The Living with the Land attraction’s seasonal “Glimmering Greenhouses” overlay officially debuted on November 24 in conjunction with the commencement of the 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. While several of the educational boat ride’s yuletide decorations were added last week, additional trinkets have been added in recent days, including a number of garnishments new to this year’s overlay. The Living with the Land – Glimmering Greenhouses version of the attraction will be available to ride through December 30.
Living with the Land – Glimmering Greenhouses Returns
Living with the Land was an opening day attraction at EPCOT Center, launching alongside the park on October 1, 1982. The second half of the boat ride allows guests to traverse through several functioning greenhouses and a section focused on aquaculture; it’s this portion of the attraction that receives some festive touch-ups during the holiday season.
Living with the Land has long received a holiday overlay, of sorts, with Walt Disney World Resort first starting to market it as a substantial festive offering in 2019. The holiday refresh was dubbed “Merry and Bright Nights” that year, holding onto that moniker until it adopted the “Glimmering Greenhouses” name in 2022.
Guests first encounter seasonal decorations in the tunnel through which they exit into the greenhouse, as multi-colored lights have been added to the passageway.
Rainbow-hued pebble lights have been embedded in the sand along both sides of the track in the first greenhouse. We highlighted these, along with all of the other festive accessories that had been added to that point, in a November 17 update.
The decorations installed to that point were largely holdovers from last year’s overlay, and additional returning trinkets, like the oversized Glimmering Greenhouses ornaments, have been scattered throughout the attraction in recent days.
At night, the scene is alight with holiday magic, and thousands of twinkling lights.
The beloved sand snowmen have also returned for this year’s rendition. The picturesque family stands in their typical spot near the breadfruit tree, which, like most of the other trees throughout the attraction, is wrapped with holiday lights.
The lights in the sand and color washes light up the whole scene when you ride at night.
Guests encounter another returning display shortly after saying hello to the snowmen, as there are tables loaded with festive treats on the other side of the track. Cookies, hot cocoa, and a yule log sit on the tables, looking incredibly appetizing as guests pass by.
At night, the inviting glow makes the whole scene feel very cozy.
It’s at this point that riders come across the first of several decorations new to this year’s overlay. Large, vibrantly-colored signs are now placed into or atop the ground throughout the attraction; this one depicts The Land pavilion’s icon in a vivid green hue.
Most of the icon’s green interior is translucent. The pale green material that outlines the actual logo looks as though it will light up in the dark.
At night, the logo is still vibrant in the dark, with lights shining through the translucent panels.
Guests then enter the ‘aquacell,’ or fish-farming portion of the attraction, but not before getting a closer look at two festive fruit wreaths.
The wreaths flank the tunnel entrance. They contain bananas, lemons, and limes, among several other fruits.
The fish in the aquacell have caught the holiday spirit, as their tanks are lined with festive lights.
One of several Hidden Mickeys in the Living with the Land attraction has been made a bit more noticeable as part of the overlay, as the coiled hose easter egg in the aquacell has been surrounded by a Mickey-shaped light that changes colors. It’s also surrounded by wrapped holiday gifts.
Wreaths have also been added to the ends of the tiered tanks toward the end of the aquacell. They’re new for this year.
Riders encounter the returning Reindeer Mickey topiary immediately after exiting the aquacell. The Mickey-shaped plant is a staple of the attraction, but it, like the ride itself, has received a festive facelift.
Additional decorations have been added to the topiary, with the large gold ornament in the middle of his face and the antlers between his ears giving Mickey the appearance of a reindeer.
A fruit and vegetable-themed display is situated just after the Mickey topiary. Stockings hang alongside mesh bags of oranges from the top of the arrangement. Wrapped holiday gifts surround the tiered table that contains bowls of fruits and vegetables. Though specific foods and gifts appear in slightly different locations, this display is largely unchanged from last year.
A nearby coffee-themed display gives a jolt of energy to this year’s overlay. The new arrangement features jars of coffee beans alongside a French press, wrapped gifts, and bow-adorned bags of “The Land Coffee Co.” branded bags, which themselves were just added to the attraction earlier this year.
Additional festive wreaths are scattered throughout the ride, with several featuring their corresponding crops or flowers.
Sticking with the ‘citrus’ motif, a large multi-shade orange ornament has been added near the nine-pound lemon trees. The sign is, aptly, orange, and depicts both an orange slice and a whole fruit.
The bulk of the trinket is see-through, bordered by a pastel-orange outline that, presumably, will light up during night-time ride-throughs.
Guests pass more wreaths en route to a large vegetable display and another illuminating “The Land” icon.
The last of the new semi-transparent decorations is found near the nutmeg, which is one of several crops labeled with unique “Glimmering Greenhouses” signage. The final trinket depicts a pink holiday cookie and a circle with a spiral design (presumably a peppermint candy).
The pastel pink border around the ornament is ridged, suggesting that a bite has been taken out of the festive treat.
The cookie decoration appears among several multi-colored glowing orbs, which are scattered throughout the final greenhouse.
The arrangement in front of the Biotechnology Lab has been slightly modified from last year, now containing a stack of wrapped gifts as opposed to the previously present plain potted plants.
Stockings have been hung atop the Biotechnology Lab window alongside additional trinkets and a circular Mickey decoration, with large ornaments and garland sitting across the windowsill. The Biotechnology Lab decor is largely unchanged from last year.
The final display appears on the right-hand side of the track immediately before entering the exit tunnel. It contains holiday gifts, a “The Land”-branded throw pillow, and a pair of slippers in front of a vintage chair.
The exit tunnel contains the same festive lights as the passageway through which guests enter the initial greenhouse.
See our full video of the Living with the Land — Glimmering Greenhouses overlay below.
The 2023 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays runs through December 30.
Will you be checking out the Living with the Land – Glimmering Greenhouses overlay this holiday season? Let us know in the comments.
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