Shopping during the holiday season goes two ways: you either love it or loathe it. Maybe you're a Black Friday warrior and you're up at the crack of dawn to find the best deals. Or maybe you're all about getting the best online deals. Me? I'd rather shop at Walt Disney World during the holiday season because there's so much fun stuff!
Last Thanksgiving was the first time I had spent a holiday at Disney World and it was really REALLY hard to resist all the fun holiday-themed merchandise. Quite frankly I wanted ALL of it, but I remained sensible and frugal and only bought a few things.
But if you're headed to Disney World this holiday season there are a few items you should check out, either as gifts for friends and family or gifts for yourself. Because, you deserve it! ;-)
My hands-down favorite holiday souvenir last year was a light-up Christmas bulb necklace. We found them at Disney's Hollywood Studios but we also saw them at every theme park and several resort hotel gift shops.
The necklaces were SO much fun to wear (especially the night we visited the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. #RIPLights). Sure you might look silly, but I'm the person who wears an ear hat every day of my Disney vacation so looking silly isn't a worry!
Speaking of ears, my favorite pair of mouse ears just happens to be the sparkly green ears that I found on day one of my holiday trip last year. I can't wait to wear them again this Christmas!
Each holiday season also bring a slate of new holiday-themed clothing including shirts, socks, PJs, and more. Guests at this year's Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party will also find party-specific merchandise!
One of our family traditions is to buy a Christmas ornament from each place we visit on a vacation in any given year. Usually this means at least one Disney ornament is added to our tree. And while you can find ornaments year-round at Disney World (look at Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in the Magic Kingdom and Die Wiehnachts Ecke in Germany), it is so much fun to shop for ornaments during the holiday season!
If you're looking for unique ornaments you'll definitely want to check out Die Wiehnachts Ecke in Epcot's Germany pavilion. You'll find a variety of gorgeous ornaments and the almost-world-famous "Pickle Tree." You can read more about the Pickle Tree here. Adding a pickle ornament to your Christmas tree is a fun tradition to begin.
Don't forget to stop by the Starbucks locations in the theme parks. You might be able to find one of the coffee cup ornaments. Perfect for the java lover in your life! And most of the hotels also have a resort-themed holiday ornament. A great way to remember your vacation each year!
You'll also find a lot of holiday-themed household items at gift shops throughout the theme parks and hotels. Whether you're looking for coffee mugs, plates, serving dishes, or Disney nutcrackers, you'll find it during the holiday season.
And of course no holiday celebration is complete without food and you'll find a variety of food-themed gifts around Disney World.
In Epcot's World Showcase you'll find traditional food items in many of the pavilions. One of my favorites is the Panattone in the Italy pavilion. Another fun place to shop is The Tea Caddy in the United Kingdom. It's the perfect spot to find tea and tea accessories for your favorite Anglophile.
Most gift shops also sell holiday flavored pre-packaged popcorn, holiday cookies, hot chocolate, chocolate Advent calendars, and candy. Of course, a bag (or three) of the handmade caramel corn from Germany's Karamell-Kuche is always a good gift!
If you're visiting any of the resort hotels that have a holiday gingerbread display it's the perfect place to pick up some delicious gingerbread gifts.
At Disney's Beach Club Resort you can check out the life-size gingerbread carousel and purchase house-made gingerbread cookies, gingerbread house kits, and even pre-made houses (those might be hard to get home unless you're driving).
At Disney's BoardWalk Inn guests can visit the "Gingerbread Academy" where you can build a gingerbread house (price is $125 for up to four people), while enjoying complimentary hot chocolate. You can also decorate a gingerbread ornament for $8.95 (proceeds benefit Give Kids the World). The BoardWalk Bakery is also home to delicious gingerbread treats.
The life-size gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian is gorgeous and will put you in the holiday spirit. And it's also home to a lovely shop where you can buy gingerbread "shingles" and cookies and other fun items including peppermint bark, Stollen bread, and more.
The gingerbread castle at Disney's Contemporary Resort is themed to Frozen again this year (just let it go), and you'll find gingerbread treats for sale here too. You can buy gingerbread houses, gingerbread Olaf shingles, Frozen s'mores, blue raspberry cake gelato, and more.
And there you have it...all sorts of fun and festive ideas for holiday gifts at Walt Disney World. If you're looking for some great holiday deals on Disney-themed items be sure to check out this post from our friends at Mickey Fix. If you're headed to Disney World this holiday season, don't forget the DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World Holidays 2016 e-book from our friends at the Disney Food Blog!
What is your favorite holiday souvenir from Walt Disney World? Let us know in the comments.
Many thanks to Kristen K. and our friends at the Disney Food Blog for use of their photos.
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