Well, it’s December, so that can only mean all the flavours change, its been wall to wall Pumpkin spice for a few months… and as soon as November arrives it’s suddenly all about the Peppermint!! Cookies, lattes and cakes and treats.
We love this time of year in Orlando (and every other time of year to be honest) when the whole mood and tastes change in the parks and towns. In the parks you can book the special Christmas party events which are absolutely magical and throughout the evening you are given several snacks as part of the admission fee. These include peppermint cookies and loads of Christmas and holiday themed treats, cakes, cookies and drinks.
A great way to sate your sweet tooth is to visit the festival of the holidays at Epcot, you will be begging for a dentist at the end of this! So many sweet treats here it beggars belief. You start with Peppermint sundae and maybe a Santa Mickey Sugar cookie? Then onto a a chocolate Peppermint shake (contains Twining’s Peppermint tea and whipped cream vodka.) Like we said…they do love the flavours.
One of the things we love about the food and decor is like most things in this part of the world they love to show off what they can do, and they are not shy about it either! We sometimes think its a massive contest to see who can make the most outrageous food and drink. One example is the Peppermint Margarita or the eggnog beer floats…(Mr Oh Orlando LOVES his I.P.A. But hates eggnog so this will be a massive no no for him). It seems that there is nothing that cannot be ‘minted’ or Christmassed!
For the coffee lovers out there you can swing by Starbucks for a Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino or a Peppermint hot chocolate.
The decor in the parks at WDW and Universal is amazing. Giant trees, garlands, lights and light shows, not to mention Christmas parades. Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom is particularly pretty and definitely worth a look.
If you are heading to the resorts for Christmas you don’t need to go into the parks to get into the holiday spirit. The WDW resort hotels have amazing holiday decor, treats, music and cocktails. The gingerbread houses have to be seen to be believed. They are huge and beautiful and the list of ingredients are shown so you can see just how much has gone into the making of these beautiful sweet structures. There are houses, log cabins and even a working carousel with Peter Pan themed horses.
The malls and stores in Orlando are all beautifully decorated too and it’s quite strange watching Christmas parades, drinking hot chocolate or egg nog and looking at Christmas trees whilst it’s still pretty warm and very sunny. The locals will say that it’s chilly and you’ll find them in hoodies and jackets but for the Brits, 22-24 is a summer’s day so you’ll find us all in shorts and t-shirts merrily singing along to Christmas carols.
The holidays are a happy time in WDW and Universal Studios, and in Orlando in general and as it’s already the happiest place on earth so just imagine it at Christmas. Christmas is also a very busy time – for us included and so we are going to take a couple of weekends off to catch up with family and friends, deliver Christmas presents and soak up some of the holiday spirit and atmosphere. We have already caught up with some friends and family and had a wonderful day yesterday at the German Christmas Market in Birmingham. Festive drinks and treats and a swapping of Christmas presents – wonderful run up to the holiday season.
So with a busy week to come and an even busier weekend next weekend we’ll sign off and re-join you in the new year when the excitement will really build for us as we start to plan our 2020 Florida trip in earnest and start making our bookings and reservations for the new things we want to do on our 2020 trip.
We will still be watching for the latest news and releases and information, and also posting little bits and bobs on Instagram and Facebook around the Christmas holidays and then BAM! we will be in January and in no time we will be making some dining reservations – how very very exciting.
We wish you and your families well and hope you are enjoying the festivities at your schools, workplaces and with your friends and families. And if you need a little extra magic along the way take a peak at the WDW and Universal resorts and parks and see their magical displays and decorations.
Happy Holidays.
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