Disney Store Holiday Wishes has returned to Disney Stores all over the country for 2016 with some changes.

The in-store event began last week and will continue to run nightly through Christmas Eve. The show’s hours change depending on the day of the week, as well as the store location, so be sure to call your local Disney Store before going. It seems like most stores will be holding the event around 6:30 or 7:30 p.m.

The store has been decorated for the holiday season. 

The trees are now projecting holiday-themed images. It may be hard to tell from the photos, but projected snow flakes fall on the trees as various Disney characters appear on and off.

The back of the store, where the theater screen is located, is where Holiday Wishes takes place. Cast members invite guests over to the screen for a chance to take part in the celebration.

While the audience waits for the show to begin, the cast members pass out Christmas ornament shaped post-it notes. The guests are asked to write a holiday wish on their ornaments and then hold on to them until Mickey provides further instructions.

When the countdown on the screen reaches zero, Mickey and Minnie take the stage (screen).

This part is pretty fun, as the kids started to get really excited to interact with Mickey and Minnie. The cast member converses with the two on the screen, and the exchange is pretty neat, provided the cast member has the script memorized.

Mickey asks the guests to cheer and stomp to help make Minnie’s star shine. After about a minute of continuos noise, Minnie’s star begins to glow.

This is where the experience was a little broken for us. The star on top of the christmas tree that stands to the left of the screen is supposed to shine at this point, however, this tree wasn’t cooperating.

Mickey then asks the audience to “hang” their ornaments on the tree to make their wishes come true.

From there the show ends. Mickey and Minnie wave goodbye and a song called “My Little Wish” plays in the background, while fireworks go off on screen.

While Disney Store Holiday Wishes doesn’t come close to some of the holiday entertainment offerings found in the parks, it’s certainly nice to have this show available for those that are unnamable to make the trip. The show requires a lot of audience participation, so what you put in is what you’ll get out. Though, if you have kids, it’s well worth a visit.

Jesse DeRosa