Thanks to a quirk in Disney’s financial year calendar, the first quarter of the company’s fiscal 2010 ended Jan. 2 — meaning it included the full benefit of the spike in travel surrounding Christmas and New Year’s. It also made for a favorable comparison with Disney’s fiscal first quarter last year, which ended on Dec. 27 and thus did not include results from the final week of the annual holiday rush.

That New Year’s swing was a big reason why Walt Disney Parks and Resorts managed to ring up better-than-expected results during this year’s first quarter, as operating income slipped just 2 percent (to $375 million) after several quarters of much sharper drops. But it’s also a big reason why Disney says hotel-room reservations for its second quarter (January through March) are currently running 10 percent behind last year, the weakest pace Disney has reported since the recession began.

In fact, Jay Rasulo, the former Disney parks chairman who recently became Disney’s chief financial officer, said the shift of that week around New Year’s added about $60 million of operating income to parks and resorts’ first quarter — about 16 percent of the division’s total operating profit for the period. Subtract that out, and operating profit at the parks division would have fallen nearly 18 percent from a year ago, rather than just 2 percent.

What’s more, Michael Nathanson, an analyst who covers Disney for Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., calculates the shift works out to about a $90 million revenue shift. Without the boost, he says, overall sales at the parks would have dropped 4 percent during the quarter, rather than remaining flat with a year ago.

Of course, as much as the New Year’s swing helped Disney’s theme-park comparisons during the first quarter, it will hurt comparisons during the second quarter. But there’s another calendar quirk that should help soften that hit.

Last year, the peak two-week travel period around Easter fell completely in Disney’s fiscal third quarter, but, this year, one of those two weeks falls in its second quarter. So while Disney’s parks will be hurt by not having New Year’s in the second quarter, they’ll be helped by having one week of Easter.

Still, Rasulo acknowledged, “I’m sorry to say that one week of Easter is not quite as profitable as one week of Christmas…Only a third or so [of the $60 million New Year's swing] will get added back.”

Children play at Celebration's 'Now Snowing' on Sunday. (Photo by Kristin Ford/Orlando Sentinel)

UPDATE: There will not be a New Year’s Eve bash at Celebration Town Center this year, but regular snowfalls and activities will be happening.

Visiting the Disney development of Celebration in December can be a lot of fun for kids — especially natives who have not grown up in cold climates. The big draw is “Now Snowing” — when soapy bubbles that resemble snow drift from machines mounted up high on Market Street, which is closed to traffic.

We have been going to the event for years, and each time we see kids delighting in the goopy stuff — dancing, playing tag and making ’snowballs’. This year, one ambitious boy even tried to make a snow angel in the mush covering the brick street. The snow falls every night in December at 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. and it is free.

In addition, there are quite a few holiday activities for families. You can see some of the beautiful Christmas lights by taking a ride on the children’s train, a carriage or a hay wagon. Stroll the surrounding streets yourself to take in the decorations and shops. Before Christmas, Santa is present to greet children.

And, of course, there are wonderful restaurants, such as the Columbia. We usually opt for the Market Street Cafe, a diner that is perhaps slightly more family friendly in its menu and prices. Plus, it has a great view of the holiday train, which is pre-dining entertainment for the kids.

The forecast in Celebration calls for snow through Thursday, Dec. 31.

Random thoughts on the newly styled “Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade.”

* That Nick Cannon is no Regis Philbin, although I didn’t particularly miss Reege, what with all the frantic jumping back and forth between Orlando and Anaheim.

* Stevie Wonder was fun to watch, and I was very pleasantly surprised by Yanni (!) and his singers. The castle stage was beautifully decorated to accommodate the group and they sounded great.

* It was nice to see familiar faces, both in the actual parade segments — I know some of those elves! — and the Encore cast choir got a lot of nice airtime, taped with Celine Dion, weirdly not in the Magic Kingdom but at the Grand Floridian.

* I said it before but lip-syncing seemed more noticeable than in years past.

* In case you didn’t hear, Disney wants you to volunteer a day of your time to a worthy cause. In return you get one day free park admission. How many times was this new program for 2010 mentioned?

* I was very surprised that Princess Tiana got rather short shrift. Very un-Disneylike not to push something new (see blurb above about volunteerism). She was briefly seen in a parade float, but Anika Noni Rose’s musical number was quite short with just the quickest glimpses of the dancers who perform in the parks’ special “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee” show. I was hoping for more!

