10 Fun Facts About Christmas in Walt Disney World

1. Trimming the Trees

Over 1,300 Christmas trees are put up throughout Walt Disney World for the holiday season.

2. Where is the Tallest?

That’s a lot of trees, but where will you find the tallest? It’s not in any of the parks as you might expect. To find the tallest Christmas tree, you’ll need to venture over to the Contemporary Resort. Here you’ll find a 70-foot tree, complete with all the trimmings! But there’s more holiday magic to be found at the Magic Kingdom resorts. The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge both feature 60-foot-tall trees in their distinctive lobbies.

3. Good Thing We Don’t Have to Untangle Those Light Strings

But let’s head back to the Contemporary. You may think you use a lot of Christmas lights to decorate your trees at home, but it likely doesn’t compare to the 35,800 LED lights used to light up the Contemporary tree.

4. A Festive Not-Quite-So-Hidden Mickey

The Contemporary used to be home to one of the biggest – and most unique – Christmas wreaths you will ever see. Hanging at the far end of the Grand Canyon Concourse, the majestic wreath measured 25 feet in diameter. What made it so unique? Why, the pair of 17-foot wreaths used to make the ears. Yup, this was a giant (not so) Hidden Mickey!

5. The Osborne Lights

Disney’s Hollywood Studios used to be home to one of the most breathtaking holiday displays ever created. The origins of the display go back to the early 1993, when Jennings Osborne was ordered to take down his immense Christmas lights display at his Arkansas home. Disney soon came to the rescue, and in 1995 the display was brought to Orlando, where it illuminated the Streets of America at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This was the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, and it dazzled and entranced Guests for years before closing in 2015 along with the Streets of America to make way for Galaxy’s Edge.

6. Just How Many Lights Were There?

Placed end to end, the lights used in the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights would stretch 10 miles. Mind you, that’s not 10 feet. Or 10 yards. That’s 10 MILES!

7. Stowing It All Away For Next Year…

So where does Disney keep all those decorations when the holiday season ends? They are stored in a giant warehouse measuring 54,000 square feet.

8. …And Bringing Them Out Again

If you find that amount of space hard to picture, think of it this way. It takes 150 tractor-trailers to bring all the Christmas decorations to the resorts and parks.

9. The First Disney Christmas Star

Another unique Christmas decoration could once be found at Disneyland. Back in 1961, Walt Disney himself came up with a delightful way to light up his park. A beautiful 24-foot-tall star was placed on top of the Matterhorn, beginning a yearly tradition that filled the hearts of Disneyland Guests with Christmas magic. Sadly, the tradition ended in 1972, reportedly due to the energy crisis.

10. A Magical Choir

Today, the Candlelight Processional is one of Epcot’s most beloved Christmas staples. While it’s hard to imagine seeing the breathtaking show anywhere but the American Gardens Theatre in World Showcase, the show actually debuted at the Magic Kingdom. It was held at the Main Street Train Station until 1993 when it moved to its current location in Epcot. The Candlelight Processional, with its moving account of the biblical roots of Christmas, continues at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World to this day.