How do you decorate your DVC home for the holidays?

[Claudia1]

While preparing for our very first Christmas trip last year, I discovered the tradition of decorating your villa & balcony. So I took lights & 2 big, red bows for the balcony and a 1ft tree for our room. It was very nice but I didn't plan appropriately for hanging the lights on the balcony. I used duct tape in quite a creative way!

What do you do to decorate? How do you hang your lights on the balcony? Do you use timers? How do you pack it all? Has Disney ever said anything to you or made you take anything down?

Please share your ideas!

 

[DBBN]

OKW is our home resort and the generous size of the one bedroom units allow us to decorate with a real 6 foot tree that is purchased at a lot just up the street from crossroads. It really is lots of fun decorating it. We use minuature lights, glass balls, lace garland, hand made bows and place a lighted animated Mickey swinging a lantern at the top.

We wrap miniature lights around the top rail of the balcony that are controlled by a timer. Once installed they are maintenance free. Tape or fasteners are not necessary to hold them in place. Other decorations include a wooden snowman that is about 18 inches tall that we hang at our front door.

All decorations used at our OKW home are kept in two sturdy shipping boxes that are shipped to the resort a week before check-in. The decorations come back home the same way and wait for us to ship them back out the following year.

We're very careful by not using tape, screws, etc., to secure any of our decorations and we've never been asked to remove any.

 

[bobbiwoz]

What a great idea, I could bring some lights for the balcony, just a small touch. Is there any problem with putting strings of lights in your luggage?

Bobbi

 

[donald@home]

It was easy to hang lights at OKW because there is an outlet located on the balcony and you just string the light along the rail. We have done that on our holiday visits. This year we are spending the holiday at VWL. Are there outlets on the balcony there?

 

[lenshanem]

What a great idea. We are leaving the day before Christmas Eve but maybe I'll bring someone small, too.

Do many do this?

How did you hang something on the door?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by DBBN
OKW is our home resort and the generous size of the one bedroom units allow us to decorate with a real 6 foot tree that is purchased at a lot just up the street from crossroads. It really is lots of fun decorating it. We use minuature lights, glass balls, lace garland, hand made bows and place a lighted animated Mickey swinging a lantern at the top.

We wrap miniature lights around the top rail of the balcony that are controlled by a timer. Once installed they are maintenance free. Tape or fasteners are not necessary to hold them in place. Other decorations include a wooden snowman that is about 18 inches tall that we hang at our front door.

All decorations used at our OKW home are kept in two sturdy shipping boxes that are shipped to the resort a week before check-in. The decorations come back home the same way and wait for us to ship them back out the following year.

We're very careful by not using tape, screws, etc., to secure any of our decorations and we've never been asked to remove any.

I suspect you are doing something not allowed here! Most apartment buildings and hotels are not allowed to have green trees used with lights on them. It is against fire codes.

I like to see all the lights out on the balconys the whole month of December! I was wishing we would have thought to do this on our December trip a couple years ago. Next time I will!

 

[lenshanem]

I wnat to know if there is a hook or soemthing to hand soemthing on the door? I don't want to have to use tape and mess up the paint???

Thanks!

 

[donald@home]

I just saw a commercial for a 3M product that lets you hang christmas decorations without marking the walls. It is a hook with an adhesive that sticks to the wall. When it is time to take the decorations down you pull on a tab which releases the adhesive and the hook comes off the wall. You could use this to hang whatever you want without using nails or tape.

 

[shelbyjosh]

All this talk of Christmas at WDW is making me very jealous!!

 

[Beth]

I have decorated our OKW balcony for our December trip the last 3 years.

Our first trip - I brought those "suction-cup" hooks to attach the lights to - but I found it wasn't really necessary.

You can easily just wrap the lights around the railing ... all the way around... and they stay put. Last year, I ran some garland, too - and it looked nice.

I bring some "Christmassy" room fragrance, and some Christmas CD's to play in the room.

We've never done a tree... we're just not there long enough. (only 3 nights).

I just LOVE to ride around the "neighborhood" and see all the lights! We're always there the very beginning of December but, even then, there are many balconies decorated. I can only imagine there are more and more as you get closer to Christmas.

Happy Holidays!

 

[vacationman]

Last Christmas I surprised the kids with an airblown Christmas tree (like those snowmen you see around) and put their presents underneath it. It packs up fairly small (about one square foot) so it was no problem to have it in one of our suitcases. They had them at Walmart for about $35. It was a big hit!

 

[poohj80]

This is our first Dec trip to WDW and I just purchased a 6' artificial tree at Target for $16.99. We always have real trees at home, but figured this would be much easier as it comes in a small box with a handle which makes transportation easy. Of course, the fact that we drive is a plus as well.

 

[spiceycat]

I got a small tree from Walmart - 1 or 2' - it came decorated - okay I am lazy.

the outside lights were the little candles - I put them on the balcony with that whiteclay stuff (play-dout?) that you can put pictures up with - works fine and is reuseable....


it was fun the parks were decorates, the resort were decorated and you come home to a room (villa) that is decorated....

 

[madcoco]

Not a DVC home but this is how we decorated part of the room at the WL for the holidays last year. We also had some wall hangings along with battery operated and plug in lights with timers. Its fun putting the stuff up but sad taking it all down.

 

[zurgswife]

We purchased a 4 ft tree from target....I've got all the nonbreakable ornaments packed, lights for the balcony...and stockings for Hummmm the TV cabient....I can't wait to start decorating...

 

[Claudia1]

I hung a wreath on the door in a very unusual way. I used sewing thread (about 3 or 4 strands I think) and strung the thread over the top of the door, down to the peephole on the inside. I was able to wrap the thread around the peephole securely enough to hold up the wreath.

I just had to remind my kids to not slam the door very hard. Also, you need a very light-weight wreath.

 

[Scott H]

Move over Clark Griswald and Mr. Osborn

I think the decorations are great. Planning on putting some up on the balcony ourselves. It really gives OKW a great Holiday look and the feeling of home.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

This will be our first Christmas at WDW so thank you all for some great ideas on how to decorate. We are driving so transporting some items shouldn't be a big deal.

For lights on the balcony: Is there an electric outlet on the balcony or do you run a lead into the inside? In my years of doing DVC, I never had to make note of this before.

HBC

 

[dianeschlicht]

OKW has an outdoor outlet. Not sure about the others.

 

[Claudia1]

BCV had an outdoor outlet, too. We are are BWV this year...... does anybody know about an outdoor outlet there?