Kelly Ripa hosts the annual holiday special, 2009 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, from Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. (Photo by Mark Ashman/Walt Disney World)

Don’t forget to watch the 2009 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade at 10 a.m. ET today on ABC. It’s hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest with “man on the street” spots by Nick Cannon. Portions of the show were taped at Disneyland and Disney World a few weeks ago.

In our Magic Kingdom, more than 5,000 ticketholders surrounded a circular stage in the castle hub to see Jonas Brothers perform their new song, “Summertime Anthem.” This was the first year for a “flash mob” scene to be filmed, and for those audience members to learn choreography for the taping.

Other performers include Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Kris Allen, Celine Dion, Stevie Wonder, Yanni, Anika Noni Rose and Steve Rushton with the Santa Buddies pups. Plus, Phineas and Ferb will make their first appearance in the parks; dance groups from across the country will perform; and new floats, such as the one from Club Penguin, will travel down Main Street U.S.A.

Donald Duck welcomes Princess Tiana to the Magic Kingdom in October 2009. Donald is the focus of one Sweden's annual Christmas traditions. (photo by Walt Disney World)

Today, while millions of people across the globe are making last-minute shopping trips, wrapping gifts and baking goodies in preparation for Christmas, there is a place where half the country sits down to watch Donald Duck cartoons. Seriously.

As much as we love Disney World and Disneyland, it’s not Americans who collectively watch Mickey’s pals on Christmas Eve. But in Sweden — every year since 1959 — at 3 p.m. on Dec. 24 about 50 percent of the population gathers to watch Donald Duck and His Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas, reports a recent Slate online post.

The author, who experienced the cultural event firsthand, describes Kalle Anka (the shortened name of the show in Sverige): “The show consists of Jiminy Cricket presenting about a dozen Disney cartoons from the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s, only a couple of which have anything to do with Christmas. There are “Silly Symphonies” shorts and clips from films like Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and The Jungle Book.”

During the viewing on public television, the country pretty much shuts down, he writes. Can you imagine that happening here — for a 51-year-old cartoon?

Read the fascinating story and also see a Kalle Anka clip here.

Santa Claus appears at the end of Mickey's Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, which is presented daily at 3 p.m. (Photo by Kristin Ford/Orlando Sentinel)

It’s not too late to get your child on Santa’s schedule for Thursday night, if his or her behavior finally merits it. At our house, it always goes down to the wire — that’s what the kids think anyway.

The folks at DisneyFun.com encourage you to send the name and upload a photo of your child here and you will receive a personalized message from Santa Claus in return. This looks like an easy way to get around the questions about why you never made it to the mall to see St. Nick in person.

If you are on Disney property, however, Santa is going to be popping in quite frequently during the next two days. As impossible as it might seem, Santa can be found today and tomorrow at Walt Disney World at these locations:

** Magic Kingdom: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (intermittently) daily in Town Square next to City Hall. The Jolly Old Elf also makes an appearance in Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade at 3 p.m.

** Epcot: 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., 4:10 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. and 6:50 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. daily at The American Adventure. Each country in the World Showcase also features storytellers who describe local holiday traditions. In many countries, the storyteller is a representation of Santa, such as Pere Noel in France and Father Christmas in England.

** Downtown Disney Marketplace: noon to 10 p.m. daily at Santa’s Chalet in front of World of Disney. (Santa Paws for Pets is not offered this year.)

** For hotel guests with children who must see St. Nick before he takes to the skies, he will work his magic and make it to most hotels between 5 and 9 p.m. Dec. 24. Look for him in the lobbies of Disney’s All-Star Music, All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports, Pop Century, Port Orleans Riverside, Coronado Springs, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, BoardWalk, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Villas-Kidani Village and Saratoga Springs resorts; at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort (Old Port Royale next to the tree), at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (4th floor) and at Disney’s Old Key West (Papa’s Den).

**Santa is also planning to be at Fort Wilderness at 7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve at the campfire location.

Don’t forget, annual passholders (without block-out dates), that you can now take advantage of the Christmas shows, parade and fireworks at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom.

I recently got back from Disneyland, where the Christmas extras are available to everyone throughout the holiday season. Here in Florida, of course, guests have to pay for the separate-ticketed “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party” event to see them for most of the season.

The week of Christmas, though, the holiday festivities move into regular park hours.

This week, “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade” is at 3 p.m., and the “Holiday Wishes” fireworks are at 10 p.m.

My favorite seasonal show, “Celebrate the Season,” is performed on the castle stage at 4:35, 7:15, 8:15 and 10:30 p.m.

The new show, “A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas” is performed at 3:40, 4:40, 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.

