Every year, as autumn fades and Christmastime draws near, Disneyland undergoes a breathtaking transformation. Seemingly overnight, the theme parks become a winter wonderland with thousands of twinkling lights, beautiful ornaments, and festive music everywhere. But how does the magic really happen?
According to Dawn Pipal-Keehne, the leader of the Holiday Services team for Disneyland, it takes a lot of planning, teamwork, and pixie dust to turn the parks into the ultimate Christmas destination. In her recent Ask Me Anything on Reddit, she pulls back the curtain on how her team of Cast Members makes the holidays at Disneyland truly magical, and some of the behind-the-scenes magic may be surprising to you! Let’s dive into her answers. At Mickey Visit, we bring you the latest Disney news, including looks at the newest rides coming and the latest popcorn buckets.
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When Does Planning Begin for Each Holiday?
Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle
Because Disneyland’s Christmas setup is such a large operation to execute, planning typically takes the entire year leading up to the holiday. The Holiday Services team begins the process for next year as soon as they have finished removing the decor from the current year.
Some of the different types of decoration designs can take up to 2-3 years to be approved and completed, so planning really is an ongoing effort when all is said and done.
Why Does Your Team Start Decorating for Christmas During Halloween?
Haunted Mansion Holiday Disneyland exterior
Although it may seem like the Halloween-to-Christmas transition happens in a single night, the Holiday Services team actually spends a couple of weeks slowly making little changes to the parks.
They typically start the switch in mid-October and strategically begin the process with more technical things like electrical updates, setting up the tree lights, and adding small touches of decor in lesser-viewed areas. That way, once Halloween is officially concluded, the big pieces can be brought in during the first couple of weeks of November to quickly tie everything together.
What is the Process for Setting Up Attraction Holiday Overlays?
it’s a small world Holiday lights
If you’ve ever visited Disneyland during the Christmas season, you know that it’s not just the open areas of the parks that get decorated- many of the attractions do too. Whether it’s subtle touches or an entirely new look, many of the rides in the parks receive the holiday treatment in some capacity.
The process for getting these overlays approved is very rigorous, sometimes taking up to two years to pass through the Engineering team and higher up leadership before being introduced. It definitely makes you appreciate the fun touches even more!
How Does Your Team Keep Everything Organized?
Credit: Disney Parks Blog.
Decorating the entirety of the Disneyland Resort for each holiday is certainly no small feat, and between keeping track of all the decorations, which area of the resort they belong in, and how they get set up, it must be nearly impossible to organize everything, right?
Thankfully, the Holiday Services team has over 15 Cast Members who help keep everything in check. Their job is to assist with designing, engineering, and planning for all the holidays Disneyland celebrates, and they spend the entire year ensuring the decor remains organized, starting right when they take everything down after the holiday has concluded until it’s time to put it back up again the following year.
How Much Freedom Is There While Decorating?
Mater’s Jingle Jamboree
While the Holiday Services team does have some wiggle room when it comes to creating and implementing custom decor, they also partner with other departments to keep everything looking consistent.
For example, they work very closely with Walt Disney Imagineering to make sure that all their decor for each land stays within the theming and story guidelines put in place for that area of the park. These types of relationships with other lines of business in the company help to create a seamless look between the regular decor and the holiday overlays.
Does Your Team Only Oversee the Christmas Decor?
Disneyland Christmas character outfits Viva Navidad
Christmastime at Disneyland is such a major operation that it’s hard to believe the Holiday Services team would have time to plan anything else, but they do!
They’re actually in charge of overseeing the decor for all the different seasons and holidays Disney celebrates across the entire Disneyland property. This includes not only the two theme parks, but also Downtown Disney and all of the Disneyland Resort hotels, making their hard work quite an impressive accomplishment.
What’s Your Favorite Tiny Detail That Most Guests Don’t Notice?
Credit: Disneyland.
In addition to focusing on the Christmas holiday, Three Kings Day (the Epiphany) is also included in the yearly celebrations at Disneyland.
There are a few hidden references to the significance of this day in the Plaza Point shop at Disneyland Park. These include fake trays of cultural foods like flan and coquito, as well as a box of grass for the Wise Men’s camels to enjoy. It really is amazing how much thought, time, and effort are put into creating the full holiday picture with tiny details like these!
Do You Have Any Tips or Tricks I Can Bring to My Own Decorating?
Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle picture spot
The biggest piece of advice given was to pick one primary theme and translate that story to the entirety of your home, office, or area you’re decorating.
While you can make each room and the exterior feel slightly different, keeping that underlying theming throughout the whole space helps to tie everything together and make the design feel more harmonious. For example, Dawn said she lives in a craftsman house from 1913, so she turns her home into a giant gingerbread house each year! You can see the full Ask Me Anything thread here.
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