17 Reasons — in Photos! — You'll Want to Spend the Holidays at Disney World This Year

Everywhere you turn in the parks, you're greeted with extraordinary holiday decorations.

Throughout the evening, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party guests can stop at five "Holiday Treat Locations" to pick up cookies and hot chocolate to help get them in a festive mood. We tried peppermint bark cookies and cocoa in Tomorrowland, snowman shortbread cookies and snow cones in Fantasyland, and were handed giant snowman sugar cookies as we entered the Magic Kingdom. Alternative treats, like apple slices, are available to those with food allergies.

One of four shows during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, "A Frozen Holiday Wish" takes place on Cinderella's Castle's Forecourt Stage. Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, and Olaf all make appearances and a certain earworm of a song is sung as Elsa uses her powers to convert the castle into an "ice palace" that glitters throughout the rest of the night.

A new addition to the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party lineup, "Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration" brings together all of of your favorite Disney characters — think Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Buzz Lightyear, Carabelle, Elsa, and more — on the day before Christmas. Mickey and friends sing some Christmas carols and prepare for the big day as snow begins to fall on the Magic Kingdom.

Perhaps the centerpiece of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is the "Holiday Wishes" fireworks show that takes place at 10 p.m. A loud and beautiful pyrotechnic show, fireworks are timed to song lyrics to truly light up the night over the castle and around the park (called perimeter bursts, the fireworks appear to go off along the park's property line).

"Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade" winds its way through the streets of the Magic Kingdom twice each night. It's a festive celebration with a dozen floats, characters, and plenty of holiday music.

What's a trip to a Disney park without indulging in some sweet treats? The Main Street Bakery and the Main Street Confectionery are stocked with holiday-themed candy apples, peppermint bark, and frozen snowflake cupcakes. The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor has a peppermint hot fudge sundae, while Gaston's Tavern will serve up holiday tree cupcakes.

Over at Hollywood Studios, the Chinese Theater provides the backdrop for the new loud and bright holiday show that will run nightly through the end of the year. "Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!" uses the same projection form of storytelling as the "Once Upon a Time" show in the Magic Kingdom to tell the story of two elves, Wayne and Lanny from Prep & Landing, who must find a missing Santa and return him to the North Pole in time for Christmas. Guests will see familiar faces from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, and more. The show features many familiar holiday tunes as well as lasers, fireworks, and tons of snow falling throughout the park.

For those that hope to make the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! celebration a bit more festive, Disney offers a dessert party an hour prior to the show ($69 per adult, $39 for children) featuring rice krispie treats, cupcakes, antipasta, and light cocktails.

Just in time for peak holiday season, Walt Disney World is lighting up the evening sky — but not with the typical fireworks and lasers that appear in most Disney park shows. The new Starbright Holidays show uses 300 Intel Shooting Star drones to create a magical light show unlike any seen before.

The show, which will take place at Disney Springs each night from Nov. 20 through Jan. 8, features a highly choreographed production involving 300 of Intel's Shooting Star quadcopters outfitted with multicolored lights that can create more than 4 billion color combinations. Their coordinated movements are set to seasonal music and the drones dance around to create holiday-themed images, like a Christmas tree and a dove, among other images. The effect looks similar to an LED screen in the sky.

At Disney Springs, guests can indulge in a holiday-themed version of Canadian specialty poutine. The Daily Poutine is offering up Holiday Turkey Poutine ($9), which consists of french fries smothered in turkey, gravy, and cheddar curds, topped off with cranberry relish.

Visit pretty much any Disney shop and you'll find a selection of Disney (and Mickey!)-inspired ornaments for your tree.

Both the Contemporary and Grand Floridian resorts will house larger-than-life gingerbread displays this year. The house at the Grand Floridian took more than two months and 840 hours our labor to produce. In addition to the more than 5,000 gingerbread shingles on the house, the store inside it sells chocolate-dipped versions for $9 each. You can smell the ginger-goodness the minute you enter the resort!