A Christmas Wish

It was time for a pilgrimage, of sorts. This one involved witnessing (possibly for the last time, as per Disney) a dazzling, enchanting, over-the-top Christmas light display that all began with a little girl named "Breezy" and a promise from her loving father. This little girl's holiday wish grew into a spectacle shared by hundreds of thousands of people over the years.

Walt Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida would be our destination. After parking in Donald Music - Row 53, we trammed our way to the amusement park front entrance.

   

Being passport holders, we waved our Magic Bands at the ticket booth and entered the "land of Hollywood".

  

The park was festooned with holiday decorations, festive colors and music played throughout giving it the wonderland appeal Disney parks are famous for. We had all afternoon to explore before our real purpose for the visit unveiled itself at dusk.

  

In the meantime, I hammed it up a bit with some of the props and movie "extras" Disney uses to create their make believe world that pays homage to movies, television and a little "pop" culture (pun intended).
  

  

I have always loved the attention to detail that Disney gives in creating their own ambiance.
  
  
  
I am a big fan of old movies and love the Turner Classic Movie (TCM) channel. So it was a natural choice for us to take a stroll through legendary "Hollywood" and relive a few of the classics from a bygone era when movies were king and so were their stars. It made me very happy to see this Disney attraction partnered with TCM, two very conscientious leaders on quality control. 
 
  

  

  

  
Most avid Disney World fans have heard about "hidden Mickeys" - the shape of a Mickey head and ears "hidden" throughout the parks. They are legendary and even have dedicated blogs, websites and books written about them. Time for me to find my own "hidden Mickey"...in the form of a hot pretzel and have a snack.

Now, let's fast forward through the afternoon towards sunset. This was the moment we had been waiting for...the light show! What is so special about this light show (I thought I heard you asking)? Well, here is a bit of its extraordinary history and how one child's wish has brought hundreds of thousands of smiles thereafter and is now known as "The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights".

The story started in 1986 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Jennings Osborne, a successful Arkansas businessman, was asked by his 6 year old daughter "Breezy" if they could decorate their home in lights. As a gift to his daughter, Jennings complied and lovingly strung 1,000 lights around their home. Each year after that, the display grew bigger and bigger. Eventually Jennings purchased two properties adjacent to his own and expanded. By 1993, the Osborne display grew to over 3 million lights! As the display swelled, it drew all types of media attention from around the world along with lots of onlookers and traffic issues. Complaints from neighbors filed in and Jennings responded by adding 3 million more lights, spinning carousels, dancing angels and more. Lawsuits ensued. In 1995, Disney made Jennings an offer to place the entire light display on a "residential street" in Hollywood Studios in Disney World Orlando. Thus began "The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights", which was a huge success.

The display is made up of over 10 miles (16 km) of rope lighting connected by another 30 miles (48 km) of extension cords. All cords and lights are held together by 2 million ties. It takes 20,000 man hours to install the display each season and begins in September. The display requires 800,000 watts of electricity to operate from dusk to park closing beginning in November and ending at the beginning of January. In 2005, 33 snow machines were added to create "Florida snow" spitting from building rooftops and using 100 US gallons (380 L) of fluid each evening. In 2006, the park added over 1,500 dimmer relay circuits and control switches to the display to enable "on and off" control electronically. The relays were then choreographed to musical scores and the ability to make the lights "dance" changed the name of the display to "The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights".

In 2011, the display took on a major overhaul adding LED lights and "state of the art" electronic controlling systems. Thus, all of the previously choreographed "dancing" systems had to be redone. Last but not least, the light canopy was given a "face lift" involving 21,600 pixels allowing over 16 million color combinations. Wow!

Now, as in any Disney park, this display has its own interesting tidbits and surprises hidden behind all the "ahhhhs and ohhhhs". Here are some:

1. Anywhere within Disney property you may find a "hidden Mickey" (in varying degrees of difficulty and sizes), if you look for them. We found some hidden in the puffs of smoke (above Mickey's hand) coming from Mickey's steam engine. Can you see them?

2. Where is the Halloween cat? Supposedly a Halloween cat light from the Osborne Halloween cache was accidentally included in the Christmas items given to Disney back in 1995. So, each year the assembling crew randomly change the location of the cat as a fun prank. We found the cat high above our heads, tucked behind building lights.

3. The Mickey and Santa figures are shaking with their left hands. Osborne created these figures in the spirit of a Scout Handshake, which represents respect and friendship from the heart.

4. The single white angel (center below the globe) was created in Jennings Osborne's memory. This was added in 2011 by Disney Technicians after Jennings Osborne passed away that year. 

5. This snowman flying a kite has a romantic twist. It represents Osborne's first date with his wife Mitzi when they flew a kite together.

6. It may seem really strange to find a pig amongst all of the holiday decor, but there is a purpose behind it. The Osborne family, who are from Arkansas, are avid fans of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks and this pig is the icon for this popular college football team.

7. A fireplace mantle is a great place to hang your stockings for Christmas and this is no exception. Above this "fireplace" is a stocking for each Osborne family member and their names are emblazoned on them in lights.

8. This life size nativity scene used to belong to Disney and was displayed in Epcot in Italy, located in the World Showcase. Jennings bought it from Disney and used it in his display. It has now come full circle and once again has a home in Disney.

9. Disney has a way of showcasing characters or items from popular shows or movies in fun ways throughout their parks. It makes going to a Disney theme park more interesting on a less obvious level. Always keep your eyes open and constantly look (i.e. hidden Mickeys) for these "showcases" in subtle ways. For instance, can you spot Mr. Potato Head from the 1995 hit Disney/Pixar movie "Toy Story" in the window wearing a Santa beard (below "China Bowl" and to the right)? 

Or...Baby Sinclair from the hit TV series (from 1991-1994) "Dinosaurs" sitting in the window (on the left) and the famous leg lamp from a 1983 favorite holiday movie "A Christmas Story" in the same window (on the right)?

Or...Roger Rabbit from the 1988 Disney movie/cartoon "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" riding on the back of this bicycle?

Or...Olaf from the 2013 mega successful Disney film "Frozen" (posing as a white angel)?

Or...spot the Conovers (not very famous, though) hidden amongst thousands of visitors enjoying the evening too?

Unfortunately, on September 11, 2015, Disney announced that 2015 will be the final season for the "Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights". Construction will begin in 2016 for a new Star Wars theme attraction and will include demolishing the "residential streets" where the Osborne light display has been assembled for so many years. So, this is our thanks to Jennings Osborne and his creation of a memory we "...won't soon forget!"

If you enjoyed this post about the wonderful things that Florida offers, join me in exploring more of its beauties: Florida