December | 2013 | In the Disney Bubble

Holidays Around the World at Epcot

One of my favorite Christmas holiday features at Disney World is the ‘Holidays Around the World’ at the World Showcase in Epcot. I didn’t expect it when we went during Christmastime so it was quite an exciting surprise. In college I majored in International Business and French, so I’ve always had an interest in other cultures and I think that is probably why Epcot is my favorite park (along with the food and drinks!) So when I saw that each pavilion in the World Showcase had a short performance about that country’s holiday traditions, I wanted to see them all! Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the performance in every country because of the scheduling, but the ones we saw were perfect for getting in the Christmas spirit! For a listing of the different holidays-around-the-world events, check out Disney’s website here.

In Germany, Helga tells a Christmas story about her first nutcracker, which *spoiler alert* comes to life during the show!

Holiday story with Helga in Germany pavilion at Epcot

In Norway, there was a completely amazing performance that we came back to see a second time! It’s the story of Sigrid and the Mischievous Christmas Gnome, Julenissen.
Continue reading →

Giant Gingerbread at Disney World

When we went to Disney World last December I expected to see elaborate Christmas decorations everywhere, and I wasn’t disappointed! What I didn’t expect to see were the giant gingerbread structures, using hundreds of pounds of sugar, chocolates, icing and eggs! Two of the displays we saw in 2012 were at the BoardWalk Inn lobby and in the American pavilion at Epcot. They are quite amazing when you consider the sheer volume of ingredients that is somehow whipped together to form giant houses with every tiny detail in tact (not to mention the hidden Mickeys!) There are even Disney pins depicting the gingerbread houses at the Grand Floridian, Contemporary, BoardWalk, and Beach Club according to the Disney Parks blog.