by Beth Keating
Lifestyle
DisneyBizJournal.com
December 12, 2022
Looking for an inexpensive way to usher in the holiday season with your friends and family? The 2022 Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll just might fit the bill.
In addition to enjoying the creative trees and holiday decorations scattered throughout the complex, there are also tasty Christmas goodies you can indulge in along the way. And if you are there at night, you can take in some live music, participate in a DJ dance party, or even experience the “snow” coming down in Town Center (6 p.m.-10 p.m. through December 25). Oh, there’s shopping, too, if you haven’t completed your Christmas purchases yet, and the kiddos can drop off their lists to Santa himself at Once Upon a Toy, using a virtual queue to sign up for an in-person visit. (Check the Disney Springs website for a schedule of performances and special events… Some nights there are even stilt walkers roaming the grounds!)
In addition, you can add a more competitive edge to your visit by tackling the Play Disney Parks app to share Disney Springs holiday trivia. Which family member can guess the most questions correctly?
Presented by AdventHealth, the 2022 Christmas tree stroll has twenty different themed Christmas trees, inspired by Disney characters and films. (It’s actually 19 trees and a Disney Cruise line topiary.) Check out the brightly colored trees of Coco and Encanto, or the more muted décor of the Haunted Mansion tree. There are also a few cute “sculptures” and assorted other seasonal decorations for guests to enjoy, such as the snowman “bobbers” near The BOATHOUSE, or the peanut moose near Paddlefish.
The Christmas Tree Stroll serves as a bit of a scavenger hunt, in addition to being a festive evening out. Guests can pick up a free Christmas Tree Stroll map and complete their walk by finding each tree and adding a sticker representing the tree’s character or story to the correct place on the map. Once you’ve located all the trees, maps can be returned to the redemption locations for a special treat.
This year, maps are available at The BOATHOUSE, Planet Hollywood, City Works, UNIQLO, and Crystal Arts. (You can redeem your prize there as well when you complete your tree hunt.) The back of your map offers up discounts to a number of the shops and restaurants you’ll be meandering past, so it’s worth picking up, even if you don’t end up putting the stickers in the right spots when you find each tree.
Some of the 2022 themes include Frozen; Moana; The Lion King; Raya and the Last Dragon; The Princess and the Frog; Star Wars; Black Panther; Toy Story; The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Guardians of the Galaxy, among the movies, and Haunted Mansion; Mickey and Minnie; Disney+; and even an “Annual Passholder” tree among the rides, characters and other Disney entities.
While you might be tempted to bypass the sparkling gold tree of circular ornaments because it doesn’t have all the details of the other trees, spend a moment to visit these spheres. If you tip your head in the right direction, you’ll no doubt discover a few overlapping hidden Mickeys! (You’ll find this tree at the base of the orange garage.)
The other trees deserve your time, as well, hunting for the many fun Easter eggs and story sparks hiding among the branches. Most of the displays are easy to spot, but you do have to look carefully to find a few that are tucked down side paths. Daytime visits will give you a completely different treasure hunt, when the details of each tree are more apparent, but the nighttime hunts, when the trees’ lights sparkle, are just as merry.
The Christmas Tree Stroll will be available until December 30.
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
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