30 Days to 30 Years- 1994

Thank you stopping by the series today, as Beth and I proudly welcome Kathleen Kelly, blogging at The Many Adventures of a Disney-Lovin’ Spectrum Mom and host of Special Mouse Podcast, to 30 Days to 30 Years.  She takes us back to Epcot, 18 years ago… 

30 Days to 30 Years – 1994: The Candlelight Processional!

*************************************

The Candlelight Processional Christmas Concert, a beloved Disney holiday tradition celebrated in the Magic Kingdom since 1971, was moved to its current Epcot location in 1994. The processional dates back to the first Candlelight Processional created by Walt Disney for Disneyland in 1956.

Photo: disneyparks.disney.go.com

Close to 400 performers made primarily of volunteer choirs, the Walt Disney Orchestra, the Disney Voices of Liberty, and one celebrity narrator brings the Christmas story to life with scripture intertwined with traditional Christmas hymns including “O Holy Night”, “Away in a Manger”, “What Child is This”, and “Silent Night” amongst others…

                                                                         ~ orlandolocalguide.com

I had an opportunity to experience the Candlelight Processional with my family in 2005 when our children were nine and seven. Although we felt that the children were old enough to appreciate the solemnity of the concert without getting too fidgety, my husband and I did have some concerns about our youngest because of his Autism-related sensory challenges.

Although he loved music, especially Christmas music, we did anticipate that at some point during the concert there would be trumpets blaring and cymbals crashing — potentially overwhelming for a child who did not tolerate loud noises like the vacuum cleaner or a hair dryer. Then there was his exceptionally strong fear of fire. This was a child who refused to have candles on his birthday cake! How might he react to seeing a few hundred candles, albeit electric ones, up on the stage?

Photo: closetodisney.com

We decided that this beautiful family experience would be worth a little gamble and proceeded to “stack the deck” in our favor. First, we purchased a Candlelight Processional dining package that would ensure reserved seating for the show because I had read that folks sometimes waited for up to ninety minutes for standby seating! (For bookings call 407-WDW-DINE.) The dinner package ensured reserved seating and we chose to see the first show at 5pm and have dinner afterward. At the time there were only dinner packages available, although the packages can now include lunch.

My reasons for choosing the early show were; first, if it was a bit lighter outdoors, the “scary” candles might not show up quite so much! And second, I didn’t want to rush the family through dinner for fear of being late to the concert. (That second reason was more for my husband’s sake than my son’s.) He absolutely hates being late for anything and I knew he would be on edge all through dinner, worrying about making it to the theater on time!

When we arrived at the America Gardens Theatre we still had to wait a bit, but we timed it so that the line started moving not long after we arrived. We presented our son’s Guest Assistance Card and requested to be seated in one of the handicapped sections of the theater. Yes, those seats were in the back, but the further away from those candles, the better! We also were allowed to sit on the end of the row in case a meltdown was imminent and we needed to make a quick exit.

The only bad thing about that was that it put us closer to these guys:

Photo:  dadsguidetowdw.com

I’m happy to report that, despite our apprehension, there was no meltdown due to sensory overload! He loved the Candlelight Processional and to this day, this is one of his favorite CDs to listen to during the holiday season.

Photo: ebay.com

The Candlelight Processional is not to be missed – thank you, 1994, for bringing this joyful experience to Epcot!

If you have not tuned into Kathy’s podcast, you must; she shares special Disney tips for special guests-  all of them.


Tomorrow, my co-host Beth (blogger at Pursuing the Magic and The Magical Blogorail mastermind) takes the reigns and rides us into 1995!