Christmas decorating in the villa?

kboo

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 10, 2014
I seem to remember an old thread on here where people passed down a fake Christmas tree for their villas. Also villa decorations to get into the Christmas spirit. Has something like that continued?

Also - does anyone have ideas/suggestions for whether Santa comes to WDW to drop off gifts or are they waiting at home? DH and I need to figure this out. When we've traveled to the grandparents' over the holidays, we did all our presents there, and Santa came there as well. This will be our first Christmas trip to a resort instead of w family.
 
I haven’t seen those in a while but remember them also. So very nice of the people that organized and shared it-I imagine it was a lot of work.

We just pack or tree with stockings and bring back each year. It is the only time we check a bag-to bring the Xmas decor 😂
 
When our son was younger, we would leave him a note in his stocking (we would bring the stockings and hangers with us on the trip) from Santa telling him most of his presents were at home under the tree. But Santa always left him a few smaller things to open. The last time we were there for Christmas, we picked him up from day care and left straight for WDW. Before we left the house we put all the presents under the tree. So when we got home, he ran straight to the tree and he was really excited.

For decorations, you just need to make sure that none of your decorations are visible from the outside of the villa. And no tape or tacks. We used to bring a small 18" tree with decorations with us.
 
Postage rates and delivery charges seemed to put a damper on Tree Exchange! Tom and I were just talking about that today. It was a fun thing.:santa:
 


I think 2017 was the last year it was done.
(Here is a link to 2017 https://www.disboards.com/threads/15th-annual-dvc-christmas-tree-exchange-blt-bwv-ssr-vgf.3619351/ )

It was organized by resort. The last year it was done --not all resorts were covered.

I participated a couple of years and I thought it was a lot of fun. But, as bobbiewoz mentioned the mailing costs were getting pretty costly. Also, the new policies for holding stuff at bell services may have played a part in the Christmas Tree exchange going away.
 
I bought this. It will lay flat in my suitcase but will expand to five feet tall. I’ve assembled it and it’s gorgeous!

View attachment 450461

We go earlier in Dec but when kids were young would head to $ store & grab a bunch of stuff as well as packing a strand of lights at home. Would just put up in the room, not on balcony as many suggest.

OT but just found out at the Swolfin you can sign up for the easter bunny to deliver goodies. They also routinely send a treat for BDs. Not sure what they do for Xmas but such a nice touch! I wouldn’t want to see that sort of costs inclucled in membership dues though lol.
 


We are staying at Boulder for christmas. Was contemplating bringing some lights....like the old days.
 
I think we are in that book!!!!!!!!! Thanks for doing that!!!!!!
You are right! You had the tree in 2009!
You also had it in 2014!
It was such a great experience! Thank you for writing in the book, and sharing your thoughts.
 
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When we have gone for Christmas, I buy a small and cheap tree from someplace like Walmart, and then leave it behind when we leave. Going down, one suitcase is reserved for decorations and food which get used up or left, and on the way home the suitcase is used for all the new stuff we buy.
One year, we bought stockings at WDW. The next time,I brought small ones from Hobby Lobby.
it sounds like my kids were a bit older, so no worries about trying to keep up with Santa. The main gift for each one was a Disney gift card so that they could by what ever they wanted. my son usually spends his at the LEGO store.
 
I like the pop-up tree idea. Now wondering if it's worth it to try to fit in the Owner's Locker ...
 
When we have gone for Christmas, I buy a small and cheap tree from someplace like Walmart, and then leave it behind when we leave. Going down, one suitcase is reserved for decorations and food which get used up or left, and on the way home the suitcase is used for all the new stuff we buy.
One year, we bought stockings at WDW. The next time,I brought small ones from Hobby Lobby.
it sounds like my kids were a bit older, so no worries about trying to keep up with Santa. The main gift for each one was a Disney gift card so that they could by what ever they wanted. my son usually spends his at the LEGO store.
This boggles my mind. I have to ask. Maybe i am just old. But when you say you bring something for your enjoyment and then just leave it when you are done, who do you expect will clean up after you? I just don’t get that mindset. We would never expect someone else to clean our mess up.
JMHO.
 
This boggles my mind. I have to ask. Maybe i am just old. But when you say you bring something for your enjoyment and then just leave it when you are done, who do you expect will clean up after you? I just don’t get that mindset. We would never expect someone else to clean our mess up.
JMHO.

Sorry, I didn’t mean that we just leave it set up in the room. I take everything down, undecorate, and either take it to the trash or ask mouse-keeping if they would like it. When a cheap tree cost me only $10 and I use it for 7 days, it is easier and probably cheaper to throw it away when done rather than pay for an extra bag on the way home or pay to ship it home. Now, with the giveaway Facebook groups, I would make an attempt to pass it on to someone arriving as we leave.

If a Christmas trip became a regular thing, I might get an Owner’s Locker just for Christmas decorations.
 
For decorations, you just need to make sure that none of your decorations are visible from the outside of the villa.

I’m not sure if this is accurate or just not enforced. We stayed at OKW for Christmas ‘16. Before our trip I posted here asking if there was an outlet on the balcony to plug lights in. The general response was putting lights up was a no-no. I packed the lights anyway. So here we are pulling in OKW to check in. The first balcony on the left before the HH had a display that was off the hook, lights inflatables you name it. Hang you lights in a way that doesn’t do damage (I used zip ties). Enjoy!!!
My DD and I made a stop over at HH the same on the way home that year. There was a display that beat the OKW lights by a mile.
Hilton Head
49A7F801-FE01-4C11-847A-7F6A6E929053.jpeg
 
I’m not sure if this is accurate or just not enforced. We stayed at OKW for Christmas ‘16. Before our trip I posted here asking if there was an outlet on the balcony to plug lights in. The general response was putting lights up was a no-no. I packed the lights anyway. So here we are pulling in OKW to check in. The first balcony on the left before the HH had a display that was off the hook, lights inflatables you name it. Hang you lights in a way that doesn’t do damage (I used zip ties). Enjoy!!!
My DD and I made a stop over at HH the same on the way home that year. There was a display that beat the OKW lights by a mile.
Hilton Head
So someone doesn't know how to follow the DVC rules on decorating.
 
We just returned from a Halloween trip. I went to $ store and bought seasonal, fabric placemats, coordinating paper plates and napkins, a centerpiece for the table (cardboard pumpkin with cover filled with candy) and a Mickey tote bag for store purchases. I spent about $12 including candy. A Christmas version for me would include two strings of interior lights - one for the island and one for the serving area. I would find a small tree for a centerpiece. We have a week at the Poly in May and I plan to bring a few items (TBD) to spruce things up in the kitchen area... You walk in the door and feel at "home" - love it!
 

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