(photo from Walt Disney World)

The monorail play set wraps around this Christmas tree at Disney's Contemporary Resort. (Photo by Kristin Ford/Orlando Sentinel)

Visiting Disney’s deluxe hotels to see the holiday decorations has become an annual tradition for our family. And it’s a great thing to do when seasonal passholders are blacked out of the parks but still want a taste of the Disney holiday magic.

On Monday, we decided to visit the hotels on the monorail loop, beginning with the Grand Floridian. Visitors come by the busload to see the life-size gingerbread house situated in the lobby. The house is so detailed that it takes cast members more than two months to create the 5,089 shingles used in its construction, and it serves as a bake shop, selling replicas of the shingles and other holiday goodies. My kids look forward to the solid chocolate, character-themed lollipops each year, which they eat while we listen to live Christmas music.

In addition, the Grand Floridian has an enormous Victorian-themed Christmas tree in the center of the lobby. Seeing the change purses that adorn the beautiful tree makes me smile, remembering a few years ago when my son opened one, earnestly checking for forgotten cash.

From there, we headed to the Contemporary and stayed on the fourth-floor concourse, where we had dinner at the Contempo Cafe. It’s a less expensive option than Chef Mickey’s next door, but still allows your party to see the monorail speeding by overhead. Afterward, we browsed in the central gift shop, which has one of my favorite decorations — the futuristic Christmas tree decorated with the monorail play set. Then, we walked outside on the observation deck to see the giant wreath on the side of the hotel. We also had a great view of Cinderella Castle dressed in its Dream Lights and other Magic Kingdom attractions festively lit up.

We climbed back in the monorail and made our way to the Polynesian, where we saw a display of Disney gingerbread houses. The themes ranged from South Pacific to Disney movies, such as Up. These houses were more the size of what you’d create in your own kitchen. Then, we found Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto and Goofy were greeting guests in the lobby. C and L were excited to see their Disney pals in their tropical holiday attire and gave them big hugs.

Disney welcomes visitors who want to view the decorations, but know that you will need to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center. Because the hotels are so busy during the holiday season, parking is reserved for those staying or dining there.

'Snow' falls daily in December at 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. at Celebration near Walt Disney World. (Photo by Kristin Ford/Orlando Sentinel)

Looking for places to take the kids now that they’re out of school or ways to entertain the out-of-town guests? Here’s what’s going on at Walt Disney World and nearby Celebration this weekend to put you in the holiday spirit.

** Celebration: Radio Disney hosts a holiday concert Saturday with performances by teen star Justin Bieber at Celebration Town Center. Admission is free, and you have an opportunity to win a $100 Disney gift card. The festivities kick off at 6 p.m. with the first snow fall on Market Street. (“Now Snowing” continues at 7, 8 and 9 p.m.) Other activities include an outdoor ice skating rink on Bloom Street, the horse-drawn carriage rides, Celebration Express train rides and photos with Santa.

** Magic Kingdom: Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade (3 p.m.) and Holiday Wishes fireworks (10 p.m.) begin their run Saturday in the theme park as part of regular park admission. (Prior to Dec. 19, you had to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to see both.)

** Epcot: Whoopi Goldberg is the celebrity narrator today through Sunday at the Candlelight Processional at American Gardens Theatre (5:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 8:15 p.m.) The event is part of the general admission, though dinner packages include priority seating. Also, visit each country to learn about its winter holiday traditions and hear special storytellers.

** Hollywood Studios: The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights continues from 6 to 8 p.m. today through Sunday. The event is part of general admission.

** Animal Kingdom: Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade travels the streets at 3:45 p.m., and you can take photos of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in their holiday sweaters at Camp Minnie-Mickey beginning at 10:05 a.m.

A large mud fireplace, African-inspired light fixtures and rich woods adorn the soaring lobby of the Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World. Giant windows provide spectacular views of sunrises and sunsets over the animal-filled savannah. (Photo by Walt Disney World)

Animal Kingdom Lodge guests who return to the hotel for an afternoon break from the Disney parks can join cultural representatives from Africa to create unusual holiday ornaments. The activity takes place from 3 to 7:30 p.m. in the Jambo House lobby daily in December.

Unfertilized ostrich egg shells from Animal Kingdom Lodge and the neighboring theme park are crushed and then dyed into colorful pieces that guests glue onto animal-shaped ornaments. Glitter and beads personalize the mosaic-like ornaments, and they are hung by recycled telephone wire.

This activity is easy for family members of all ages to complete and sounds like a lot of fun. Making crafts is always popular with kids, and the more sparkle, the better.

The project is free, but a suggested donation of $5 per ornament goes to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Last year the month-long activity collected more than $10,000 for global efforts.