How to Make Christmas at Disney Magical

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Four years ago my family spent our Christmas at Walt Disney World in Florida. We have been to Disney during New Year’s Eve and in the summer but we had never spent Christmas day at Disney. Since we had our 3 little girls with us, we knew that we had to make sure that their Disney trip was even more magical than it had ever been before. Even though you are not at home during Christmas there are several ways on How to Make Christmas at Disney Magical.

I understand that every family celebrates Christmas differently. I think that my family is pretty normal when it comes to celebrating. Every year our family gets together on Christmas Eve and eats dinner at a restaurant, looks at neighborhood Christmas lights, and then puts cookies and milk out for Santa Claus. We all wake up very early the next morning and see what Santa brought the girls and then spend our day with each other. Since we were going to be spending Christmas at Disney, I wanted to make sure that our family felt the spirit of Christmas even though we were going to be away from home. Here are some simple ways on how we made Christmas at Disney magical:

• Christmas Eve Dinner: Since we normally eat out as a family on Christmas Eve, we decided to make reservations at a fine dining restaurant that serves a traditional Christmas meal. We ate, along with most of everyone else at Disney, at Victoria & Albert’s. It gave us an opportunity to dress up and really celebrate Christmas while enjoying a really nice meal.
• Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!: This is a new nighttime show at Disney. When we went to Disney we enjoyed and relished in Osbourne Spectacle of Lights. I remember being at the park on Christmas Eve and not ‘feeling’ like it was Christmas Eve when all of a sudden my family walked into the Osbourne Spectacle of Lights. This made our Christmas at Disney magical. The spirit was in our hearts. Sadly the Osbourne Spectacle of Lights closed but is being replaced by Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!. I am looking forward to this and I hope that it makes guests feel the spirit of Christmas.
• Secret Santa: Even though we celebrated Christmas before we traveled to Disney, we still wanted to let the kids open at least one or two presents on Christmas morning. Since we had 8 family members with us we participated in Secret Santa. If you are not sure what Secret Santa is, you put everyone’s name in a hat, draw a name and secretly shop for them and give them their gift on Christmas morning.
• Disney Resorts: Around Christmas, many of the Disney resorts will have caroling and story time by the fire for kids throughout their lobby. In addition, some of the resorts, such as the Grand Floridian, will have amazing Gingerbread Houses set up in the lobby. This is something you do not see at home, so it’s definitely a great way to enjoy Christmas at Disney.
• Christmas Decorations: The beautiful and unique decorations at each park helped keep my family in the spirit of Christmas the entire time we were there.
• Candlelight Processional: During our last visit to Disney we didn’t attend the Candlelight Processional at Epcot but without any hesitation, we will be attending this the next time we visit Disney, which will be this December. I have heard that this event brings the spirit of Christmas into your heart.

There are also parades that feature Santa and the characters are often times dressed in Christmas attire. In addition, many people I know have suggested going to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. While this sounds amazing, since our family is so big, the cost of it does not allow us to go. Disney does an amazing job at making Disney magical during Christmas. It’s an amazing site and an experience that I hope everyone gets to enjoy. What is your favorite part about Disney during the Christmas holiday?

If you love Disney as much as I do, check out these posts and please share: 5 Disney Inspired Themed Party Treats, 5 Amazing WDW Character Dining Restaurants, What to Skip at WDW, 5 Must-Do Attractions at Epcot, What Not to Buy at Walt Disney World, Why Disney’s Art of Animation is NOT For Me, 5 Things I’ve Never Experienced At Walt Disney World, Mind Your Manners at Disney , 5 Reasons My Family Loves Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Why Staying Off Disney Property is Not For Me, and more.