#tbt 2019 Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail

Today, we're continuing our Christmas in July week with another walk down memory lane.  I never posted much about our Disney trips back in 2019 since Eliot and I were traveling for 6 weeks from the end of November through mid-January.  Things were insane and after we got home, I was really sick and then the pandemic started.

I thought it would be fun to look back on one of our experiences during our trip to Walt Disney World in the days before we left for our back-to-back Very Merrytime Christmas Cruises on the Disney Cruise Line.  Eliot and I went to Florida a few days before our cruise.  Even though we had literally just been at Walt Disney World with his family for Thanksgiving, we wanted to go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and check out a few other holiday offerings in the area.  (I'll write more about those later this year...)

For our throwback today, I thought we'd take a peek at Eliot's and my trip to Disney Springs to see the 2019 Christmas Tree Trail!  So let's close our eyes and picture a warm, festive Florida evening in early December of 2019...  

I was so excited to do this since we'd never done it before.  As Eliot and I approached the entrance to the Christmas Tree Trail I was elated at what was in store for us!  It was pretty crowded, but we slowly made our way inside.  As soon as we walked into the fenced in area, we were greeted with trees.  I won't write about each of the trees on display, but I've collected images of all of them in the order Eliot and I saw them.

1- Walt Disney World Christmas Tree

2- Mickey and Minnie Christmas Tree

3- Beauty and the Beast Christmas Tree

4- Sleeping Beauty Christmas Tree

5- Princess and the Frog Christmas Tree

6- Little Mermaid Christmas Tree

7- Aladdin Christmas Tree

8- Frozen Christmas Tree

9- Mulan Christmas Tree

10- Snow White Christmas Tree

11- Toy Story Christmas Tree

12- Haunted Mansion Christmas Tree

13- Pinocchio Christmas Tree

14- Villains Christmas Tree

15- Cinderella Christmas Tree

16- Dumbo Christmas Tree

17- Star Wars Christmas Tree

18- Peter Pan Christmas Tree

19- Tangled Christmas Tree

20- Lion King Christmas Tree

21- Mary Poppins Christmas Tree

22- Fantasia Christmas Tree

At the end of the Christmas Tree Trail, there was a booth with some merchandise and snacks.  Eliot saw cotton candy... so naturally we got one.  I was able to get it away from him long enough to take this photo.  Let's just say that it didn't last too long.

We poked around the store, but I wish they had more stuff that said Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail on it.  On the way out, we admired the toy soldiers on display.

I really enjoyed the painted fence on the way out of the trail and back to the shops.

Along the fence, they had a few ads for Noelle on Disney+ since it came out that year.

Of course, there was also some unofficial advertising throughout the trail... Disney is good at that.  On each of the Christmas Trees, Disney had lanterns with ornaments that were on sale.  The lanterns all had stickers stating that "Ornament Inside Available at Disney's Days of Christmas" in Disney Springs.

I absolutely loved checking out all of the trees on the Christmas Tree Trail.  I'm totally into holiday decorating anyways... but it was the details that impressed me.  Some trees were better than others, but they all were put together well.  My favorite was the Tangled tree.  I'd like to have a Tangled tree in my office someday, and this gave me great ideas.  I loved the flowers, braided hair, purple and pink ornaments, paint brushes and palettes, the frying pan and the glowing lanterns!

I'm so glad that Eliot and I made time to go to Disney Springs to check this out!  It was so much fun and a great family activity to do on a quiet night if you need a break from the theme parks.  I hope Disney continues to have this every year since there are so many different movies and attractions that they could make Christmas trees for!

Wasn't that fun?  Eliot and I both loved the Christmas Tree Trail and seeing all of the Christmas tree designs for each of the movies.  It definitely inspired me to decorate more of my own themed trees (even if they're only small ones) for our house!  °o° 

Wedding Wednesday: Our 1st Christmas Card

It's Wednesday and we're ringing in another day of Christmas in July holiday cheer with a very merry (or should I say "marry") Wedding Wednesday post!  

I really enjoyed walking down memory lane last week when I posted about our aisle runner.  So for today, I thought that I'd share something that Eliot and I used for our first Christmas together after we got married in September of 2012!

December 2012 was the first Christmas Eliot and I had ever been in the same location, and I was looking forward to it so much.  I've never really talked about it, but Christmas of 2011 was very emotional for me.  Eliot and I had literally just gotten engaged a few weeks prior to it, and I was really missing him that particular winter break.  But I knew the following year we'd be together and I had been looking forward to it so much!

For Christmas of 2012, I wanted to send out special cards from Eliot and me.  I figured that we only had one chance to do the whole newlywed Christmas Card thing, and I wanted it to be special.  Thankfully, I found the perfect idea on Etsy and I ran with it!

As soon as I saw the listing of this design from Something Printable by Victoria Ann, I knew that was it.  I loved the simple chalkboard design and it was going to look great with one of our Disney Wedding photos that was done in black and white.  

In fact, the picture I selected was the leading photo of our album from Disney Fine Art and Photography, so obviously they thought it was a great photo too!  It's actually kind of funny... it was so close after our wedding that we didn't even have the full proofs of our wedding photos, so the photo I sent Victoria was literally a screen shot I took from the private album from the Disney website- complete with the watermark at the bottom!

I bought the listing for the personalized digital design, and messaged Victoria asking if it was possible to add some hidden Mickeys to it.  She was more than happy to make the personalized tweaks and she added little Mickeys to the words "Christmas" "Mr." and "Mrs." on our card- along with editing in our names and wedding photo.

I absolutely love how our 2012 Christmas Card came out!  Victoria did a great job and I love how it's a little snapshot in time of our lives back in 2012 when Eliot and I were first married.  Since then, I have tried to make fun personalized cards each year.  I've missed a few years more recently, but I'm working on getting better with it!  

