By the way, I don't think I mentioned this in this thread -- I know I mentioned it in the Halloween Time at DLR Superthread a while back -- but feel free to friend me on Facebook (anyone who is interested and who has a Facebook account). My page is here -
https://www.facebook.com/sherry.incalifornia.1
I will be adding more photos here and there, but I do have some albums already posted. I had been keeping the page friendless and almost photo-free for the last year or so, with the intention of eventually making it a "Disney friends" account and adding a lot of photos. So I just began adding friends last month. I've got a lot of familiar DIS'ers on the list. In fact, I have added anyone who friended me as long as I saw that they had at least one mutual friend in common, or if they followed a page that I follow, or if it was someone I immediately recognized by name.
I am saving this list for our trip, Sherry! I am sure we missed some of these 10 years ago. ;-) I am getting more excited just reading all of these descriptions!
One thing I loved that you didn't mention was the Christmas decorations in Bugs' Land in DCA. Very fun use of oversize items to make you feel like you are small as a bug at Christmas.
It will be very interesting to see what kind of balance DLR strikes between "60th anniversary décor/entertainment" and "Holiday season décor/entertainment." On the one hand, the 60th anniversary is a very big deal -- but it is largely a big deal for the people who love DLR and follow news/forums/websites/blogs/podcasts about it. There are many people who don't follow social media and/or don't regularly follow news about DLR, and they may show up at DLR in Nov-Dec just wanting to celebrate the holiday season. So, although I think Disney will want to keep up their Diamond décor all year, they still have to go all out for the holidays too. They are already letting some of the holiday entertainment fall by the wayside this year due to the 60th events, but they can't very well cut way back on the holiday décor too. It has to still feel like the holiday season in the parks, with all of the treats, music, lights, trees, wreaths, etc.
I love the giant decorations in A Bug's Land. Really, even in the areas where the holiday décor is a bit more sparse (Grizzly Peak, for example), it is very theme-specific. Some of the lands and areas have extensive, extravagant décor and some of the lands have very minimal touches -- but everything that is in place is theme-specific and detailed.
In fact, I wonder if Grizzly Peak will get more decorations this year because it is being expanded with the new Airfield??
Welcome.
I am planning something similar this year, but the other way round and for the Halloween season rather than the Holiday season. I will first go to
Disneyland for 9 nights to enjoy the Halloween season and the new entertainment for the Diamond anniversary and then I spending 4 nights at Walt Disney World to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival and hopefully take in a Halloween Party.
I experienced the Holiday Season at Disneyland for the first time last year and I enjoyed the smaller things more than the big set pieces.
I loved resort hopping to enjoy all the Christmas decorations and listen to the carol singers.
I loved the bell ringers on Buena Vista Street.
I just loved wandering around the parks and enjoy the Christmas decorations.
I liked seeing the characters in their Holiday Costumes.
I loved seeing the candy canes being made.
As far as the bigger aspects are concerned, I loved all the three ride overlays with It's A Small World Holiday being my favourite one.
I also second Viva Navidad! I did not think I would enjoy it before the trip, but ended up absolutely loving it.
Corinna
I totally forgot to mention the candy canes! I was hoping that other people would speak up in this thread and mention some things not to miss, so I am glad that a few people did!
Thanks so much for all the great information, Sherry! I knew I came to the right place to get some great information! There is so much more to look for than I thought! I will definitely be following this thread!
I'm a big World of Color fan (I watched it every night of my night trip in 2011). I'd actually prefer the 60th version to the holiday version, I think.
We are planning on taking the Holiday Tour if they offer it this year. We are also going to do the dinner packages for Fantasmic and World of Colr.
I'm hoping to spend some time with MaryJo while we are there, so I'm sure that she will have some things to point out to us as well!
And thanks for the comments about Bug Land, sgrap. That sounds really cute!
And thanks for your comments, too, Corinna! I read about the candy cane making, and thought that would be neat to see. Have fun on your coast to coast trip!
You're very welcome -- we have a great group of people here, all with experience and information. Many of us enjoy the same things about the holidays at DLR -- but there are also many things that people experience or enjoy that others never know about or see. Some of us have had totally different experiences.
