It felt like Halloween lasted forever this year — but overnight, literally, Walt Disney World went from spooky season to ‘tis the season. The transition took a week at Disneyland, but now the holidays are in full swing at both resorts. Here’s everything you need to know. 

At Walt Disney World, the offerings are even more extensive, and run through Dec. 31. Magic Kingdom is the most heavily decorated, and also gets a special “Frozen Holiday Surprise” show in front of Cinderella Castle. 

Starting Nov. 24, Epcot opens the International Festival of the Holidays, including daily appearances by Santa, holiday storytelling in the different country-themed pavilions in the International Showcase, the Candlelight Processional and — what everyone is coming for — the Holiday Kitchens around the park, which serve Disney twists on festive international foods. This year’s kiosks include Nochebuena Cocina, Le Marché de Noël Holiday Kitchen in the France Pavilion, Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen in the Japan Pavilion and the Yukon Holiday Kitchen in the Canada Pavilion. You can see every menu on the Disney Parks Blog.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom park gets seasonal decor, a Merry Menagerie of puppets on Discovery Island and a nighttime “Tree of Life Awakenings Holiday Edition” show.

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Tower of Terror gets festive nighttime projections, “Toy Story” characters in holiday costumes and Minnie’s Holiday Dine at the Hollywood & Vine restaurant — in addition to a brand-new special ticketed event called Jollywood Nights. (More on that below.)

One of Disneyland’s oldest and most iconic rides gets a dramatic — some might say nightmarish — holiday makeover. From September to January, Haunted Mansion becomes Haunted Mansion Holiday, a totally reskinned ride that changes the storyline from a house filled with “999 happy haunts” to one where Jack Skellington has taken over the mansion, turning it simultaneously into Halloween and Christmas. It’s not clear when the holiday overlay will end — last year it stayed open past the Jan. 7 end of the holiday season. This season, when it closes, Haunted Mansion is scheduled to undergo a massive refurbishment of its ride queue and get a gift shop at the ride exit.

The other ride that gets a huge holiday makeover is it’s a small world, which becomes a celebration of holidays around the world. Expect that ride to close sometime in mid-January to return to its original version. 

At Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Jungle Cruise becomes Jingle Cruise, and Space Mountain gets holiday-themed lighting and music. In Epcot, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind gets a new song in the mix, an original, Rocket-inspired holiday bop, and Living with the Land sees the addition of twinkling lights and some holiday touches to its ecologically minded boat ride. 

There’s no special ticketed event for the holidays at Disneyland this year like the annual Oogie Boogie Bash at Halloween. There is, though, a special guided tour, called Holiday Time at the Disneyland Resort, which is a walking tour of Disney history and holiday traditions that includes reserved seating to the Christmas Fantasy Parade and holiday treats.

At the Festive Foods Marketplace, food kiosks serve Disney twists on traditional holiday foods from around the world, like mac and cheese kugel, barbacoa tamal de res, maple hazelnut hot buttered rum and Impossible chicken curry bites. There are also performances throughout the day, like the Holiday Toy Drummers, the Mostly Kosher band, and the Blue13 Dance Company. Santa is available for holiday photos in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, and the ¡Viva Navidad! street party has mariachi musicians and folklorico dancers.

At Walt Disney World, there are two different special ticketed events. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, in Magic Kingdom, runs on select nights through Dec. 22. This event shuts down the park to regular ticket holders, and part of the appeal of the event is experiencing Magic Kingdom’s rides with drastically reduced lines. The rest of the appeal is that the already wonderland-y vibe of the park doubles down on the holiday magic. There’s a special musical performance in front of Cinderella Castle, called “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration,” Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show. Plus, there are holiday foods like red velvet waffles with peppermint ice cream and characters like Santa Claus who only come out for the party.  

This year, Hollywood Studios is debuting Disney Jollywood Nights, a more adult-focused ticketed event that runs on select nights through Dec. 20. The first-ever holiday event at Hollywood Studios, Jollywood Nights will feature a live Broadway-inspired show with Muppets, a “Nightmare Before Christmas” singalong and a cocktail party that’s a recreation of the Tip Top Club, the jazz club from the Hollywood Tower Hotel on the night it was struck by lightning and became the Tower of Terror attraction in the park today. Translation: They’re all ghosts, and like in the Haunted Mansion, they’re “dying to meet you.”

There’s no way to sugar coat this: The Disney holiday crowds are among the biggest of the entire year — but for good reason. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of standing in a flurry of gingerbread-scented “snow” while the lights of Main Street glow around you and festive music rings out from all around.

If you’re planning to go, buy your tickets and make your park reservations well in advance, and take advantage of the option to purchase Genie+ in the same transaction. That way, even if the service does sell out, you’ll be covered, and be guaranteed to skip at least a few long lines.