
Disney World Cast Members Bring their Culture to the Holiday Decorations
The holidays are almost in full swing at Walt Disney World! Disney World Cast Members are hard at work getting all of the decorations made and installed at the parks and resorts. Over 40,000 individual pieces of holiday dรฉcor have been created!
Though the team decorates across the resort, the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll presented by AdventHealth holds an extra special place in the hearts of two Holiday Services cast members โ Kaawaloa and Gerardo โJerryโ โ who had the unique opportunity to combine their passion for Disney and their respective Hawaiian and Mexican cultural traditions into the making of the โMoanaโ and โCocoโ themed trees.
Related – Guide to the Holiday Food and Drinks at Disney Springs

Bringing a Touch of Home to the Disney Holidays
Kaawoloa, who has been with the team for eight years, is most proud of her work on the tree inspired by Disneyโs โMoana,โ drawing inspiration from her Native Hawaiian upbringing.
โIt feels like home,โ Kaawaloa said. โI love to get together with my family and make ornaments because I have memories of learning traditional techniques growing up, and I get to continue the tradition now with my work!โ
Kaawaloa helped select the specific types of flowers, shells and colors that would best represent the Island of Motunui. She used authentic Hawaiian lei crafting and fabric techniques that mimic the ocean water, and even took a basic boat the team had in storage and turned it into one of the canoes from Motunui!
โThe complexities and scale of our projects make for great learning experiences,โ Kaawaloa said. โWe work with so many extremely talented Disney cast members; someone is always there to lend a hand to bring dรฉcor to life.โ

Walt Disney World Cast Bring โMoanaโ and โCocoโ Inspired Dรฉcor to Life
Jerry, who has been with the team for six years, brought his Mexican heritage, family traditions and unique decorating techniques that he learned growing up to the Disney and Pixarโs โCocoโ tree.
โDecorating the โCocoโ-themed tree brought me back to when I was little,โ he said. โMy grandma and great-grandma took care of me, and they owned a flower shop, so I grew up surrounded by art and decoration. When I found out I could do that for a living, I felt like it was a natural move.โ
Using his memories of celebrating both Christmas and Dรญa De Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, with his family, Jerryโs goal for the tree was to make it look like โa party in the afterlife.โ He turned the tree into an authentic, colorful ofrenda, complete with hand-painted alebrijes and calaveras, offerings like fruit and shoes, and photos of the Rivera Family in intricate frames.

โWhen we get close to finishing a project, I always think about standing near the trees and hearing the guestsโ comments,โ Jerry added, โI feel really good inside knowing that millions of people from all over the globe visit Disney World just to see our dรฉcor!โ
These trees and more can be found on the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll presented by AdventHealth beginningย Nov. 10! Donโt forget to grab a complimentary map atย participating locationsย so you can seek out all the fun trees located throughout Disney Springs. And keep a lookout for new trees this year, including a tree inspired by Disney Animationโs upcoming feature, โWishโ โ in theaters Nov. 22!
Ready to plan your next Disney World visit? Contact me today! I am a travel agent with Destinations to Travel, my services are complimentary, and I’d love to help you plan a magical vacation.
















































