Two guests posing with Santa Goofy in front of a Light Up the Season photo backdrop. The backdrop is blue and snowy with the Light Up The Season logo of stained glass in yellow, blue and pink framed by wood in the center of the backdrop. The guest on the left of Santa Goofy is holding Goofy’s arm with their foot popped up. The guest is wearing a grey and blue hoody with gray jeans. Santa Goofy is in the middle with his hand covering his mouth in excitement. Santa Goofy has a red santa hat, long white beard, and a red and white Santa suit. The guest to the right of Goofy is holding Goofy’s arm with their foot popped up and kissing Goofy’s cheek. The guest is wearing a green jacket and blue jeans.

D23 Members get Holly and Jolly at Light Up the Season with D23!

By Emma Zomerman

The season of magic was upon us on Sunday, December 11, 2022, as we celebrated the tinsel-tastic holiday event, Light Up the Season with D23!

With nearly the entire Walt Disney Studios Lot to explore, bursting with decorations and holiday cheer, holiday tunes were being sung by Mostly Kosher, Holiday Harmony, and MeloD23 to keep spirits bright throughout the night.

Mostly Kosher performing on stage. All singers are holding black microphones. The singer on the far left is wearing a black sweater, white shirt and blue skirt. The singer to the right is wearing a navy suit and blue scarf. The singer to the right is wearing a white sweater and blue skirt. The singer to the right is wearing a white shirt, blue vest and black slacks. The singer to the right is wearing a blue jumpsuit and white blouse. The singer to the far left is wearing a blue sweater, black slacks, and black and white checker scarf.

D23 Members made their way over to the Main Theatre for a few “seasons screenings” featuring favorite holiday shorts and films including Puppy for Hanukkah and Mickey Saves Christmas. Members also had the opportunity to see The Muppet Christmas Carol extended edition, which included the famous lost song, “When Love is Gone.” And traveling through the jump gate straight from Knowhere came a special theatrical screening of Marvel Studios’Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special to conclude our holiday screenings.

Photos and selfies galore were taken with amazing photo opportunities and locations provided all across the lot. The D23 Booth had a 360 Photo Opportunity where guests could get glammed up and show off their holiday cheer. And, of course, no Disney holiday event would be complete without a few holiday photos with some of our favorite Disney friends! Members were able to  visit with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and our ever-jolly friend, Santa Goofy.

Jingle, jangle and get ready to play! Members and their families had an array of holiday activities and games to choose from. We were so happy to see members try their luck at the D23 Jingle Jangle where guests rolled larger than life dice to earn some merry holiday prizes including Avatar-themed Kinder eggs provided by Kinder Joy.

On the Main Stage, guests also had the merrymaking chance to win an assortment of prizes from our friends at Citizen, Disney Fine Art by Collectors Editions, and Loungefly in D23’s Disney Trivia Showdown. Prizes ranged from Citizen watches such as the Mickey Shadow, vintage Disney Fine Art paintings like the "Red, White and Blue" by Trevor Carlton, and Loungefly’s Chip and Dale Figural Crossbody Bag. 

What kind of holiday event would this be without some shopping! Members had so many shopping opportunities during the event from local vendors and friends of Disney retailers at Minnie’s Marketplace to the Disney Employee Store and the Disney Studio Store, guests could get some last-minute shopping done and find memorable gifts for all their friends and family to enjoy. We loved seeing our guests leave with all sorts of goodies including gifts from Citizen Watch, Loungefly, and artwork from Disney Fine Art by Collectors Editions including paintings that were painted that night by artist Trevor Carlton.

Members created their own holiday feasts with festive complimentary treats and additional food and beverage for purchase including the ever-popular Studios Lot favorite, Walt’s Chili. Members were also treated to a taste of “Mama’s Empanadas” from the upcoming adventure series National Treasure: Edge of History (streaming December 14 on Disney+)!

Toy to the world! Thank you to all of our members who donated toys to the Marines Toys for Tots Program this year as part of the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive! If you didn’t get a chance to drop off a toy in person, visit shopDisney where you can continue to donate up until December 24, 2022!

Two marines in uniform standing at the Toys for Tots booth behind the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive donation boxes.

What a beautiful sight to see when the Studios Lot was aglow with holiday lights and snow accompanied a special tree-lighting that night. The lights may have been bright, but not as bright as the shining smiles from all our members.

To make sure our members know how special they are to us, each guest received the gift of a Muppets Christmas Carol ornament to commemorate this special occasion.

The Muppet Christmas Carol gold ornament features Kermit in a top hat and coat looking over a city. On the top of the circular ornament reads The Muppet Christmas Carol. On the bottom reads 30th Anniversary.

We were thrilled to help celebrate with our Members on this momentous occasion! On behalf of the D23 team, we hope the memories made that night helped you get in the holiday spirit. We know we are based on the fa-la-la-la lasting impression our members made that night.

Guest high-fiving Mickey. Mickey is wearing a red and white striped Santa hat with a matching red and white striped scarf. He is wearing a white winter coat and teal pants. The guest high-fiving Mickey is wearing a silver coat and black pants. The guest to the left is wearing a purple jacket and blue jeans. The guest to the right of Mickey is wearing a black coat and blue jeans. They are all standing in front of a lit-up Christmas tree.

Continue this celebration of yuletide charm and holiday cheer with D23’s Season of Magic by visiting this page!