It’s December in Disney World, which means it’s PEAK holiday season!!

Christmas trees, wreaths, and gingerbread houses are up around the parks and hotel, and there is a ton of holiday merchandise you can get your hands on. The festivities are in full swing, and there are so many ways to celebrate, so let’s get into the BEST things to do in Disney World in December!

1. EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays

The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays just recently kicked off and runs all the way through December 30th. It’s a celebration of different cultures and their holiday traditions, complete with special entertainment, decor, and food!

One of the main parts of the festival are the Holiday Kitchens scattered around the World Showcase. These are like the booths we see at EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival, but with holiday food from around the world! Expect a lot of festive sweet treats, like Coquito Soft-Serve or a Mini Pumpkin Pie Funnel Cake.

But, there are also a lot of savory dishes, like the Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl or the Turkey Poutine!

There are a ton of options to check out, so everyone in your group is sure to find something they like.

Click here to see our BEST of the FEST for Festival of the Holidays

Another fun food related activity at the festival is the Cookie Stroll! You can grab different cookies from around World Showcase, and once you’ve tried all of them, you can get a free completion cookie and a sundae!

And, there are some delicious options on the stroll, like the Chocolate Crinkle Cookie made with Dove Dark Chocolate.

Click here to see our review of the Cookie Stroll

The festival has special entertainment, too. There are Holiday Storytellers at the pavilions that share their culture’s holiday traditions.

One of the most popular things to do at the festival is the Candlelight Processional. This takes place in The American Adventure pavilion and it’s where a celebrity narrator shares the story of Christmas accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and choir. You can check out the celebrity narrators for this year here!

Another fun activity you can do is Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition. By purchasing a map, you can go on a scavenger hunt around the World Showcase to find Olaf in the different pavilions.

Once you’ve spotted all of the holiday traditions on the map, you get a prize! This is also a great way to check out the different pavilions and see all of the fun holiday decorations they put up.

Overall, there is a LOT to do at Festival of the Holidays!

2. Disney Very Merriest After Hours

Disney Very Merriest After Hours has replaced Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom this year. This is a separately ticketed event (and beware that prices are higher than they were for MVMCP) and it takes place on select nights through December 21st.

At the event, you can enjoy special offerings like food and drinks included with the price of your ticket. You can get free bottled beverages, popcorn, and frozen treats at the snack carts around the park.

You also can get complimentary cookies, hot cocoa, or allergy friendly treats at marked locations around Magic Kingdom.

In addition to the free food, there are several treats exclusive to the party as well, like the Orange Bird Churro!

One of the main draws of the After Hours event is that the parks should be less crowded due to the limited number of tickets, so you can usually enjoy shorter wait times than you would during normal park hours. This is a great time to check out the holiday ride overlays at places like Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor (which is exclusive to the event!) and Jungle Cruise.

There is also a ton of holiday entertainment to enjoy at the event. You can watch Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, which features some of our favorite characters in their holiday attire…

…and you can also see the new stage show Mickey & Minnie’s Very Merry Memories, which is super fun!

And, there are special fireworks for the event — Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks.

You will also spot characters around the park in their holiday outfits.

And, you can party the night away over at the Club Tinsel Dance Party in Tomorrowland.

But, don’t forget to check out the Reindeer Wranglers in Frontierland!

Last, but definitely not least, you can meet Santa Claus, and even snag a photo with him!

The 4-hour After Hours event still has tickets available, so grab them now if you want to go!

Click here to see more about Disney Very Merriest After Hours

3. Holiday Overlays

We briefly mentioned it before, but there are several holiday ride overlays you can check out this season in Disney World, just with regular park admission! In Magic Kingdom, the Jungle Cruise becomes the Jingle Cruise, complete with decorations and festive jokes from the skippers.

Over in EPCOT, Living with the Land gets a huge holiday makeover! There are colorful lights through the tunnels…

…reindeer Mickey-shaped topiaries…

…and even a snowman family!

And, at Journey into Imagination with Figment, you can check and see Figment wearing his special holiday sweater!

Not only do some rides get holiday overlays in Disney World, but the park icons do, too! For the 50th anniversary, the park icons transform into Beacons of Magic each night. But, for the holidays, they get a new look! EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth now has a whole holiday section, with the giant structure even looking like a candy cane at one part.

