Visiting Walt Disney World during the holiday season is incredible. For one thing if your from the North East its great to see the sunshine. Disney pulls out all the stops during the holidays. Every park is decorated to some degree and each Disney resort is full of those special holiday touches. Disney also has special entertainment throughout the parks. At the Disney Studios you can go see the Osborne family lights which transform the backlot's residential section into a wonderland of lights. At EPCOT you can experience holidays around the world and learn how each nation celebrates the holiday (for countries that do not celebrate Christmas another tradition or holiday is described). Also at EPCOT you can experience the Candlelight Processional which tells the story of Christmas with song and scripture. At the Magic Kingdom you can stroll down Main street while listening to the Dickens Singers, or catch Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade.

If you would like to know more about the holidays at WDW please let me know and this section can be expanded to include pictures and more comments, but only if requested by enough people. Contact christmasgeek@disneygeek.com

If you want to see WDW all decorated and avoid crowds go before Christmas. We were there from the 18th the 28th (in 1998) and the first 7 days were incredible. The crowds were minimal and we were able to see everything we wanted with no problems. Starting on the 24th the crowds began to pick up and by the time we left it seemed like summer in the parks. In 2000 we went earlier in December the 7th through the 15th and again the crowds were light and the weather was perfect.

You may want to schedule a day or so to just go around and see all the Disney resorts. Each is decorated to match its theme and if you are into holiday decorations its incredible.

If you are into holiday traditions you may want to check out the Yueltide Fantasy tour. Check out our WDW guided tour section for more info on this holiday treat.

• Over 5 million lights in the Osborne Light Display
  
  

I plan my annual WDW trip for sometime in the first two weeks of December. WDW puts up the decorations the day after Thanksgiving. Contrary to what you might believe, the first two weeks of December are actually one of WDW's slowest times. They are very busy the week of Thanksgiving, and again the week of Christmas, but those two weeks in the middle are a great time to go. In 1996 we went from December 4-11 (the Wilderness Lodge ), and in 1997 we are going from December 2-12 ( Coronado Springs ). In 1994 and 1995 we stayed at the Polynesian.

The parks are decorated to the hilt, and so are the resorts. Each resort has decorations staying within the theme of the resort (i.e. orchid flowers decorating the Christmas trees at the Polynesian ). One of the lesser know treasures is that each resort also has it's own themed gingerbread village, done up by that resort's chefs.

My favorite event is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party. They close the Magic Kingdom to regular guests, and re-open it from 8pm-1am for party ticketholders. They run the Christmas parade, and have fireworks, along with hot cocoa and cookies, not to mention it snows on Main Street (I haven't asked how they do it; I don't want to spoil the magic!)