Our 2012 Christmas Card is a wonderful keepsake from that first Christmas that Eliot and I spent together, as well as a wonderful reminder of the love and magic from our Disney Wedding!  I will always cherish this Christmas card photo!!!  °o°

Top 10 Favorite Christmas Things at Disney Theme Parks

Happy Tuesday Friends!  This afternoon, we are continuing with another installment of my Christmas in July week.  Today, we're going to take a peek at my favorite things about celebrating the holidays at Disney theme parks.  I actually had a really long list of reasons, but I decided to narrow it down into more broad generalizations for today's post.  Plus, I can always make more specific Top 10 lists down the road!

There are so many wonderful things about celebrating the holidays at Disney theme parks.  Christmas is my absolute favorite time to visit the parks since everything is extra magical.  In this post, I'm focusing on Walt Disney World- though most of these things are also found at the Disneyland Resort.  I've only been to Disneyland once for the holidays.  (Clearly I need to go again so I can experience more holiday magic!)  

Let's take a look at what makes the theme parks extra special during the holidays!

Melissa's Top 10 Favorite Christmas Things at Disney Theme Parks

10.) Topiaries- This probably sounds silly, but I love, love, love the holiday themed topiaries.  I absolutely adore the Flower and Garden Festival, but if I can't go during it, I can still see some of my favorite characters year round since Disney uses them to decorate!  In recent years, Disney's amazing gardening team has even created new character topiaries specifically for the holiday season like an adorable snowman!

9.) Sweets and Treats- You all know how much I love my Disney sweets and treats... everything Mickey shaped tastes better, but there's something extra magical when it's also holiday themed!  Forget sugar plums dancing around in my head... this girl is all about the holiday Mickey and Minnie candy apples!!!

8.) Wreaths- Wreaths are one of the first things I think of when I think of decorations, and Disney has a ton of them on property.  From small ones on doors, to the ones that line Main Street to the giant ones on display at some of the resorts.  There are a ton of wreaths!  It's probably no surprise that my favorites are the Mickey shaped ones!

7.) Shows- Disney is known for their shows and entertainment and the holiday season just proves their dedication to it.  They have castle shows, projection shows, laser light projection shows... and so much more.  I love Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam at Hollywood Studios.  I'm also a fan of the castle shows with all of our favorite characters shown during the Christmas parties.  And nothing beats Disney fireworks!

6.) Resort Decorations- I think one of the best parts of staying on property is how the theming and attention to detail isn't just for the theme parks... it follows you home.  The holiday decorations at the resorts always astound me.  Each resort has decorations that fit it's theme perfectly.  I can't imagine the time and care it takes to put all of that together every year... but it's perfection!  Plus, how many other resorts have giant gingerbread house displays with real gingerbread!?!?!  Absolute perfection!!!

5.) Christmas Trees at the Parks- The Disney theme parks are always decorated to perfection too.  One of my favorite decorations at each of them is the giant Christmas tree perfectly themed to that park.  The Magic Kingdom has a tree at the beginning of Main Street opposite Cinderella Castle.  Epcot has a tree at the beginning of the World Showcase that features ornaments with all of the countries' flags.  Animal Kingdom has a tree at the main entrance to the park so it doesn't compete with the Tree of Life.  And Hollywood Studios has it's Christmas tree on the banks of Echo Lake. 

4.) Character Costumes- I love meeting my favorite Disney characters and there is something extra special about seeing them in their holiday attire!  Some only get small tweaks to their look like a Santa hat or a scarf.  Others characters get a complete wardrobe makeover and have full costumes for each of the holidays.  Regardless of how much their looks change, I love taking photos with them in their holiday best!

3.) Cinderella Castle Ice Lights- The sparkling "ice lights" on Cinderella Castle have got to be one of the greatest things that Disney has ever done.  I love them and their simplistic, elegant beauty.  It makes the castle look extra magical and right out of a fairytale.  It's been too long since I saw these beauties... and I can only hope that they bring them back once we're done celebrating Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary.

2.) Snow on Main Street- Alright, I know it's "snoap" and that shouldn't impress the girl from Maine.  But as a girl from Maine, snow is part of the whole Christmas and winter experience.  For me, Christmas morning was always more magical if there was a blanket of fresh white snow outside... and trust me- there's not anything magical about a brown Christmas.  There isn't naturally occurring snow in Florida, but having it fall on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom reminds me of the soft snowfall back home and it makes me feel all the holiday feels.  #sorrynotsorry #letitsnoap 

1.) Christmas Parade- Ah, the Christmas Parade.  It's been my favorite Christmas morning tradition since I can't even remember when.  To be honest, I don't remember celebrating a Christmas without it.  (And when we had to miss it one year due to not having electricity, it low-key ruined my morning.)  There's something nostalgic about the Disney Christmas Parade.  I love the floats that I've seen year after year since I was a child.  It's a childhood memory that's brought me into adulthood... and a memory that I'd love to experience with my own children one day.  Seeing the toy soldiers all marching down Main Street has got to be one of my absolute favorite holiday things.

And there you have it!  Those are my favorite parts of visiting Disney during the holiday season.  I want to note that this list really isn't in any specific order.  I spent way too much time trying to figure out where to slot things, so it's all basically the best of the best!  Although, the Christmas Parade does hold a very special place in my heart... so if I absolutely had to pick only one thing, that's probably what it would be!

This list makes me want to go down to Walt Disney World for Christmas!  Eliot and I haven't been since 2019 and we're not planning to go down over the holiday season this year.  This list and these photos are really making me what to change that... 

What's your favorite part of visiting the parks at Christmas time?  °o°