Snowmen and Stockings: Disney World at Christmastime

We have been luck enough to have two different Disney World trips during the Christmas season: one was last November, when we stayed off-property at a Marriott, and the other was a few years ago in December, when we stayed at the Grand Floridian (which, by the way, none of us liked as much as either Port Orleans Riverside or Caribbean Beach).

Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian

One really fun about the Grand Floridian, however, is that they have a life-size gingerbread house in the lobby that stands 16 feet tall and features 40 window panes.

I did a little research and found that it takes roughly 400 hours of baking and is made with 700 pounds of chocolate, 600 pounds of confectioner's sugar, 35 pounds of spices, and 800 pounds of flour.

Animal Kingdom never stays open past 5:00pm, so they don't have any lighted Christmas decorations, but they do have an impressive animal-themed Christmas tree to greet you at the entrance.

One thing to keep in mind if you visit Disney World during the Christmas season -- it can be cold! Last November we all wore jeans and jackets to Illuminations at Epcot, and we were still chilly enough that I almost bought a hot chocolate just to try to keep warm.

We've never attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, but I've heard it's really great. Here's a video of some highlights: