Christmas magic starts here
SIAN DAVID
IT WAS snowing in Florida. The lights twinkled, the bells jingled, the lords were a-leaping and, yes, it was snowing in Florida. Snow machine snow, of course, but it was definitely beginning to look a lot like… you know.
Now, I’m no Scrooge, but I’m not the only grown-up who’ll tell you that the sparkle of Christmas can tarnish a bit as you get older.
But if I’ve learned anything from every festive film ever made, the magic of Christmas is still there – you just have to make more of an effort to find it.
At Universal Orlando Resort in Florida, they go all out for the holiday season, with Christmas trees in every store, decorations throughout the parks and, most importantly, some of the most impressive festive entertainment this side of the North Pole.
So, with that in mind, where better to start re-capturing the magic of the holiday season than the most magical place in the world – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?
A trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a dream come true for every Harry Potter fan at any time of the year, but if you weren’t quite convinced of the existence of magic before a visit in holiday season, you can bet your broomstick you’ll be convinced by the end.
Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are strung with themed decorations, garlands and lights, traditional festive music from both the wizarding and Muggle worlds drifts melodiously through the streets courtesy of Hogwarts students and their croaking frogs, and there’s a special appearance from Celestina
Warbeck and the Banshees, straight out of the books.
Snuggled in a hoodie with a cup of hot Butterbeer, I stood among a crowd staring up at the impressive silhouette of the castle against the night sky. Silence fell, as the Hogwarts ghosts began to materialise across the front of the school, singing slightly spooky Christmas missives and signalling the start of an incredible light show – The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle.
Known to millions as the most iconic piece from the Harry Potter score, the instantly recognisable Hedwig’s Theme began to tinkle out across the night as its eponymous heroine, Harry Potter’s owl, swept majestically over the towers. As the music swelled and the castle was lit up by snowfall, the electricity in the air would send a shiver of excitement down even the Grinch’s spine.
Yet more familiar faces appeared in their festive finery – Hermione and Viktor Krum waltzing at the Yule Ball, the Weasley twins on their broomsticks illuminating the whole castle with banners and posters for jokes and spells and, of course, Harry himself, with ever-faithful Ron tagging along.
As the finalé fireworks faded into the sky, it was time to get indoors for a warm, so we headed to meet that least Christmassy of fellows, The Grinch.
The Grinch is a recluse who lives in the mountains, doesn’t like Christmas or the residents of the town below (the Whos, who live in Whoville) and so, being a bit of a grump, decides to ruin their Christmas. Of course, he doesn’t count on cute little Cindy-Lou Who getting in the way…
Flexi-faced Jim Carrey played the Grinch to perfection almost 20 years ago, bringing Dr Seuss’s furry green meanie to a global audience, and despite his anti-Christmas sentiment he has become one of the world’s most beloved holiday icons.
At Universal this year, he is brought hilariously to life in a brightly bonkers musical theatre show, The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular, a condensed version of the Jim Carrey film, with plenty of rousing dance numbers and heartstring-tugging solos carving out the Grinch’s emotional arc.
With a running time of around half an hour, it’s an ideal treat for families of all ages, but especially, perhaps, for smaller members who don’t want to sit still for too long. Afterwards there’s even