In fact, it's always tricky when dealing with this subject (telling people what to look for and showing photos, etc.). Some people don't want spoilers before going to DLR -- they want to know info and details, but not too much info and not too many details -- because they want to discover things and see things for themselves. I totally understand the "no spoilers" feeling about certain topics and certain subjects. For example, at first I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to give/show spoilers for the recent Egg-stravaganza Easter Egg Hunt in DL and DCA because the eggs were mostly very easy to spot and there wasn't much mystery to the hunt. I soon realized that people wanted spoilers.
In the case of the holiday season at DLR, though -- really, there are so many layers to it that I don't think that anyone will ever see or do everything in one trip. I am a seasoned holiday visitor to DLR -- with a keen eye for noticing details -- and there are still new things for me to discover on every trip! There is really no way that anyone will notice or do everything on their first holiday visit, which is why we're here to help point out those special little details (or important events) to look for and to not miss. I would hate to think that someone has a chance to maybe make only one holiday trip to DLR, and they may not get back for the holidays again, and they end up missing something special because they didn't know it existed before they went.
There are so many little details and nuances; so many little surprises and hidden gems; so many Christmas trees of all sizes; so many treats to sample and fun to be had... In some cases I think it's good to err on the side of caution and not give spoilers, but in this case (in this thread) I think it's better to let people know what to seek out so they don't miss anything! I think -- or at least I tell myself this -- that this thread (and its predecessors) has been good for helping people have better trips and better experiences, because they knew what to look for and what to seek out that they otherwise could have overlooked, among other details.
I will also suggest taking a minute to look at the fun window displays on Main Street and on Buena Vista Street -- they are a treat because of the cute details and themed décor! Also, there is a wide variety of Mardi Gras-inspired holiday masks around New Orleans Square, and wreaths for different countries in front of IASWH. Don't miss those.
What an exciting trip you have planned!
Sherry hit a lot of the highlights of visiting DLR during the Holiday season. Last year was my first visit and it was magical. I did not think Viva Navidad would be as good as it was. I really enjoyed it. We did not have plans to seek out the Bell Ringers, but happened upon them. They were fantastic and I would make sure to see them in any of my future visits. We did the Holiday Tour and it was filled with so much information. It was nice to be able to go on IASWM, HM and Jingle Cruise (which was so cute decked out for the Holidays). The parade seating was wonderful.
Enjoy your trip!!
It's funny -- I suspect that a lot of people were not sure if they would enjoy Viva Navidad when it first debuted in 2013. I know I wasn't entirely sure what I would think of it, but when I watched the street party/procession I was tapping my feet and humming along to the infectious music. I think it was kind of a surprise hit for many of us. I do wish that Disney would expand the international holiday celebrations in some way, to include other countries' seasonal traditions, foods and music too (I am still chomping at the bit for a European Christmas market!) -- but I don't know where they could fit all of it, and still have Viva Navidad take up that whole section of Paradise Pier as well.
I didn't think I would enjoy the Bell Ringers as much as I did. When they first appeared in 2012 I wasn't sure. When I saw them, though, I thought, "This is so perfect for Buena Vista Street!" And now I love stopping to watch them when I see them.
How on earth could Disney go from wanting to sell the cookies year-round, in multiple stores, to wanting to discontinue them from all stores? The Trolley Treats CM told me that the cookies had been discontinued for a week or two (just before the holiday season began) and she thought they had seen the last of them, and then suddenly they got some more in.
That could probably be its own thread. 
I think I'd better start my list now. ha ha
: It is a lot of work to create, assemble, organize and maintain these Holiday and Halloween threads (especially this one, because it involves the Theme Week Countdown as well), but I took them on years ago because I love these particular holidays and I think the effort is worth it in the long run. When the information is not there, then people will complain that there is no info for this or that or the other. When the info is there, people don't look at it, or they avoid the threads because they are too overwhelming, long, whatever. I'd rather err on the side of caution and put the info there, and people can use it or not but at least it's there! It's just that it does take a while to put things together and format them, and to do it right it can't be done in the blink of an eye. So I have to tackle things when I have blocks of time to tackle them, and that may not always be immediately.
It is interesting that they will be having a Thanksgiving week with premieres back to back for five nights. Once we have our big Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, we are usually home putting up Christmas decorations. We don't go shopping that weekend at all. Having a new movie to record each night that I can watch for five days is a good fit for me. 
The Nine Lives of Christmas and Let it Snow are on 3 or 4 times.
but I was in Disneyland last November for the Christmas season and loved it. Shameless plug but my trip report is currently still on going for my November trip if people want to follow along it should be linked in my sig below.
