If this year had gone according to plan, today CP and I would have been leaving for our third annual holiday-time trip to WDW. Obviously things haven’t gone as expected, but luckily, my recent impromptu trip to WDW afforded me a chance to see WDW at the holidays at a time when I really needed some good cheer. I worried a bit that the bloom would be off the rose this year if for no other reason than overexposure – after all, I had done lengthy Christmas visits in 2011 and 2012 – but instead, I discovered that visiting WDW at the holidays is maybe my favorite time of year to visit. Even better, I found out that mid-November is a quieter, more peaceful time in the parks than early December, the time when we had visited together each of the past two years. Color me pleasantly surprised. (On a related note: have you heard about those studies that suggest classical music can be a deterrent to crime? Well, I swear the same phenomenon happens on Main Street, USA, when they pipe in the Christmas loop. Everyone is so peaceful and serene and dreamy! Kind of amazing to see, and so different from the normal bustle of park entry.)
Bearing in mind that I was armed only with an iPhone for photos, I thought it would be nice to throw up a few (thousand?) pictures from WDW at the holidays. If you’ve never been – go! If you need someone to carry your suitcases – call me!
My first glimpse of a holiday Main Street this year: the magic’s still there.
Truly gets me a little teary.
Castle close up.
The best parts of the Jingle Cruise may have been this sign and the limited edition poster, but I loved the idea in theory.
Not that you can really tell it’s her from this terrible picture, but Samantha Brown was at the MK filming her new Christmas special for the Travel Channel.
Christmas ornaments for sale at the Emporium.
Over at Epcot, the World Showcase promenade Christmas tree shines in the moonlight.
And, of course, at Epcot you get to meet Santa Duffy.
You can also buy this Santa Mickey/Duffy combo, but I wouldn’t, because those shiny shoes kind of freak me out?
The DHS Christmas tree is very crooked, although this picture might involve a bit of hyperbole.
The real draw at DHS, of course, is the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
I hope you like pictures of Christmas lights.
Because here is another.
And another.
Oh – and another!
One more.
Just one more, because it’s kind of Inception-y. (For those of you keeping score at home, that’s @DefiniteDisney.)
No picture of the Animal Kingdom tree because it was pouring, so instead you get a picture of this Christmas dinosaur.
And a picture of this cotton ball snow.
At Downtown Disney, you can buy one of thousands of princess ornaments.
Or this (admittedly cute) German Mickey ornament.
Or some really, really German ornaments.
New style of gingerbread house went up at the BoardWalk this year. Not sure what they were filming?
BoardWalk garland.
As in previous years, the Beach Club features a life-size gingerbread carousel.
Love the miniature life vests on the Christmas garland at the Beach Club.
Yacht Club wreath, nautically appropriate.
Mary Blair-inspired gingerbread Christmas tree and display at the Contemporary Resort.
Contemporary decor closeup.
Not sure how I managed to leave the Contemporary without buying out all of the five-legged goat cookies.
Okay, this is totally cheating – a real camera pic of the Wilderness Lodge Christmas tree, taken last year.
Since we’re on a roll, here’s the Animal Kingdom Lodge tree, also taken last year.
Oh, look – here’s a picture of the Animal Kingdom tree. This one from 2011, although it still looks pretty much the same.
And here’s the Grand Floridian tree, also from 2011. It wasn’t up last week for me to take a picture.
What the BoardWalk’s gingerbread display used to look like. I was partial to this one, mostly because of my love for Stitch.
A favorite Magic Kingdom Christmas shot, also from 2011.
One more Osborne Lights picture.
Let’s end with a gratuitous picture of Stitch, shall we?
Nerds in Wonderland 