For some people the thought of spending the holidays involves family, friends, presents, little baby Jesus and lots of Christmas cheer. This year however I would like you to expand your thinking on the Christmas timeframe and consider spending the holidays with Mickey Mouse! Yes, that’s right, I said Mickey Mouse.
Every day is a great day to be at Disney. 
Christmas time is no exception. As usual, Disney goes above and beyond to cater to a spectacular experience during their Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas. This past December I had the privilege to experience Disney World first hand. Here are some highlights that I believe you would enjoy as well.
–Yuletide Fantasy tour: The Yuletide Fantasy tour is a behind the scenes tour that gives you great knowledge of how Disney makes the Christmas time so fantastic. You will be able to see where they mass produce their millions of Christmas decorations and how they assemble them. This tour will also give you great insight on how and why Disney chooses displays and where they got their inspiration. The Yuletide Fantasy tour is a great tour for the Christmas time fanatic or if you want to do something that most Disney goers don’t consider. This tour generally will take between 3 and 3 ½ hours.
–Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights: Located in Hollywood Studios, the spectacle of lights is simply amazing. At times you will see snow flying in the night sky as you watch Christmas lights dance in synchronization to Christmas music and songs that we all love and adore. If you are thinking that it is a glamorized Christmas tree lite up then think again. Buildings, rooftops, and everything is lite up in this amazing light show. My advice would be to make sure you make it to Hollywood Studios at night time to check this out even if it is just for a few minutes. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is included with standard admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Dates are scheduled for November 10 2011 through January 3 2012.
–Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas: This special event takes place during select winter nights which requires additional event admission. In order to full grasp what Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas entails here are some of the highlights:
- The enchanted Castle Dream lights on Cinderella’s Castle
- Mickey’s once upon a Christmastime parade (Santa shows up!)
- Fireworks
- Complimentary cookies and hot cocoa
- Magical snow on main street USA
This event is truly magical! I personal was a bit skeptical about what it was all about but after warming up with some free cookies and cocoa and seeing all the smiling faces on children of all ages I started to realize that this event is a MUST DO at Disney World. After seeing Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas along with the other Christmas time events at Disney World I no longer say, “Spending the holidays with Mickey—say what?” I now say, “Spending the holidays with Mickey—AWESOME”, with a big grin on my face!
Hope to see you with cookies in hand,
Ben
