I have a confession. I went to Magic Kingdom twice in four days. It is common knowledge that Disney does a major transformation the overnight from October 31 to the morning of November 1. The day the holiday decorations arrive at Magic Kingdom is one of my favorite days of the year. So, my plan was to go to Magic Kingdom for a stroll down Main Street, USA on the morning of November 1st to take in the Christmas decorations and soak in the holiday spirit.
But then one of my closest friends dropped a bombshell. Disney hosted a Not So Scary party on November 1 this year!!!! WHAT?! Who does that? Halloween is OVER on October 31st. But apparently they didn’t get the memo (Neither, for the record, did Universal Studios, who had Halloween Horror Nights through the weekend this year, too!!! Blasphemy!).
I digress. So I did laundry on November 1 and planned a trip to Magic Kingdom on November 2. There is something so special and, dare I say, magical about Disney World at the holidays.
I couldn’t help but smile as the teenage girl next to me on the monorail literally squealed with delight as Cinderella Castle came into view. I have a teenage daughter. They can be surly. But there’s something about Disney that just makes that disappear. She leaned over to tell her mom, “I’m so happy we are here!” All my feelings jumped to my throat because I felt the same way. It doesn’t matter that we live just 15 minutes from Disney property or that we’ve visited hundreds of times. I had the same feeling as this girl who had traveled halfway around the world (judging by her accent) for her once in a lifetime vacation (judging by her “First Visit” button). The joy is palpable on an ordinary day. But on the day the holiday decorations are revealed, that joy is next level!
Main Street was packed, but I really came for one thing. A cup of coffee and a casual walk through the Emporium (Magic Kingdom’s largest gift shop). But, to be honest, I was let down by both things. The line for Starbucks was out the door!!!! Longer than I’ve ever seen. So I opted for a strong cup of Pike’s Place instead of the holiday drink I was fantasizing about and headed across the street to window shop. Except all the Halloween stuff was still in the seasonal space. Boo…and not in the Halloween kind of way!
But it wasn’t a total loss. I found an empty bench where the Christmas tree would be set up within the next few days, and watched faces light up as they walked onto Main Street.
It’s never lost on me just how fortunate we are to live where we do and call Walt Disney World our playground. I love watching the smiles and joy from kids of all ages. Hands down, though, my favorite are the grandparents experiencing Magic Kingdom for the first time! I could watch their faces all day long and never get tired!
So even on a day when none of my Disney plans worked out, I couldn’t exactly be mad. I had a cup of coffee on Main Street. Who could be mad about that?! I spent two hours (from parking lot to parking lot) enjoying the holiday spirit. And I knew I’d be back soon. I just didn’t know it would be in four days! But when, on Sunday morning, my husband asked if I wanted to go get that holiday coffee at Magic Kingdom “because it’s Daylight Savings and we have an extra hour in the day,” I just looked at him and said, “Yes! The answer is always yes!” And off we went.
The tree was up. The holiday merch was lining the shelves. And I got that Peppermint Mocha with my very favorite person! Magic Kingdom two times in four days aint so bad, no matter what anyone says!
If you want to know more about a hidden gem of an activity during the holidays, click here to learn about the Grand Floridian gingerbread house!
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