Tour Disney World's Most Magical, Themed Christmas Trees
Nobody decks the halls quite like Walt Disney World. The resort has more than 1,500 decorated trees for the holidays, with four enormous, towering trees at the entrance to each theme park. But there's so much more magic to see without even stepping foot inside a park. Disney World's resort hotel trees are just as impressive and they're all themed to the specific location, from an elegant, Victorian-inspired tree at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to a cozy, rustic-chic tree at Disney's Fort Wilderness Lodge. If you can't make it down to the mouse house this holiday season, we've curated our favorite designs. Grab a cup of cocoa or mulled wine and take a virtual tour of these gorgeous, over-the-top trees.
Courtesy of Deanne Revel
Victorian-Inspired
Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel & Spa really puts the grand in Christmas decor, from a giant, life-size gingerbread house (that sells edible gingerbread shingles!) to a larger-than-life tree in the hotel's lobby. It's nearly impossible to get a photo of the entire tree, which is 40 feet tall, from the ground floor so hop up to the second floor for a bird's eye view. True to the resort's Victorian, turn-of-the-century aesthetic, the tree features porcelain figures, handmade wooden toys and tiny, ornate bird cage ornaments, a nod to the lobby's giant bird cage-inspired elevators.
Courtesy of Deanne Revel
Nautical Style
Disney's Yacht Club Resort is always a perfect example of preppy nautical style, and its tree this year is no exception. The design takes the theme quite literally with little sail boats and wooden yacht ornaments in addition to cream rope knots and vintage wayfinding instruments such as tiny brass telescopes and wooden globes. Instead of traditional garland, a rich, deep navy velvet is used for giant bows.
Courtesy of Deanne Revel
Rustic Chic
For an old-fashioned country Christmas vibe, head to Disney's Wilderness Lodge for an impressive rustic-chic tree. Tying into the resort's National Park theme, the lobby tree features giant faux antlers, wood chip ornaments, and adorable little woodland creatures.
Coastal Vibes
Travel down to the Florida Keys without leaving Central Florida at Disney's Old Key West Resort. The open-air lobby has several smaller trees with tons of subtle beachy flare such as circular coral "snowflakes" and beautiful hand-blown glass seahorses. Instead of a traditional tree topper, the trees feature a spray of coral and gold gilded palm fronds.
Courtesy of Deanne Revel
African-Inspired
The tree at Jambo House at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is truly something to see. Even if you're not a hotel guest, it's worth popping over as the resort has one of the largest collections of authentic African art in the world. But for the holidays, the lobby makes room for a giant tree adorned with wooden masks, drums, and beautiful tasseled bows inspired by vibrant African textiles and clothes.
Preppy Equestrian
For a traditional tree with a red, gold and green palette, head over to Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa for the lobby and lounge's six equestrian-inspired trees. Each features pewter racing cup trophies, tiny horse and jockey ornaments, and a garland of red roses in true Derby Day fashion.
Courtesy of Deanne Revel
Tropical Style
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort is all about the island life with art and architecture that riffs off popular destinations such as Jamaica, Trinidad, Aruba, Barbados, and Martinique. And the holiday decor continues the theme with a nod to the Caribbean's unique flora and fauna. Instead of poinsettia, the two trees flanking the hotel's lobby are trimmed with Birds of Paradise and the garland is made from hot pink Bougainvillea. The bows also use a textured ribbon reminiscent of cane and wicker chairs.
Courtesy of Deanne Revel
Polynesian-Inspired
Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, one of the first resorts to open at Walt Disney World, is still a fan-favorite today for its design. The lobby has a retro 70s lense of Polynesian aesthetic with a dark wood, split-level lobby reminiscent of The Brady Bunch and the episode "Hawaii Bound." But the lobby's main tree is all about authentic Polynesian culture with bright red 'ohi'a lehua garland, multi-colored plumeria flowers, and puka shell star ornaments.
Courtesy of Deanne Revel
Sophisticated Elegance
Celebrate a Joyeux Noël or Buon Natale at Disney's Riviera Resort. The posh, Mediterranean-style hotel is inspired by Walt and Lillian Disney's travels to the French and Italian coast and the interiors riff off of iconic art movements in European history with Disney characters painted in styles such as Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and even Futurism. The lobby is already one of the most elegant on Disney property, and at Christmas, the trees are pretty fancy, too. The main lobby tree features a minimal color palette of metallics with faint blue-grey accents. And the jeweled ornaments and garlands play off the lobby's modern, geometric chandelier.
Courtesy of Deanne Revel
Retro Chic
For multi-color C9 bulbs and tons of mid-century modern flare, head over to Disney's Pop Century Resort. The hotel's main lobby features a giant tree celebrating the 50s and 60s with tiny record albums and vintage-inspired, hand-painted ornaments of Santa and snowmen with those whimsical long eyelashes a la classic claymation.
NOLA Style
In addition to resort hotels, Disney Springs, the outdoor shopping and dining center at Disney World, has an entire trail of 20 themed trees all based on iconic Disney and Pixar characters. The Princess and the Frog tree outside World of Disney has traditional New Orleans Mardis Gras colors and motifs, such as the fleur-de-lis, but it also has several nods to the roaring 20s time period of the movie with long flapper beads as garland and brass trumpets in lieu of a tree topper.
