Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

I may very well change my mind by the next time that you ask me, but today in 2011, seeing the Osborne Lights is my favorite holiday activity around Walt Disney World.

I mean, talk about truly being immersed in the holiday spirit – Christmas music blasting songs of tidings and joy in the streets, “snow” falling from the skies as cast members serve cookies and hot chocolate, all surrounded by a staggering number of lights that seem to grow every single year!  And if that wasn’t enough, the entire display is even choreographed to dance at regular intervals throughout the evening – impressive enough to even give this guy a run for his money!

Even the story of how the lights first came to be is an inspiring one – an Arkansas father strings up 1,000 Christmas lights one year at the request of his 6-year-old daughter, then continues to build on them each year until legal action from upset neighbors in 1995 eventually shuts down the now-massive 6 million light display that spans three houses and backs up traffic for hours during its nightly time to shine!  Of course, as we all know that’s when Disney stepped in and offered to bring the entire display down to the Studios where it could be freely enjoyed by millions, and the rest as they say, is history…

Sadly, the beloved philanthropist passed away earlier this summer from heart complications at the age of 67, but it goes without saying that his spirit lives on with every twinkle as those millions of lights bring smiles to countless onlookers just as they first did to his own daughter way back in 1986.

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