A Disney Christmas Eve Tradition Begins

This past Christmas Eve, my daughter and I decided to make the holiday extra special—we wanted to wake up at Disney! On December 23rd, we stayed the night at Saratoga Springs, and it was all kinds of festive. The resort was covered in decorations, and there were so many Christmas trees to check out! It looked like the employees had a little tree-decorating contest because each one had a different Disney theme, which made walking around so much fun. Perfect start to a Christmas Eve Eve night!

Dinner, a Movie, and Lots of Snacks

That night, we walked over to Disney Springs for dinner and a movie, and let me tell you—it did not disappoint. We saw Wicked again (we’re a little obsessed), and since it was one of those dine-in theaters, we definitely went all out on the food. We ordered a giant popcorn and drinks to share, and I got a chicken bacon ranch salad that was absolutely loaded with toppings—so good! My daughter got chicken fingers (classic kid move), and we ended the night with some Sour Patch candy (Hayley’s favorite.) After the movie, we even swung by the gym for a quick workout before heading back to our room. It was such a fun, random mix of everything we love!

Epcot Adventures on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve morning was all about Epcot. We got there early, and it felt like we had the park to ourselves since it doesn’t really fill up until later in the day. First stop? Club Cool for some sodas—it’s kind of our thing. I love fountain drinks, can’t do bottles or cans. After that, we jumped right into the holiday scavenger hunt, which is one of my favorite Epcot activities. You go all around the park searching for hidden clues, and when you finish, there’s a prize waiting for you. They have them year round, so much fun.

While we were hunting for clues, we also got to see all the amazing holiday decorations in every country. Each one had its own special touches, which made it feel even more magical. And, of course, we grabbed some Disney popcorn along the way because you just can’t skip that.

The Perfect Christmas Eve

This was, hands down, my favorite Christmas Eve ever. From the decked out resort, to all the fun we had at Disney Springs and Epcot, it was such an amazing way to do something special with my daughter. We’ve already decided this is going to be a new holiday tradition because waking up at Disney during Christmastime is just too magical not to do again.

Have you ever spent the holidays at Disney? I’d love to hear about your favorite traditions or spots to visit—let me know in the comments! 🎄✨