Memories of Disney Christmases Past

Every holiday season at Walt Disney World brings a fresh assortment of displays and decorations to brighten up the resorts and parks with new holiday goodness. This year brings the new Beacons of Magic and holiday projection shows to Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth, the Tree of Life, and the Tower of Terror… just to name a few. But while it’s always special to see the new magic that Disney has in store for us every year, there’s always a little part of us that looks back with nostalgic fondness to those Christmas memories of years past. Here are some of our favorites:

The White Poinsettia Tree

We’ll start our journey with one of my favorite Disney Christmas trees of all time, and curiously this is one that some folks might not even remember. Today, if you wander over to the Swan and Dolphin during the holiday season, you’ll see the Grand Crystal Chandelier on display in the Dolphin lobby, filling the room with a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors and shimmering reflections that will simply take your breath away. But before the arrival of the Grand Chandelier, the Dolphin was home to the beautiful white poinsettia Christmas tree. This white and blue spectacle was made up of hundreds of poinsettia plants and surrounded by a working model train with Mickey Mouse himself at the controls. This was always one of my favorite Christmas trees to see at Walt Disney World, partly because it was so unusual and so whimsical. And I must confess I have a soft spot in my heart or white Christmas trees and blue ornaments, going all the way back to my childhood. But whatever your reasons for liking it, making a trip over to the Dolphin to see this breathtaking tree was always a highlight of any trip, and well worth the journey.

The Giant Mickey Mouse Christmas Wreath

Next up, we’ll head back to the Magic Kingdom resorts, and specifically the resort that started it all, the Contemporary. Until recently, one of the great holiday attractions at the resort was the giant Mickey Christmas wreath hanging on the windows in the Grand Canyon Concourse. And when we say giant, we mean giant! MIckey’s ‘face’ measured 25 feet across, while each ear was 17 feet, and the hundreds of lights made it absolutely come alive after the sun set. I’m sure many of us wondered what it would be like to have such a beautiful  – and mammoth – wreath on our house, though there weren’t many of us that could hang such a giant decoration on our front doors! So of course visiting the Contemporary was the next best thing. And speaking of the Contemporary…

Gingerbread Magic

2021 brought a trio of gingerbread creations to Walt Disney World: the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the gingerbread carousel at the Beach Club Resort, and the Washington DC gingerbread display at the American Adventure in EPCOT. But as most Disney fans know, there have been plenty of other gingerbread creations at Walt Disney World over the years. These have included the rustic confectionery cabin at the Wilderness Lodge (complete with Humphrey the Bear and Chip ‘n’ Dale), the gingerbread pagoda at the BoardWalk Inn, and the later recreation of the BoardWalk itself inside the resort’s lobby. But some of my favorite gingerbread creations were on display at the Contemporary resort. The theme of the gingerbread displayed changed over the years, but all of them featured that distinctive Mary Blair styling, reminiscent of “it’s a small world.” In addition to the giant gingerbread tree that once stood in front of the Grand Canyon mural, recent displays have also included whimsical recreations of Frozen as well as Cinderella. Part of the charm in seeing these displays was in marveling at the festive reinterpretations of these classic tales in the fun-filled, colorful stylings of Mary Blair. Hopefully these displays will return again, and we will wait with great anticipation to see what other films will receive that classic Mary Blair touch.

The Lights of Winter

Moving on to spectacular nighttime displays, one of my favorites could be found at Epcot, specifically along the promenade leading to World Showcase. This was the Lights of Winter. A series of arches covered in hundreds of lights lined the walkway between the two sections of the park. In later years the lights were synchronized to dance and move in time with the accompanying Christmas music, creating a dazzling holiday nighttime display. Walking through it was always an enchanting experience, but the best moments could be had when you were riding the monorail and you timed your journey around Future World just right so your car passed right through the display during one of its mesmerizing shows. Pure magic!

Hollywood Lights

Last but certainly not least, who could ever forget the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? For many folks, this was the quintessential Disney holiday display, and people would travel far and wide for a chance to walk down the Streets of America, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of colorful, dancing lights. The origin of the show is a whole story unto itself, and a tale for another time, but no matter if you knew the story of where the lights originated it or not, visiting Hollywood Studios during the Christmas season was a truly unforgettable experience, particularly if you were there to see the flipping of the switch and all of the buildings, street lamps, and everything in between come to life in a holiday spectacular that no one can ever forget. (And don’t forget to look for the mysterious Purple Cat!) Will they ever come back? No one knows for sure, but hopefully they’ll make a return to Walt Disney World in one form or another.

But until that time ever comes, there is still no shortage of wonders to behold at Walt Disney World during the Christmas season. If you’re visiting this year, be sure to see the park icons all decked out in their holiday finest. And don’t forget to check out the gingerbread creations at the Beach Club and the Grand Floridian, and of course don’t forget to pick up your very own piece of gingerbread to enjoy later on. Happy holidays!