Disney’s latest hit movie, Frozen. I had neglected to bring my camera with me so
once again here’s another notated copyrighted photo to help you place his face. J
Generally when we attend
the last performance of the Processional, we stay for Illuminations:
Reflections of Earth, Epcot’s fireworks show that takes place every night
in the World Showcase Lagoon. The show features fireworks, lasers, fire, and
water 
fountains all timed to a musical score. A large rotating globe of the Earth
with curved LED screens is the centerpiece and is used to project images of
people and places. They’ve made a few changes this year adding more 
laser projections in the sky (as seen above) and have changed the ending narration (we sure do miss
Walter Cronkite’s voice). However, at
this very special time of year there’s an additional 7 minutes 
of fireworks
timed to a beautiful rendition of Let There Be Peace On Earth, one of
my favorite songs, and greetings of good will, peace on Earth in many languages.
World Showcase comprises countries from around the world
who naturally want to share their traditions through decorations and Holiday
Storytellers. One night before the
Processional we visited a few like Father Christmas in the 
come. He’s a jolly old soul who describes many of
the traditions and leads the audience in the singing of We Wish You A Merry Christmas before departing. In 
shoes. Their Christmas holiday is spent with family filled with love, laughter, and good food. 
family and friends.
Our favorite of the storytellers is in 
Now if you plan your departure from Epcot just right, you
might be entertained by the dancing fountains.
They’re especially beautiful to watch at night as the water shoots up in
time to the music.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Though Animal Kingdom doesn’t have near as many Christmas decorations as the other parks, just outside the entrance is a 65 ft. tall animal themed Christmas tree with simple understated ornaments and minimal lights. Its unique look fits in perfectly with the theme of the park, many looking as if they were handmade.
We had gotten a FastPass for the Kilimanjaro Safari ride,
always one of our favorites, that takes you through the African savannah, and
though
it was late morning, the animals were still out in abundance probably thanks to
the overcast skies. Afterwards we
wandered through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail with hopes of seeing the
new baby gorilla, but he and his mama were huddled together high on the hill so
we’ll have to save that view for
another trip.
A short while later we walked through the Maharajah Jungle Trek which
takes you on a journey through the lands of Asia where you can see many of its
creatures including bats and the mighty tiger.
These bats were definitely much larger than that little one we had
outside the RV this summer in Mammoth!
though
it was late morning, the animals were still out in abundance probably thanks to
the overcast skies. Afterwards we
wandered through the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail with hopes of seeing the
new baby gorilla, but he and his mama were huddled together high on the hill so
we’ll have to save that view for  |
| Mandrills |
The last area you walk through before leaving the
Maharajah Jungle Trek is an aviary full of exotic birds from Asia. Though we’ve walked through several times
before, this is the first time we can remember seeing so many and such a
variety including this Masked Plover, a Mandarin Duck, a Great Argus Pheasant,
and a 
Victoria Crowned Pigeon (you can pick up a Bird Identification Sheet as you enter the aviary to help distinguish the many varieties of birds). The area is enclosed with netting above, and the birds soar and swoop above and all around, even walking right along the your path at times as the pheasant did at one point!
As we were getting ready to leave the park, we passed by
the Giant Anteater enclosure and I was finally able to get a decent picture of
it. Usually I catch just a glimpse as
it’s going behind the vegetation. Such a
fascinating creature!
stretching across from building to building
with wreaths hung in the middle, and though very pretty, they blocked the view
of the Castle. You can see the simpler
design that now graces 
As you can imagine with the
popularity of the movie Frozen this
year, it seems everything at Disney has some Frozen connection. The
beautiful icicle lights that cover the Castle this time of year are now lit as
part of “A Frozen Holiday Wish”. This little 7 min. show features the cast
from the movie with Queen Elsa doing the honors of freezing (lighting) the
Castle. (More than 200,000 tiny LED
white lights are attached to netting that drape over the castle creating the
glistening icicle effect.) We weren’t
able to get close
enough to see the onstage performance but could definitely
see the Castle as it was lit and the fireworks at the end. The lights stay lit for the rest of the
evening while the background color on the Castle changes every few
minutes. It’s truly stunning to see in
person.
enough to see the onstage performance but could definitely
see the Castle as it was lit and the fireworks at the end. The lights stay lit for the rest of the
evening while the background color on the Castle changes every few
minutes. It’s truly stunning to see in
person.
We had a
FastPass for the shooting gallery ride, Buzz
Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and Russ once again beat me, in fact making
the highest score possible! From there
we continued wandering around checking out the newest addition to Fantasyland,
the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. This
roller coaster ride had been greatly anticipated and for now the wait lines to
ride are extremely long. Even getting a
FastPass is nearly impossible! Hopefully
when the crowds die down we’ll get our chance.
It was
time to make our way towards the entrance and scope out the perfect spot for
watching Disney’s Electrical Parade. Just in front of the Emporium, we came across
some water art right on the ground…a picture of Mickey created with water as
the paint and a broom as the brush!
While we waited for the parade to begin, Russ snapped a picture of me with the 65 ft. tall Christmas tree and some of the toy soldiers in the background (shame all those other people had to be in it, too!) As you can tell, some of us thought it was chilly out while others were clearly comfortable in the short sleeves and shorts (either that or else they hadn't brought any cold weather clothes with them!)
This 20-minute nighttime procession
features floats and live performers covered in half a million lights, all timed
to a synchronized soundtrack. Tinker 
train float driven by Goofy. Many
other familiar Disney characters are in the parade such as Cinderella, Alice in
Wonderland, Pinnochio, Pete’s Dragon, and Donald Duck just to name a few. Always a fun way to end the evening!
As we approached
the dock for the ferry, we were lucky enough to catch part of the Electrical Water Pageant moving its
way across the Lagoon. This nightly
water parade glides along to a medley of songs and is made up of sea creatures,
mythical figures, and alternately American flags and stars.
PAR-TAY!
Our RV friends Frank and Diane
purchased a new home down here during the summer and hosted a Christmas party just five weeks after it was ready to move in. And when we walked in, you would have thought
they had lived there for years! We met many of their
soon-to-be neighbors, and Diane put on quite a spread. She even cooked an entire
homemade pie for each couple to take home as a gift…what a woman! We’ve been assured there will be more
get-togethers this winter, and we’re looking forward to getting even better
acquainted.
