Happy Christmas Eve eve! If you’re like me, you’re spending this Monday and Tuesday baking Christmas treats and wrapping presents with some favorite holiday specials playing softly in the background. You know I’d love to solely watch A Muppet Christmas Carol or A Muppet Family Christmas on repeat, but there’s so much holiday programming on Disney+; it’d be a shame to leave some of them unplayed before December ends. Here are a few holiday specials I tend to play in between my Muppet marathon…
Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic (2017)
Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this special gives us a rare behind-the-scenes look at how Disneyland and Walt Disney World are quickly transformed into winter wonderlands; from the gingerbread displays, sparkling castles, attraction overlays, and special land decorations. Each decorating package includes thousands of ornaments, miles of garland, and massive trees to construct. You’ll also spot plenty of the Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle – something we desperately hope returns next holiday season!
Duck the Halls: A Mickey Mouse Christmas Special (2016)
In this special episode of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck starts feeling homesick for a proper Christmas with his best pals after heading south for the winter. This special is filled with your typical “new-style” Mickey Mouse short wise-cracked shenanigans, catchy Christmas tunes, and vibrant details to take in; including plenty of Easter eggs from older holiday shorts like Babes in Toyland, The Nutcracker, and Santa’s Workshop. There’s references to Bambi, and even Stephen King’s The Shining.
(There’s just something about Goofy’s line “DONALD, YOU LOOK LIKE DEATH” which really serves the holiday warm and fuzzies, you know?)
From your favorite fab five, plus Daisy, Huey, Dewey & Louie, Scrooge McDuck, and Ludwig Von Drake, AND Mickey’s extended family; the gang’s all here!
Christmas with Walt Disney (2009)
Last but certainly not least, we have a true gem of a Christmas special. Directed by Don Hahn (producer of Beauty & the Beast, The Lion King, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame) Christmas with Walt Disney was originally created for the Walt Disney Family Museum before it was made available to the public later on. Featuring narration from Diane Disney, precious Disney family home movies alongside vintage Disneyland snippets, and holiday clips from Walt’s shorts and feature films. If you love Disney history and nostalgia, you cannot miss it.
Merry Christmas, Walt!
Now back to your regularly-scheduled programming — happy wrapping and baking!
