Holiday Season Recap (2024)

January 7, 2025

I love the holiday season—the magic, the traditions, and the little moments that make it so special. Decorating the tree, picking out presents, cozying up with Hallmark movies, and spending time with family and friends are some of my absolute favorite things! Normally, though, pharmacy school finals take over my December, and I barely have time to enjoy any of it. But this year, I promised myself it would be different. Even though I felt a bit burnt out, I made it a priority to carve out time for the holidays—and I’m so glad I did!

If you know me, you know I love Hallmark Channel movies—of any season, but especially Christmas! I’m that person who starts watching their holiday lineup as soon as it drops in October. There’s just something about the magic of it all—the cheerful towns, the festive activities, and the heartwarming endings. This year, I feel so lucky to have had my own little lineup of holiday adventures, from visiting a winter tulip display to taking photos in the snow and even making a trip to Disney World during the holidays!

One experience I’d been dreaming about for months was visiting the Holland Ridge Farms winter display. I’d been there for their U-Pick Tulips in the spring, so when I heard they were creating a holiday wonderland, I couldn’t wait to go! December had been freezing cold, but the day after my last final exam, the weather was unexpectedly warm! I messaged a friend to see if she was free, and, to my luck, she was! We planned an impromptu trip to the farm, and of course, I had to bring my camera along to capture it! It was such a refreshing way to kick off the holidays and savor the season after a long, exhausting semester.

Walking through this tunnel was so cool!

These two images are my favorite!

Some photos with friends!

Love this one!

A few days later, it snowed! Enjoy a few of my favorite photos from this snowy session!

Some of my favorite photos are coming up! Growing up, my family and I would watch the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade together every Christmas morning. We always dreamed about visiting Disney during the holidays one day—and this year, we finally made it happen! I also brought my camera with me (just the Canon Rebel- I didn’t want to bring my main camera!). Although I enjoyed taking photos with my big camera, I also left my camera in the hotel room often so I could also focus on living in the moment.

We stayed at the Boardwalk Resort, and the lobby was beautifully decorated!

We visited all four of the parks across three days! We wanted to get as much done as possible, and that meant waking up early and waiting for the rope drop (and I still can’t believe I was in the Magic Kingdom park before 7AM)

One more iPhone photo that I really liked!

I’ve seen other photographers take this Dumbo image before- I’m so glad I got to take one!

Some nighttime images!

Lots of castle images coming up (and fireworks too!)

One evening, we walked around the Boardwalk Resort and took some photos!

A favorite!

A few other nighttime shots- the resort was so beautiful at night!

We woke up super early one day to take photos as the sun was rising (and to beat the crowds!)

We took the Skyliner to the Riviera Resort just to take photos with these beautifully themed walls!

We spent some time visiting the Gingerbread displays at different resorts (we visited the giant display at the Grand Floridian, but I didn’t bring my camera).

The Beach Club Resort display was so cool because the carousel actually moved!