Christmas is very special in my family. When I was growing up it meant decorations went up almost the minute Halloween was over. Our Fall/Thanksgiving decorations kind of “meshed” into the Christmas decorations. I love the traditions and values my parents instilled in me and I have tried to keep them the same, as well as creating new ones with my own children. One thing remains the same though; the spirit of Christmas is truly magical. And what more magical place to celebrate the season than at Disney World?
As I’ve mentioned before, I have traveled to Disney World at Christmas when I was about 16 or 17. With recently moving to Florida I am seeing the Holiday Season bloom right before my eyes on property. My mom is a lover of all things Christmas, including different Santas from all over the world. So Epcot was a place I remember spending quite a bit of time at when we traveled to the World during the holiday season.
If the World Showcase is not your favorite place to spend very much time in during the rest of the year please try to make extra space in your agenda during this season, as you will not be disappointed. No matter what your holiday traditions are there is something for everyone. As you travel through the many countries of the World Showcase you will receive a glimpse into each country’s holiday traditions, food, and what their Santa looks like. Yes, there is a huge difference from country to country and you can get pictures with each one.
Check out each country for a completely different experience:
In Mexico you will see LosTres Reyes Magos, the Three Kings, as they tell their journey of the Posada and traditions of the Mexican culture today.
In Norway Sigrid will tell the story of the Christmas Gnome.
In China your family can see the Monkey King tell his tall tale celebrating Chinese New Year.
In Germany Helga will tell the story of the first Christmas tree and of her first Nutcracker.
In Italy you will encounter a “good witch,” La Befana, as she recalls the Epiphany and her first Christmas over 2,000 years ago.
At the American Adventure you will see good ol’ St. Nick himself along with Mrs. Claus celebrating Christmas. You can experience and learn about the spirit of Kwanzaa, a celebration of family, creativity, and community. Your family can also learn of today’s Hanukkah traditions as well as the story of the Maccabbees and the lamp that burned for eight solid days.
Hear the story of the Daruma doll in Japan and the customs of the New Year.
Pere Noel is in France and he will recreate the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child.
Learn about the customs of Ramadan and Ashura and drum with Taarji while in Morocco.
You can visit Father Christmas in the United Kingdom as he introduces young and old to all their tradition fun.
Encounter the lumberjack, Nowell, in Canada as he retells the story of his journey to find Santa at Christmas.
So as you can see there is much to learn and see around the World Showcase this holiday season!
Even if you have already done the Passport souvenir from Epcot it’s completely worth it to get it again and have each country write Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays the way they express it in the on each country’s page.
I hope ya’ll have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS season!!!!
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Abbie shares with us: “I am a wife and mother of 3. My parents first introduced me to the Magic of Disney World when I was 5 years old. However it wasn’t until my second trip as a teenager that the magic actually infused into me. I started eating, sleeping, and thinking Disney all the time. I even made a small Mickey head as the dot on my “i” in my first name and it then became part of my signature. I now have 3 children of my own and had the pleasure of introducing them, along with my husband, to the magical world of Disney a few years ago and they have all fallen in love with the magic that is Walt Disney World as I did. We just were transferred to Tampa, Florida with my husband’s job and my dream of living near the Mouse has come true. We will be taking our first Florida resident vacation in September and are excited to say that we are upgrading our tickets to Passholders. We are excited to see what adventures and new things we can learn about the Wonderful World of Disney!”
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