Creating the magic on Christmas Day

[thesoldtrain]

Can any of you who have spent the actual evening of Christmas Eve and day of Christmas day share your tips on special things you have done to "create the magic" for you and your family? (or maybe point me in the direction of a thread about this? I searched and cannot find one.) I have a good idea about our plans for the day, but I am looking for any ideas on what you've done to make the holdidays extra special for your family? This will be our first Xmas away from home, and although we are excited, I still want to make sure that the little nuances of Xmas aren't lost.....plus, I always like to do something extra "Disney" special.....last year, I sent my girls letters from the "princesses" before we went on our trip, where each letter contained a special fact about what they were going to do, plus some Disney dollars. The girls thought this was soooo neat. I keep trying to come up with some ideas like this for Xmas, but am drawing a blank (LOL, too much focus going into ADRs rather than getting creative! ).

We are a family of 5, myself, DH, DD age 7 (and still believes in Santa), DD age 3 (still believes!), and DS age 1 (has no clue who Santa is, ). Staying at VWL.

Thanks!
Jeanette

 

[momof2disprincesses]

Just subscribing as I'd like ideas too. It will be our first time ever spending Christmas Day away from family & home. I too have been racking my brains trying to think of something "special" to do at Disney for Christmas & New Year's.

Any ideas?

 

[momof2dizkids]

This will be our first Christmas at the parks. Our trip is actually 12/21-12/27, and we are attending MVMCP on 12/21. I am hoping someone will come up with really great suggestions on how to make the holidays even more special!!

 

[disneyaggie]

If I recall, one family said they go to the Grand Floridian for a special Christmas dinner. When you get to the front of the hotel, men in long tailed coats are roasting chestnuts over an open fire.

Or -- if the budget is not as open, perhaps you can arrange for a character to call and wish the kiddos a Merry Christmas!

Also, if you have some special-filled stockings, you can give it to the hotel management to put in the room when you are away at a park so the kids can come back that evening to find a stocking for each of them filled with goodies.

Maybe a character breakfast on Christmas day?

Or reminding the children that this is the season to give and give each child $5 to buy some pressed pennies to give to random folks at the parks.

 

[disneyaggie]

If I recall, one family said they go to the Grand Floridian for a special Christmas dinner. When you get to the front of the hotel, men in long tailed coats are roasting chestnuts over an open fire.

Or -- if the budget is not as open, perhaps you can arrange for a character to call and wish the kiddos a Merry Christmas!

Also, if you have some special-filled stockings, you can give it to the hotel management to put in the room when you are away at a park so the kids can come back that evening to find a stocking for each of them filled with goodies.

Maybe a character breakfast on Christmas day?

Or reminding the children that this is the season to give and give each child $5 to buy some pressed pennies to give to random folks at the parks.

 

[Lady SnowElla]

My DDs 14 & 8 had never been away from home at Christmas until last year. Blue tarps everywhere made us re-think it. We loved it so much that we are going back this year! There is so much to do that you won't be able to fit it in just on Christmas Eve & Day. That's ok because the activities are going on before & after Christmas. I'll just list a few that our family did & loved.
1. MVMCP is great but you'll be able to see the shows & parades after the last MVMCP. We loved the Parade, Christmas show before the castle, Christmas show in tomorrowland, & the Christmas Country Bears. We enjoyed seeing the characters in their Christmas outfits.
2. The different resorts are beautifully decorated & worth visits. Especially don't miss GF, WL, BC, YC, & BWI. DTD is decorated lovely also.
3. Check with your front desk as most resorts have activities planned on Christmas Eve--Santa may visit or some of the characters along with Christmas music.
4. Some of the resorts actually have an activity to decorate gingerbread houses. Check with the front desk as this is lots of fun. I think that it may end by Dec 22.
5. Bring Little Debbie gingerbread cookies & a can of icing for your kids to decorate in the room for Santa. We brought it but youngest DD was sick Christmas Eve so we didn't get it done. The next morning she was so upset that she had forgot to fix Santa's cookies. A CM at the BC overheard & informed her that the Chef's at WDW prepared over 30,000 cookies for Santa & gave one to him from all the children at WDW.
6. Be sure to sample the sugar cookies & cider that they have at many of the resorts. I was on withdrawl when we went home & didn't have my fresh cider & cookies.
7. Don't forget to see the Osbourne Lights at MGM.
8. My favorite was the CP at Epcot which we did on Christmas night. John Stamos narrated when we attended. We also loved seeing the different Santas from all over the world at Epcot. This was so neat!
9. On Christmas morning there is a Protestant & Catholic Service in the Ballroom.
10. There are sleigh rides at the WL & FW. Book early. Go to Chip & Dale's Campfire at FW. You can buy your smore fixings there. Arrive early for the singing & to meet the characters. At Christmas they usually show Christmas movies. We saw Belle's Christmas.
11. The main thing is relax & have fun. Don't try to do every ride. We enjoyed the Christmas activities & atmosphere. We arrived early at the parks to do our must do's then spent the rest of the time enjoying Christmas @ WDW.
12. Oh, one more thing we brought a little inexpensive tree in a box to decorate our room & lights for our balcony. The girls had so much fun decorating!

