On this day in 1997, it’s a small world at Disneyland decked the halls for the first time, ringing in the holiday season with a dazzling light display on the building exterior. For the first time, dolls that traditionally sang “it’s a small world” in their native languages now alternated with “Jingle Bells.” For the finale of the ride, rather than “Jingle Bells,” choruses of “Deck the Halls” are added to the yuletide cheer. The more lush and orchestral musical arrangements are patterned after the Disneyland Paris version of “it’s a small world,” which was used for a few years in Anaheim before returning to the newly restored and remastered original attraction soundtrack. And ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, here’s a little-known fact about a familiar voice. Bill Rogers, the voice of Disneyland, is heard inside the attraction. Bill is most known for his booming Disneyland announcements such as welcoming guests in the morning or the notification that the fireworks will be beginning in just five minutes. In the spirit of the season, Bill let us in on which character he provided the voice for in the attraction. “The folks in the music and entertainment departments came to me fortunately, because I really didn’t have much to do in terms of attractions at any time, and they asked me to record a few Santa Claus lines. For years I had been doing Santa Claus for my children, not only privately but in public. So Santa Claus was allowed to offer a few admonitions to those who had been good and those who were considering the dark side. We just had a whole lot of fun with this!”