Yuletide Fantasy Tour

Today was a double-header. I went on The Yuletide Fantasy Tour in the morning and The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney-MGM Studios in the evening. I also caught Mickey Jingle Jungle Parade during the afternoon.
When I went to Disneyland the summer of '05 to celebrate it 50th, I took two tours: A Walk In Walt's Footsteps and From Imagination to Celebration. These behind the scene tours got me spoiled to find our more about what makes my favoirtie parks tick. Both were great tours with surprise gifts for the attendees. This tour was not different. Our cast member facilitators were David and Bryan. While I was on the bus from the Wilderness Lodge to this tour I met Ethan and Jennifer who were also going to be on the tour. The YFT gives you a in-depth look at Christmas traditions and decorations around Walt Disney World. A few higlights to the tour: fresh gingerbread from the Grand Floridian (now I want soft warm gingerbread cookies at home), seeing the warehouse where all the decorations are stored and repaired (its HUGE), being in World Showcase before it opened up to anyone else (aren't we special), being backstage at the Magic Kingdom and walking out onto Main Street (that was fun and the looks on some people's faces---where did these people come from), my free pin.
Did you know they start planning the decorations and changes five years in advance? And I thought I was an uber-planner thinking about next year!? Did you know that each store on Main Street has a different theme to their Christmas decorations? The Christmas tree in Main Street Square used to be real, but now it is artificial and put up in sections? Why are there birdcages in the tree at the Grand Floridian? No seriously, why are there birdcages in the tree's decorations? Germany's Christmas decorations are green and red while Italy's Christmas decorations are gold and elegant. The glass ornaments origianlly represented apples to hang in the tree. Really the glass ornaments were used to reflect the candle light from the Christmas tree. There is a hidden Mickey in the Christmas decorations on the New York Street at Disney-MGM Studios (as well as a black cat in the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights). Any other trivia facts you would like to know?
The Osbourve Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is incredible. Most of the Streets of America (New York and San Francisco streets) are all decorated from top to bottom with lights. I mean there are lights everywhere! There is Christmas music playing and every 15 minutes there is a radio interuption to play one of three songs and then the lights along the main thoroughfare begin dancing/blinking on and off to the rhythym of the music. I heard both Feliz Navidad and TransSiberian Orchestra. It even snows! The crowd control at first was awful and everything and evryone came to a stand still while the music was playing and the lights were dancing. Then when it stopped, people started trying to leave anywhicway they could. Fianlly some cast member started standing in the streets with flashing light batons directing foot traffic in a one-way direction only. I bought some hot cocoa on my way out. They were selling them in souvenir mugs that had racing lights inside the mug.
And so ends my third trip report for day 3. There is snowplace like Disney for the holidays!