Christmas at Night in the Magic Kingdom
Christmas decorations adorn the buildings of Main Street USA in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.
Right before Christmas, we took a trip to Walt Disney World with our good friends and traveling companions the Riedels. We got to visit all four of the theme parks, and we enjoyed having a good time together. It was a great time!
One of the fun things about going in December is getting to see the Christmas decorations around the parks. Sometimes they are more subtle, and sometimes they are rather bold, and sometimes they are somewhere in between.
In the Magic Kingdom, Main Street USA receives the largest dose of Christmas cheer, and it is a fun scene at night when the lights are turned on. In the photo above, you can see the wreaths with candles that hang out over the sidewalks. I do miss the old days when lighted garland was strung across the street (check out this Looking Back post for some photos), but apparently they make parade floats taller now than they used to (such as the Maleficent float in the current Festival of Fantasy parade). So those garland days are past us now. At least they still do something special down the street, even if it isn’t quite as eye-catching as before.
At the Town Square end of Main Street is the Magic Kingdom’s Christmas tree. If it looks tall here in this photo, it looks even taller in person. It really is something to see, either in the daytime or at night when all of the lights are turned on. Here, you can also see some of the garland at the top of the Emporium on the right, and way over on the Main Street Hotel at the far left. And if you look closely, you can also see a wreath in the shape of Mickey Mouse on one of the street lamp poles. There are lots of nice holiday touches all up and down Main Street.
At the other end of Main Street USA is Cinderella Castle, of course. This time of year, the castle is covered in hundreds of Dream Lights, making it look even better at night than it usually does.
With Cinderella Castle at one end and the large Christmas tree at the other, plus garland and wreaths all along the buildings, Main Street USA is all decked out for Christmas no matter which way you look.
If you are wondering, I did take lots and lots of photos on our trip, just as I do on every trip. And yes, you may be seeing more Christmas-type photos around here in the coming weeks. Yes, I know that Christmas is over now, but hopefully, you will think that some of the photos are worth sharing anyway. If not, just come back and look at them next December when Christmas comes around again!
Happy is the person who trusts in You, Lord of Hosts! - Psalm 84:12
About the photos:
I used two different lenses for these photos, a fisheye lens for the top and bottom photos, and a more standard lens for the middle one, because I was going for different looks for each one.
Also, these were handheld photos with no tripod or long exposure. I turned up the ISO a good bit, and they turned out rather well. I had considered taking my tripod and trying to get some long exposures, but I decided it wasn’t worth it in the long run. I will leave that to those who go more often and have more time to wait around to get what they consider to be their perfect shots. Nothing wrong with any of that, but I was just there to have fun.
Photos: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips. Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10 Lenses: Olympus 14-42mm IIR and Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens Date: December 21, 2016 Location: Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida
