While one may not immediately equate Universal Studios with “Christmas vacation,” Universal Orlando Resort—which includes the theme parks Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay as well as various on-site hotels and the shopping district CityWalk—is pulling out all the stops this year, and it’s well worth the trip. While celebrating the holidays has been a part of Universal Orlando’s programming for years, 2017 marks the debut of not only Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but also an all-new, downright magical Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s.

For Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, both Harry Potter-themed lands—Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure and Diagon Alley in Universal Studios—have been decked out in holiday décor, all in keeping with the fictional Harry Potter universe. Additionally, Hogsmeade plays host to a truly jaw-dropping projection-mapping light show that transforms the stunning Hogwarts castle for seven joyous minutes.

With so much new content on tap to run from November 18th to January 6th for the entirety of Holidays at Universal Orlando Resort, I recently got the chance to preview Universal’s Holidays offerings for 2017 along with a group of other journalists, getting an up-close look at the new installations, parade, and much more. And you know what? It’s kind of great. I can honestly say if you or your family are thinking about venturing to Orlando for a holiday vacation, Universal’s cadre of new Christmas-themed additions—in addition to the attractions that remain there year-round—make it a trip well worth taking.

So below I’ve outlined a few more specific reasons why, if you’re looking to take a family vacation for the holidays, Universal Orlando is a swell choice of destination.

1. The Hogwarts Light Show Is Truly Magical

the-magic-of-christmas-at-hogwarts-castle-2
Image via Universal Orlando Resort

In the works for a year and a half, the creative team at Universal Orlando has put together a state-of-the-art light show each night in Hogsmeade from dusk until close that is a must-see for any Harry Potter megafan. Using projection mapping, new imagery is projected onto the Hogwards castle to make it look like it’s drenched in snow, adorned with Christmas trees, or taken over by a Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes marketing campaign in tremendous detail. The show runs about seven minutes in length, playing every 20 minutes or so, and features all-new arrangements of Harry Potter music, including the film score work of John Williams, Patrick Doyle, and Alexandre Desplat.

Not only does the castle continue to transform throughout the show (which includes segments featuring the Yule Ball, dancing ghosts, and much more—plus fireworks!), Hogsmeade around you also transforms. The existing trees are adorned with Christmas lights that ignite in sequential fashion, in concert with the music and light show. The entire section of Hogsmeade is dimmed for each show, and while the viewing area was packed on the night of the show’s debut, the Universal Orlando team did an impressively crafty job of moving people in and out—while the line to get in looked awful (like a traffic jam made entirely of human beings, filling the whole street of Hogsmeade), the wait to get up in front for the light show wasn’t more than 10 minutes.

During the light show, guests are still able to get to and from the rides Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff, and if you time your ride on the latter just right, you just may catch some of the light show from high upon the kid-friendly coaster.

The amount of hard work and attention to detail put into this show is really overwhelming, and for Harry Potter superfans like myself, it’s a pure delight to experience. Hopefully this is only the beginning of more projection-mapping events, because that castle looks incredible during this show.

2. Harry Potter World Goes Full-On Christmas

diagon-alley-christmas
Photo by Adam Chitwood

But The Wizarding World of Harry Potter isn’t just worth visiting at nighttime for the light show. Throughout the holiday season, both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley are decked out in Christmas lights and decorations that are a sight to behold. Garland graces windowpanes and storefronts, littered with shiny lights. Indeed, the entirety of the decorations were created and put up to look as though the townspeople themselves have decked the halls, so there’s an added touch of Harry Potter magic that makes this much more than just your average Christmas decorations thrown onto a façade. Moreover, as part of the Holidays celebration, Universal offers special themed menu items (more on that in a bit).

It’s a festive sight to behold, and it’s great to see the theme parks transformed for the holidays. The creatives involved in bringing Christmas to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter took inspiration directly from the source material, which highlights the holiday in each and every book, and now offer a comprehensively unique experience for a limited time. Even if you’ve been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter before, you’ve never seen it like this.

3. Hot Butterbeer

hot-butterbeer-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter
Image via Universal Orlando Resort

When The Wizarding World of Harry Potter first opened, one of the big selling points was the opportunity to buy and drink Butterbeer, the famous beverage from the books. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of the very sweet butterscotch-drenched drink, but a frozen version of Butterbeer was subsequently introduced that took some of the edge off. However, Universal may have nailed the best version of Butterbeer so far with hot Butterbeer. Indeed, Orlando can get quite chilly in the evenings, and cozying up with a warm cup of hot Butterbeer makes for the perfect drink of choice as you take in the Christmas lights and decorations adorning the world.

4. Music!

harry-potter-world-christmas-celestina-warbeck
Image via Universal Orlando Resort

In addition to decorations, a light show, and new food and drinks, the Christmas version of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter also offers some great variations on shows to enjoy while you’re shopping in Diagon Alley or waltzing up to Hogwarts in Hogsmeade. In Diagon Alley, staple Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees have brand new original songs to show off, including the soaring “Nothing Like a Holiday Spell” and the calypso-inspired “Accio Christmas.” The performance—which occurs at various intervals throughout the day—is incredibly entertaining, and it’s capped off by fake snow that glides down on the audience as the performance crescendoes.

And over in Hogsmeade, the Frog Choir—which is an a cappella group made up of Hogwarts students—has three brand new songs of their own, including the romantic “The Most Magical Yule Ball of All”. It makes for a fun watch, again amplified by the gorgeous decorations that surround the stage, coalescing to result in a truly all-encompassing and transformative experience at Hogwarts during Christmastime.

5. The New Holiday Parade Is Shockingly Great

universals-holiday-parade-macys-minion
Image via Universal Orlando Resort

A Holiday Parade has been a Universal staple for some time now, but for 2017 the entire event has gotten a complete makeover. Armed with all-new floats, music, and a heck of a lot of Christmas spirit, Universal’s Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s is kind of terrific. The 15 brand new floats are decked out with fancy LED lighting that really lets the attention to detail shine (look closely at Santa’s float and you may even catch a glimpse inside his house), the balloons tower overhead in grand fashion, and the all-new music is 100% pure Christmas magic. There are several different themed portions of the parade, from those lovable Minions to Shrek to Madagascar, but through it all there’s a strong focus on family and celebration. There’s a genuine warmth to the whole ordeal that I was not expecting, and while parades in and of themselves can be tedious affairs, you may just find yourself getting wrapped up in the emotionality of it all watching this one play out. I certainly did.

So yeah, theme parks aren’t just for summer vacation, and if you’re at all thinking of going to one for the holiday season, Universal Orlando’s offerings are positively delightful. In addition to the aforementioned new attractions, Holidays at Universal also features past staples like Grinchmas in Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure, concerts by Manheim Steamroller on select dates, and the on-site hotels—from Loews Sapphire Falls Resort to Cabana Bay Beach Resort—feature their own unique holiday decorations that continue the holiday spirit all the way back to your hotel room.

It’s truly an all-encompassing experience, combining the thrill-ride nature of Universal Orlando’s status quo with a unique, holiday spin. Even fans who make the trek simply to experience Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will no doubt find themselves transfixed by the park-wide decorations and swell parade. Truly, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

universals-holiday-parade-featuring-macys-image
Image via Universal Orlando Resort
the-magic-of-christmas-at-hogwarts-castle-1
Image via Universal Orlando Resort
universal-holiday-parade-featuring-macys
Image via Universal Orlando Resort
universals-holiday-parade-shrek
Image via Universal Orlando Resort