I’ve mentioned in previous posts how you can have Disney magic in your day to day life even when you’re not in Walt Disney World. This is definitely true when you’re miles away from WDW in December and need some ‘Disney’ in your holiday celebrations.
Luckily, we have WDW Radio podcasts and blog posts to keep us informed of the up-to-date holiday happenings, and of course we have our Disney Christmas decorations from our WDW visits to decorate our homes. But what if you need a little bit more Disney magic at the most wonderful time of the year?
In the UK, we are lucky enough to still have Disney Stores in most major towns and cities. Now these stores might not stock the abundance of merchandise sold in say, Mouse Gear or The Emporium, but it’s still an opportunity to get a Disney fix whilst away from the World.
Last year I had heard from Disney friends that The Disney Store on London’s Oxford Street had been filled with holiday cheer so seeing as I was missing my usual Christmas visit to Walt Disney World, I decided to take a day trip to London to see the magic for myself.
When I arrived I was so glad that I had made the two hour trip to our capital. The staff had really made an effort, and it felt like I was walking into a completely different store. The window displays featured characters, presents and lots of snow! The main feature of the store is the castle and for Christmas this had been covered in twinkling lights and baubles. All the characters around the store had been 
dressed up in their festive outfits and even the princess area downstairs in the store had been given a very ‘princessy’ pink and silver Christmas tree, nice touch!!
We all know that cast members can really make the magic for us whilst visiting Walt Disney World, and it can be a real pleasure to experience the same enthusiasm from Disney Store cast members. Well, there were certainly plenty of Christmas smiles from cast members that day! Plus the festive music playing in the store made me feel like I was back in the parks.
It was great fun to act like tourists for the day and take lots photos of the decorations in store, soaking up the atmosphere and pretending we were Christmas shopping in WDW. We even picked up some new decorations for our tree.
So the next time you’re missing Walt Disney World during the holiday season take a look around; a little bit of Disney magic may be closer than you think!
Emma Godbold lives in the East of England and has been visiting Walt Disney World since she was a teenager. In between trips, Emma can be found reading about Disney history or researching and planning her next Disney vacation. She also writes her own blog at www.daydreamingdisney.com.
The post Disney Holiday Magic OUTSIDE Walt Disney World appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.