 

[Kellyh123]

My family and I were there over Christmas last year. We stayed at the Boardwalk Villas. We had the very best time. The weather was awesome and if you new what you were doing the crowds weren't that bad. We have decided as a family to only go at this time of year. There was myself, my husband, my daughter 19 and my son 16.

We participated in a Christmas tree exchange that was organized on these boards. So we had a small tree with ornaments in our room. We brought our presents and wrapped them and put them under the tree.

On Christmas morning we went to the Contemporary for Mass. We spent the day at Epcot and in our room. We went to Le Cellier for Dinner and then the Candlelight processional that night. We ended the day with the holiday illuminations. It was wonderful. One tip if you want to do this make sure and make your reservations for Le Cellier as soon as the package comes out. When we checked into Boardwalk and picked up our tickets the Concierge couldn't believe we had tickets for Le Cellier on Christmas Day.

You will have a wonderful time, Disney at any time is great but at Christmas time is is truly magical!

 

[UnderTheMistletoe]

We've done Christmases at Disney for a looong time! This year will actually be the first year we aren't as we're saving up tp go out DL.

-We always pack one of the small, artifical trees. They have ones that fit comfortably in suitcases these days. We always like hunting around for the tiny ornaments in the weeks leading up to Christmas. We get new ones for each year. It's sort of a tradition and it's so much fun looking for them. They fit nicely on th dressers and look pretty all lit up. We always took our stockings from home, too.

-We have a small, enclosed Navity set that we always take with us and are sure to set up as a reminder.

-When we were younger (I believed in Santa until I was a freshmen in high school, so our parents did a really good job!), we always packed or purchased cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, just like at home. We also left a note at home near the fireplace that told him we were in Disney World and staying at whichever resort.

-One year, we got a large present that could not be transported. I've come to realize that the reason my Dad flew in later then us was so that he could get the house situated for when we got back. There were a few presents under the tree and a note from Santa that he'd brought most everything to the hotel, but that these were ones he didn't think we could fit in our luggage. My parents always had friends or office staff write the notes and gift name tags (another reason we believed sooo long).

-For us, we usually plan a nice steak dinner out for Christmas Day. Yachtsman, California Grill, Concourse, and Shula's all come to mind.

-Of course, seeing the Christmas parades on Christmas is something extra special. We scouted seats early!

-When we drove, we decorated the car with Christmas decorations! We'd attach a wreath to the front grill of the car but deocrate it with pink flamingos and beachy flowers, etc. The ribbon across the middle read, "Disney World or Bust!" We would also put garland along the top of the car attached to the roof rack, for example.

How I miss those innocent, niave days! I never realized what lengths my parents went to for us until now writing all this out. Holy moly.

 

[vsimeone]

My family has been to WDW at Christmas on several occasions. We are returning again this year! Our last trip was Christmas '04. We spent Christmas Eve at Epcot listening to the "Santas" in the various countries and attending the Candlelight Processional. It was a great way to remember "the reason for the season." Christmas Day was spent opening a few gifts - Pal Mickey, Disney Dollars and trading pins for the most part - and then a couple hours at MK but that day was POURING down rain and cold. We returned to the hotel early to clean up for dinner which was at Palios at the Swan.

This year, we hope to repeat Christmas Eve at Epcot and attend the CP again. We are hoping for Christmas dinner at Artist's Point.

Hope that helps and no matter what you plan - it's Christmas and it's WDW so it can't be bad!!!

 

[Disneyrsh]

The Wilderness Lodge has sleigh rides, complete with jingling bells. They also have a HUGE Christmas tree.

Check out my ebay auction under "disneyrsh", I have a DVC Wilderness Lodge Villas vacation up for sale right now, and I listed all the cool things to do during Christmas at the VWL.

We like to play Christmas music when we're in our room (Bing and Elvis), and I usually bring a cancle from Yankee Candles that's one of the Christmas scented ones...

 

[3for Me]

My DDs 14 & 8 had never been away from home at Christmas until last year. Blue tarps everywhere made us re-think it.

Same here, for the same reason, only no floors or walls, so no tree...best decision I've ever made for my family to be at Disney for Christmas- you won't regret it!

MVMCP is great but you'll be able to see the shows & parades after the last MVMCP. We loved the Parade, Christmas show before the castle, Christmas show in tomorrowland, & the Christmas Country Bears. We enjoyed seeing the characters in their Christmas outfits.

Mickey and Minnie also showed up at the GF on Christmas Eve in their Christmas outfits...very cute and they were gladly taking lots of pictures!

2. The different resorts are beautifully decorated & worth visits. Especially don't miss GF, WL, BC, YC, & BWI. DTD is decorated lovely also.

You can also have a personal audience with Santa at DTD, if you go to see the decorations there...complete with pictures!

3. Check with your front desk as most resorts have activities planned on Christmas Eve--Santa may visit or some of the characters along with Christmas music.

