The holidays are officially here! And there are WAY more Christmas things to do in Orlando than any of us have enough time (or money) to do them all! How do you pick? I’ll start by sharing one thing our family does to help us pick, and 7 reasons why Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam helped us kick off the holiday season in a super fun way!
Start with a Holiday Values Worksheet!
For my family of four, we start with this Holiday Values Worksheet that I found on the Organized Christmas website. Over dinner one night, we discussed what things we LOVED from last Christmas, what we want to do again, what traditions we are absolutely continuing and what we don’t care to repeat.
I’ll admit, my kids roll their eyes a bit about this (my son is 13 and my daughter 10 so we get a lot of eye rolling about everything lately). But Dad encouraged them to answer with more than “I don’t know” or “I don’t care” (thanks, Babe)! It helped to go through some of the things we did last year and ask if they liked those things or not. (Shout out to Google Photos and Facebook memories for the help, walking down memory lane!)
You can even ask each member of the family what is the ONE THING they really want to do this Christmas. For me, it’s driving around to see Christmas lights! Oh, and checking out a Candlelight Christmas Eve Service at a local church. I know, that’s two things, but hey! Christmas is my JAM! It’s perfectly ok to pick your top two (or three) things if you must.
All the Disney Holiday Things!
If you’re a Disney-loving family, you probably have a few Disney holiday things you’ll want to include on your wish list. There’s Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays, The new holiday decor at Animal Kingdom, and last but not least, the “Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam” show at Hollywood Studios!
When I found out that “Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam” was connected to the Disney Christmas movie “Prep and Landing,” I knew we had to check it out!
Our family got hooked on the Christmas cartoon movie, “Prep and Landing” a few years ago. We can quote so many scenes! The characters are the best! The main elves, Lanny & Wayne, The bossy and hilarious McGee, Thrasher the sunglass-clad reindeer, Tiny, and of course, Santa himself! It’s one of our favorite movies to watch this time of year, and when I found out that the “Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam” show was connected to “Prep and Landing,” I immediately added it to our wish list of Christmas-y things to check out this year!
7 Reasons to Check Out Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
If you’re a fan of Prep and Landing already, feel free to go straight to the show and skip the list below (haha!) But in case you’re still wondering if it’s worth checking out the show with your family, here are my 7 reasons to check out Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
1. It’s at (a very holiday-filled) Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
This park is brimming with a fun, old Hollywood, Christmasy, almost nostalgic feeling that you get right as you walk in! It was hard to keep me from automatically breaking into a holiday song and dance number right then and there!
2. A Christmas music sing along!
The show starts with a Christmas sing along, complete with lyrics on the big screens!
3. The projections on the screens bring favorite movies and characters to life!
Watch for Mickey, Disney princesses, newer characters & more, right in front of you! And the kids will love it when Santa finally shows up!
4. The laser show looks so “high tech!”
It really pulls you into the Prep and Landing movie in a fun way!
5. There’s tons of SNOW!
And it keeps falling as you make your way out of the park, or to Batuu, after the show! If you go on a night where the temps are cooler, even better! It really adds to that Christmas feeling!
6. Awesome holiday photo opps!
If you have a photo pass, take all the photos! Our family took a few photos that turned out amazing; one near the entrance and another by the giant Christmas tree! For “Prep and Landing” fans, one photo even came with a movie surprise! We LOVED it!
7. You’ll make family memories.
Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam is a great opportunity to enjoy Disney holiday magic and make new family memories. There’s just something special about holding hands and hugging your family while you sing Christmas songs and dance together! If you also get to watch some of your favorite cartoon characters light up the Chinese Theatre at Disney’s Hollywood studios and wrap up the night watching “snow” fall, it makes for some pretty special memories.
Here’s to making all the fun Christmas memories this year!
~Coppelia
