Going to WDW the week before through a day or two after Xmas has become a tradition with our family. We love it! Up until Christmas Eve afternoon, the crowds are minimal. Even Christmas Day is not at all bad in the evening hours at MK. All the fun things to do more than make up for the crowds you will experience later in the week. Here are some things we really enjoy:
Decorating. Of all the resorts, we've noted that the guests at WL tend to decorate more than any others. We take an el cheapo collapsible tree I bought for $8 at Hobby Lobby. It's perfect! The first year we had it, we took only lights. I'd hoped to find some Disney ornaments in the shops at home, but that was the one year when there really weren't any available. No problem. Xmas decorations are for sale in all of the parks. By the last week in December, they are deeply discounted too -- even the ones in the Disney Outlets. We bought a bunch of blown glass Mickey Head ornaments. They were so inexpensive that it doesn't matter if any break during transit each year. Also, we know we can always pick up something else for mere pennies. (How often can you do THAT at Disney World???) In the past, our door and window decorations have been pretty lame; but I'm trying to do better this year. I'm just not sure how. Any suggestions?
Hats. Something else that is fun is to buy different holiday hats for everyone. We do this and have our pictures taken with all the characters dressed for the holiday season. Cute! Be forewarned: Most of the hats will be available EVERYWHERE. However, if you see one you really like, snag it immediately. We saw the perfect princess Santa hat for my dd 2 years ago at MGM. Since it was early in the morning and we knew that resort delivery was running verrrrryyyyyy slowly due to Christmas being so close, we decided to wait to purchase it when we were exiting the park. Well, I bet you know where this is going already. The hat we had covetted that morning had been the last one at MGM...and the rest of the World. Evidently, it had been the number one selling Xmas item. Because it was holiday apparel, it would not be restocked. Ugh!
Photo with Santa. Every year, we get a whole family picture taken with Santa. Santa visits the resorts on Christmas Eve. (A schedule will come out a couple of weeks before Christmas.) If you visit with him soon after he arrives, there will be no lines. (This holds true for the deluxe resorts, at least. I'm not sure about the values.) Since it's always been just Santa and my family, we've gotten lots of great photos (and quality time) with ol' Saint Nick.
Special Christmas Shows in MK. On Christmas Eve and Day, there are a couple of special holiday shows. One will be on the Castle Forecourt Stage, and the other is on the stage in TL. Correct me if I'm wrong, but these special programs are only offered on these 2 days.
Parades. MK, AK, and MGM have special holiday parades. The one at MK can only been at
MVMCP up UNTIL a few days before Christmas. Then, it runs every day. The others run throughout the holiday season.
Story tellers at Epcot. These also run throughout the season. However, we enjoy seeing them most in the days immediately preceding Xmas. Because our youngest is well, young (a preschooler), we only "do" a couple of storytellers a day. We intersperse mask making (something that never seems to grow old with her) and snacking with holiday story telling. This works well for all of us.
Sugared Nuts and Hot Chocolate. Yum. I believe these are available in all of the parks. I'm certain they are in MK, Epcot, and MGM. We especially love to grab a cone filled with sugared almonds while checking out the lights at MGM or Epcot.
Christmas Eve Dinner with Fireworks. We try to have our nice Christmas Eve dinner where we can see the fireworks. CG is my favorite. Kona would be second. While you can't see the fireworks from inside Kona, it's really nice to walk out onto the Poly beach to watch them.
Brunch with Characters. Disney characters, I mean. We generally do a late brunch because we stay up so late on Christmas Eve. It's fun to be with a bunch of other families on Christmas morning. All of the characters have on their holiday togs. Fun.
Dinner at WCC. WCC does a speciall all-you-can-eat meal for Christmas Day. Yum! This, too, has become a tradition. (Meal menus are posted a month or two before Christmas.)
EMH at MK on Christmas Day. Because we have our dinner at the WL, the MK is just a boat ride away. The past couple of years, we have found the MK to be absolutely EMPTY (shhhhh!!! Don't tell anyone!) during the evening EMH on Christmas Day. I guess most kids are just wiped out from the excitement of the day. Mine, of course, could still go all night. Go figure.
I know I cannot possibly be listing everything. All the normal things to do at WDW just seem so much more special during the holidays. I can't wait for this December!