This is correct, Santa is at most if not all resorts on Christmas Eve.

4. Some of the resorts actually have an activity to decorate gingerbread houses. Check with the front desk as this is lots of fun. I think that it may end by Dec 22.

Don't know about the houses, although that sounds like fun, but I know the Dolphin had nightly activities during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

6. Be sure to sample the sugar cookies & cider that they have at many of the resorts. I was on withdrawl when we went home & didn't have my fresh cider & cookies.

And don't forget the chestnuts they roast outside the GF ...very festive!

My favorite was the CP at Epcot which we did on Christmas night. John Stamos narrated when we attended. We also loved seeing the different Santas from all over the world at Epcot. This was so neat!

I totally agree! Really puts you in the Christmas spirit! We did this on Christmas night as well, and in our opinion, that made it all the more special - Christmas Eve would be a great night for this,too! The performance is outstanding!

One other thing we did was to buy character stockings at DTD when we arrived for "Mickey Claus" to fill. We also bought each of the kids the Santa Mickey/Minnie ears to wear throughout the week. It really made it fun, as many people have them on.

I hope you enjoy your holiday...I think your children are the perfect ages for this.

 

[CarolinaBlue]

We were there last year on Christmas. We spent Christmas eve at Epcot. We had lunch at Rose & Crown and then we spent time walking around World Showcase listening to the different "Santas" telling their stories. We opened one gift that night (it's a family tradition). On Christmas day, we slept a little late, opened the rest of our gifts, and then headed over to 1900 Park Fare for our Christmas "brunch" (it was 10:30a.m.). We really enjoyed walking around the GF and seeing the gingerbread house. It was a wonderful holiday for us even though it felt a little strange being away from home. Whatever you do, stay away from the MK on Christmas day. The lines going in were awful!

 

[Goofy DS]

I see people saying that they pack trees and decorations etc...

Another easy idea is to ship that kind-of stuff to your resort. It's not that expensive and it'll be waiting for you when you arrive.

Last year we did Christmas at WDW and we shipped a small $10.00 tree, decorations, window clings, and some snacks etc... and set up our room when we arrived. It was great. We didn't go overboard and we just threw most of it away when we left, but it really made the room special.

 

[Goofy DS]

I see people saying that they pack trees and decorations etc...

Another easy idea is to ship that kind-of stuff to your resort. It's not that expensive and it'll be waiting for you when you arrive.

Last year we did Christmas at WDW and we shipped a small $10.00 tree, decorations, window clings, and some snacks etc... and set up our room when we arrived. It was great. We didn't go overboard and we just threw most of it away when we left, but it really made the room special.

 

[Jrabbit910]

I have never been there for the holidays yet but friends of mine have and what they do that I think is extra special and wonderful is getting a xmas tree put in thier room. You can order this at any of the hotels. They go almost every year. Her kids still believe and what I think is magical about the whole thing is the CM's put the tree together and set it up while they are out at the parks. They decorate it and have the choice to take any of the ornaments home w/ them (of course at an additional fee).
Another thing that they do is they take a picture next to one of the Christmas tree's that are set up and they make NEW YEARS cards w/ them...
You can also have any of the places deliver gifts to your hotel from the parks already wrapped for that day (like Santa brought them).
I hope these ideas helped. Enjoy the holidays and your trip!

 

[momof2dizkids]

Thank you to everyone who replied so far..You've given me a lot of magical ideas!! I've been making a list of Christmas things to bring (tree, lights, ornaments, etc.) - but I totally spaced out the cookies and carrots for Santa and the reindeer!! Thanks again!

 

[ktnlxismom]

thesoldtrain - I don't have any tips for you, but had to respond - I grew up in Big Bear! I graduated from BBHS when it was where the middle school is today! Small world! Sorry, didn't mean to spam the thread, but had to say Hi!!

 

[thesoldtrain]

thesoldtrain - I don't have any tips for you, but had to respond - I grew up in Big Bear! I graduated from BBHS when it was where the middle school is today! Small world! Sorry, didn't mean to spam the thread, but had to say Hi!!

Oh my goodness, NO WAY! How fabulous! Heehee, I bet I would know some of your teachers! My hubby and I both are teachers here in Big Bear....you'll have to shoot me some names and I will give you updates! LOL

AND, it SO does not take much to make my day! This is the first time EVER that one of MY little posts has made it to a second page with replies! WOOHOO! THANKS GUYS! Keep the ideas coming!

Jeanette

 

[thesoldtrain]

Almost forgot to ask....someone mentioned the resort doing a tree to put in the room? Would that be one from the Disney florist or something different? Have you guys used the Disney florist for the Xmas tree? I seem to recall someone saying they were pretty pricey on another thread, but are they worth it?

Jeanette

 

[shellbelle]

You can also have any of the places deliver gifts to your hotel from the parks already wrapped for that day (like Santa brought them).
I hope these ideas helped. Enjoy the holidays and your trip!

I'd like to hear more about wrapped gifts being delivered to my hotel. Do any of the stores on Disney property do this? This would be great for "Santa gifts".