In Magic Kingdom, Cinderella Castle doesn’t have those gorgeous Dream Lights this year, but it DOES get a special holiday look each night! The festive projections can be seen in between the normal Beacon of Magic projections.

At Hollywood Studios, Tower of Terror also gets a spectacular holiday look in addition to its regular nighttime projections!

And, at Animal Kingdom, the Tree of Life gets a holiday makeover as well, with animals and wintry scenes!

We could stare at these ALL night!

4. More Holiday Offerings

Of course, there are also a TON of other holiday things you can do at Disney World this month! Over at Disney Springs, you can check out the Christmas Tree Stroll and admire all of the different themed trees, which are pretty amazing.

There are also special food offerings at Springs for the holidays, like at Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, where you can get Christmas lights deviled eggs!

Speaking of food, there are holiday eats and treats scattered all around the parks and hotels, too! You can check out a FULL list of everything at the parks and Disney Springs for the holidays here, and the Disney hotels here.

Another fun activity is checking out the awesome gingerbread houses around Disney World during this time of year! At Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, there is a LIFE-SIZED gingerbread house!

You can even buy baked goods here!

Click here to see more pictures of this enormous gingerbread house!

Over at Disney’s Beach Club Resort, you can find a giant gingerbread carousel! This year, the theme is The Little Mermaid. But, sadly, you cannot ride the carousel (no matter how much we want to!).

And, inside EPCOT’s American Adventure pavilion, you’ll find miniature gingerbread replicas of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial…

…and the Lincoln Memorial.

There is even a mini American Adventure pavilion!

There are also a ton of fun decorations around the parks and hotels. In Animal Kingdom, you can meet the Merry Menagerie, which are giant holiday puppets! They’re absolutely adorable.

Hollywood Studios is crushing it when it comes to vintage holiday decorations…

…and they even decorated Gertie!

As we already mentioned, EPCOT is decked out in decor for the Festival of the Holidays…

…and, of course, Magic Kingdom’s Main Street, U.S.A. is all trimmed in festive decor.

In the hotels, you can find some stunning GIANT Christmas trees, like at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge…

…and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge!

Oh, and how could we almost forget — you can also see Santa Claus in the parks! In Animal Kingdom, he comes by on a boat like the characters have been doing since the parks reopened.

In Hollywood Studios, Santa is seen riding down Hollywood Boulevard in a red convertible (as he should!).

In EPCOT, Saint Nick hangs out in the American Adventure pavilion.

And, in Magic Kingdom, you can see Santa behind Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in the Liberty Square Gazebo!

But, if you don’t have a park ticket, you can also find Santa in Disney Springs at Once Upon a Toy.

5. Celebrate New Years Eve

Finally, the (literal) last thing you can do in Disney World in December is celebrate New Year’s Eve! Last year, the parks closed earlier than usual, so you couldn’t be there when the clock struck midnight. But, this year, they’re open late! EPCOT and Hollywood Studios are open until 12AM, and Magic Kingdom is open until 1AM. The only park closing early is Animal Kingdom at 7PM (those animals gotta sleep!).

No special entertainment has been officially announced by Disney yet, but we are hoping to see some special New Years’ fireworks at Magic Kingdom like in the past! We’ll keep you updated if there’s any news on that front.

If you’re looking for a party, City Works Eatery & Pour House over in Disney Springs is hosting a “Brew Year’s Eve,” which includes special entrees along with beer pairings, a champagne toast, party favors, and more. You can make a reservation on OpenTable. This could be a great way to celebrate the New Year in Disney World without a park ticket! The Edison is hosting an event as well.

We’re also waiting to hear if any Disney hotels will host their usual New Years’ parties, you can find more details about those potential parties here.

Either way, Disney World is a great place to ring in the New Year! But, if you want to make sure you’re inside the parks, hop on those park pass reservations soon, because they’ll most likely be gone fast!

Click here to see more about New Year’s Eve in Disney World!

Those are all of the best things to do in Disney World in December! Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney tips, news, and info.

Click here to see ALL of the holiday treats we’ve tried so far in Disney World!

Will you be celebrating the holidays in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!