10 things to do at Walt Disney World this Holiday Season

As early as Friday, Disney holiday traditions return to the parks and resort. Take a look at this list of 10 things to do during the winter holidays.

1) Sleigh rides at Fort Wilderness. In December, sleigh rides will be offered nightly as a special treat through the secluded area around Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.

2) The gingerbread house at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The scent of gingerbread will fill the lobby of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa during the holidays. Pastry chefs will create the 16-foot-high Victorian house with 1,050 pounds of honey, 600 pounds of powered sugar, 800 pounds of flour, 140 pints of egg whites and 180 pounds of apricot glaze.

3) Downtown Disney's Festival of the Seasons. Live entertainment, holiday carolers, a street party and photo opportunities with Santa and Santa Goofy await guests to Downtown Disney. And don't forget about the shopping.

4) Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade. At Disney's Animal Kingdom guests can celebrate the holidays safari style with Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade. It features traditional holiday music but with a world beat twist.

5) The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The seasonal display showcases millions of dancing lights, plus animated displays and 3-D effects synchronized to holiday music during a snowfall. The event begins Friday and runs through Jan. 6, 2013.

6) Holidays around the World returns to Epcot. Storytellers from around the world share traditions and lore from their homeland throughout the World Showcase.

7) Candlelight Processional at Epcot. The event combines season music with a reading of the Christmas story by a celebrity narrator. The reading is accompanied by a mass choir and live orchestra preforming seasonal songs nightly between Nov. 23 and Dec. 30. Celebrities scheduled to appear are Neal Patrick Harris, Gary Sinise, Whoopi Goldberg and Trace Adkins to name a few.

8) Cinderella's Castle transforms into an ice palace for the holidays. Guests to the Magic Kingdom will be treated to a nightly castle celebration and stage show.

9) Winter Wonderland takes over the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom has been transformed into a festive holiday wonderland with wreaths, bows, garland, sparkling lights, parades and towering Christmas trees. During Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party guests can visit with Disney characters all dressed up for the holidays.

10) Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party kicks off this Friday. The party will run on 20 select nights through Dec. 21. With the purchase of a special ticket, guests can enjoy live stage shows, fireworks, a unique holiday parade and favorite holiday traditions including complimentary cookies and hot cocoa, as well as snow flurries on Main Street, U.S.A.

All photos copyright Walt Disney Company

PIXAR Place Expansion Coming Soon??

I'm going against everything I believe in when it comes to rumors, specifically DISNEY rumors, but I find this one way too juicy (and likely accurate) to pass up. According to a few reputable WDW fan websites, it seems that the Studio Backlot Tour is poised to close down at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We know that since Oaken's Trading Post and Frozen Funland are moving out of the Soundstage 1 area, work should soon begin on the rumored (and much needed) third track for Toy Story Mania. Why close the Backlot Tour? It appears that area is destined to be home to a rather extensive PIXAR Place expansion. According to WDW News Today, we will likely see smaller, flat-rides developed for Toy Story Playland at Disneyland Resort in Paris and Toy Story Land at Hong Kong Disneyland including RC Racer, Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin, and the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop. Attractions in this area don't take us much real estate as these rides would require, so WDW News Today specula

The Art of Topiary Gardening from Walt Disney World Resort

Topiary gardening, the art of fashioning living plan into ornamental shapes, has been practiced for centuries. Found throughout the gardens of the Walt Disney World Resort are hundreds of topiary figures, ranging from traditional hedges and sheared trees to fanciful shapes and a whole menagerie of "chlorophyll" Disney characters. Types of Topiary Four different types of topiary at the Walt Disney World resort have developed out of our desire to put on an award-winning horticultural show. Free-form topiary and standard form topiary require your imagination and some sharp shears - the other two utilize a frame specially suited to their needs. A lightweight frame is used for shrub topiary, while sphagnum topiary require a much stronger frame specially designed to support the weight of the figure. Standard Form Topiary The world standard is used to describe a plant that is grown to a designated height and then encouraged to bush or form a "head" at t

Disney's Animal Kingdom Entertainment Changes

T here have been several entertainment changes taking place at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park in preparation for spring break. Those changes include DiVine meeting Guests in the Oasis area and Viva Gaia returning to the park. - Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe March 25-27: Earlier show-times in the day: 8:45 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. - Burudika March 25-27: Later show-times in the day: 4:20 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. - Viva Gaia Street Band! March 24 - April 6: Returning to Discovery Island. Set times are: 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. - DJ Anaan Beginning March 31: Schedule ending at 7 p.m. - DiVine (DON'T MISS!!) March 11-13 and March 24 - April 6: Meet-and-greet location change to Oasis.

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