WDW's Christmas Tree Trail 2018: The Best Easter Eggs!

I never thought I'd say this, peeps, but I think I've had my fill of Harry Potter Christmas.

So how 'bout some Disney Christmas?

Specifically, this year's criminally overlooked Disney Springs Tree Trail, which has stepped up its game SO MUCH that I basically dragged my jaw through the whole thing.

I should probably preface that by saying when the Tree Trail debuted in 2016, it was... ahh... underwhelming. One could almost say "bad." Or "hilariously bad," if one were a bit snarky.

Behold, a 2016 example:

 (More 2016 pics here)

::sad trombone slide::

So we skipped the Tree Trail last year, which I've since realized was a mistake.

That's because, as it turns out, the Tree Trail is PHENOMENAL now. When we walked through a few weeks back I went a little nuts, taking over 400 photos. (Oops.)

Even if you've seen the Trail recently, I'm willing to bet you missed some of the best details. There are fantastic hidden Easter Eggs in a bunch of - it not ALL - the trees, and most took me a moment of searching and circling to spot. The Trail stays pretty crowded, so it takes actual effort to get that close or look that hard.

First things first, take a look at the Tangled Tree's glow-up since 2016:

YAAAASSSS. Now THAT is a Disney tree.

All the trees are this tall now, and overflowing with perfectly themed decorations:

Look verrrry closely, and you might even see several tricksy chameleons in the branches. (Click any pic to embiggen.)

The frying pan is front and center, of course, but if you circle the tree you'll find books and baking things from Rapunzel's days in the tower:

 

In fact, I found that almost all of the one-of-a-kind Easter eggs were hidden on the back or side of the trees, a reward for people who take the time to look.

Next up, Frozen:

The carrots up top are my favorite:

A bunch of the trees use more generic Christmas things - like that reindeer - as obvious homages to characters - like Sven. It's almost like Disney Bounding for Christmas trees, and I like it. Plus this is one of the more gorgeous trees with all those icy branches & icicles!

Olaf also gets a subtle shout-out with a big painted snowman ornament:

And that glowing strand almost looks like a frozen waterfall? Super pretty.

The silver lanterns you see in each tree are Disney's not-so-subtle advertising ploy: they hang ornaments in each one that you can buy at the gift shop. Which would be fine, except for the ugly yellow stickers on them that (purposefully) stick out like a sore thumb. ::sigh:: ::eye roll::

Princess And The Frog:

Loooove the horn topper!

Also, are you noticing the trees not only have themed backdrops, but flooring as well? Keep an eye on those as we go through.

Tucked in with all the Mardi Gras masks and feathers you'll find tiny copper pans, wooden rolling pins, and lily pads with little frog figurines:

Purple and gold poinsettias - and the cattails! All the trees have fantastic greenery, but this one is especially on point.

Sleeping Beauty's is one of my top favorites: it is PACKED with pretties.

Be honest, how long did it take YOU to notice there's a full on spinning wheel in there?

 

Up at the very top you'll see Maleficent's staff, surrounded by thorn-like branches:

Then there are antique wooden spindles and balls of yarn throughout:

Plus the hats of the three fairies:

Really loving all the flowers in these trees, especially here in Florida where things really ARE still flowering.

Beauty and the Beast:

I didn't spot any surprises here - really just including it for the topper and the crystal garland swags - but I swooned hard for these "stained glass" ornaments:

Isn't it great? You'll also find this style of Cogsworth & Lumiere.

By contrast, I found SO MUCH on The Little Mermaid tree. WOW.

Everywhere I looked I found more hidden gems - literally!

The trident topper has a water-like spray behind it of sparkly spriggy things, so clever. And look how those frames are tucked into the side! Gorgeous. (I'm falling hard for a "sunken treasures" themed tree, you guys, now I want an excuse to make one.)

A realistic crab and bundles of forks:

More antiques:

...and of course, a treasure chest!

Mulan:

Mulan's tree is filled with cherry blossoms, lanterns, and decorative fans:

The topper is a colorful dragon kite:

If you look at the lower left, you'll spot my favorite Easter egg - again, tucked in the back:

A tiny cage with what I *think* is a blue origami cricket inside. (I couldn't get a better angle to see it better, it's so small!)

Snow White:

My favorite Easter Egg on Snow White's tree is in plain view, but it's hard to see through the spotlights:

The tree topper is made up of the seven dwarves' pickaxes!

The colorful poison apples and giant gems are easy to spot, but look more closely and you'll find bluebirds, woodland creatures (like raccoons), a hand mirror, mining lanterns...

... and if you walk to the back, you'll see this cutie:

Aww. What a deer.

You know the Alice in Wonderland tree is gonna be a fun one:


Those big cards are fantastic - and would be pretty easy to DIY!

I wanted to run off with this padlock. It's so pretty.

Ditto for the giant pocket watch:

Other than the half-painted roses there are flowers with painted faces on them, which was a creepy/fun touch.

Cheshire's eyes and grin are front-and-center, but easy to miss.

My favorite, though, are the cute red mushrooms climbing up the top:

WONDER-FULL. And so perfect with the Diamond cards!


Believe it or not I'm only halfway through my favorites, gang, but I'll end for now with the tree even NON-Dizgeeks have to stop and take a photo of:

The Haunted Mansion tree.

This thing is STUNNING, from the spiderweb floor "rug" to the ever-watchful raven on top.

 The bride has a pulsing red heart light, and is painted a spooky verdigris green.

 Alllll the Miss Havisham vibes right here:

Now hold on to your ringing bells, 'cuz here come the most obscure Easter eggs yet - which of course means I love them the most:

I believe the cracked glasses and books are a reference to the Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough At Last," where the last man alive on Earth just wants to read, but then his glasses shatter.

There's also a small black telephone on the other side:


I'm guessing this is another Twilight Zone reference, this time to the episode Long Distance Call. In that one a little boy talks to his dead grandmother through a toy telephone.


I didn't realize what these were until after the fact (I'm not a Twilight Zone fan; this is all from Google), so now I'm thinking the pocket watch on top is referencing  "A Kind Of A Stop Watch" (about a stopwatch that stops time), plus this might explain the framed portraits of animal-headed ladies tucked in the tree, too:



The horse-faced woman COULD be a reference to "The Eye of the Beholder," though I'll admit that's more of a stretch. If it is, though, then I want to shake the hand of whoever designed this tree. :D (Heck, I want to do that anyway; it's friggin' fantastic!)

Oh! And while I was scouring my photos for more potential Easter eggs, I found at least one more:

A gold wedding ring, hanging from a chain.

 (EEEEEE!!)

That's probably Constance's ring from the actual Haunted Mansion ride, though I'm sure there could be a Twilight Zone tie-in as well.

I really hope the ring is still there, because I want to go back and inspect it more closely. There also appears to be something sticking out of the tree beside it - almost like a guitar neck? Sadly I don't have any more photos of the bottom of the tree, but I'll report back if we go again - or let me know in the comments if you have the answer!

One more, just because I like the photo:

Ok, I've gotten WAY too excited over this post and John is giving me The Look as I excitedly explain all my different Mansion/Twilight Zone theories, so I better go eat dinner now. Stay tuned for part 2; if you liked these, then you're going to LOVE all the intricate Easter Eggs in the Pinocchio tree - and Robin Hood! And Peter Pan's! Ah, so much goodness.

I hope you had fun geeking out with me, and that your weekend is sweet and peaceful and free of angry holiday shoppers, ha. (John just watched two women almost kill each other over a parking space at Walmart tonight. IT'S SCARY OUT THERE.) 

 Now, "Hurry baa-aack. Hurry baaa-ack!