Walt Disney World Resort Christmas Gingerbread Showpieces

Christmas time at Walt Disney World Resort is full of places to go and things to do. There is the hard ticketed Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and the beautiful music of Epcot's Candlelight Processional. The four parks and Downtown Disney feature festive decorations, parades and special events and make a magical vacation even more full of spirit. But Christmas destinations are not just limited to the Disney parks. Taking some time to tour a few resorts can yield some Christmas cheer that is not only big and beautiful, but also deliciously over the top with Disney Christmas gingerbread charm!

Beach Club Resort and Villas. Imagine a carrousel with four beautiful horses, large enough for a small toddler to ride. Imagine the colors and the details from the reigns to the tips of their tails. Now imagine these horses made of white chocolate, moving in a slow circle on a carrousel made of gingerbread. Pure Disney Christmas charm! Every year, the pastry chefs at the Beach Club Resort create a huge carrousel covered in gingerbread to enchant resort guests and visitors alike. The horses may be different from year to year and the decorations may vary, but the moving carrousel is a mainstay and a true crowd favorite. The subtle fragrance of gingerbread surrounds the carrousel and guests can search for hidden Mickeys amongst the chocolate, gingerbread and candy.

Boardwalk Inn and Villas. Once you have found all the hidden Mickeys and snapped enough photos of the Beach Club Resort carrousel, take the boat across Crescent Lake to the Boardwalk Inn and Villas. A walk up the stairs will bring you to an old fashioned elegant Jersey Shore lobby. Every year the Boardwalk pastry chefs design a gingerbread Christmas showpiece and it is always worth the trip to see. In previous years, entire gingerbread recreations of the Boardwalk complete with roller coasters and wood like chocolate boards have enchanted guests and visitors. In 2007, the featured Christmas decoration was a Tinker Bell topped gingerbread gazebo housing Daisy and Donald Duck, a Christmas tree and an assortment of gifts. Nutcrackers, a toy train, Santa in his sleigh with his reindeer, snowmen and wreaths are all present in this awe inspiring decoration.

Grand Floridian Resort. The Granddaddy of them all, the Grand Floridian Christmas showcase is a life-sized gingerbread house set up in the elegant Victorian lobby. This gingerbread showpiece is large enough to house a Grand Floridian cast member, who stands inside, selling candy and gingerbread to visitors who want a small taste of the magnificent house. Disney characters painted in chocolate smile out from their places above the windows and candy poinsettias and flowers adorn white fences and shutters. Small edible vignettes are abundant in every nook and cranny of the house and multiple Santas peep out from surprising places. Camera flashes are commonplace around this house and the smells emanating from the chimney surround guests with pure Christmas cheer. This gingerbread structure is a can't miss part of a Christmastime vacation and well worth a quick monorail trip from the Magic Kingdom.

Disney does Christmas in a full bodied, complete and elaborate way every year. A trip to Disney is always magical, but when you add that special holiday touch, it becomes almost sublime. Next time you find yourself on a Central Florida vacation in November or December, think about taking some downtime to visit some of the individual resort's best Christmas features and soak up the spirit along with that famous Florida sunshine.