@Guillesmom
Hey there...
We first went for Christmas back in 2009. I remember coming on these boards and reading about how crowded it was during Xmas week and fearing that we had made a grave mistake. We figured we'd go for one year and try it out. It's Disney, after all.
Fast forward to this year and we're going for our 8th Christmas trip in 9 years.
Is it crowded?
Yes. It's the most crowded time of the year. Christmas is insanely popular at Disney due to the holiday break, the holidays, and the idea of being in the happiest place on earth during the happiest time of the year.
So why do you do it?
We're often asked this. Well, for us, it's become a bit of a tradition. At first family and friends would become annoyed that we'd be celebrating CHristmas and NYE in Disney. Now it's just accepted. "Oh, you're going to Disney again, right?"
We're an older family. I'm 28, my sister is 33, and my parents are in their 60s. My sister and I are both single, hard-working adults. My sister is a teacher and I work in NYC. My dad is retired and my mom is semi-retired. We started going when I was in college and it's remained a time for us to all be together. It "extends" Christmas a bit. Rather than Christmas being on 12/25, then going back to our normal lives on 12/26, we celebrate each and every day of our trip. The parks are still decorated and filled with music and cheer on 12/26 and so on... so it keeps us in the spirit.
HOW do you do it?
Long ride wait times, crazy-crowded parks—how do you do it? We just do. During our first trip we were overwhelmed. We learned in 2010, and by 2012 we had it down pat.
You can absolutely have an enjoyable Disney vacation, despite the crowds. For one, the mornings are never overwhelmingly crowded. For whatever reason, it doesn't get too crowded until 11am or so. By 1pm it's difficult to maneuver some areas and the wait times are higher than you've ever seen or experienced. That's when we leave the park, go back to our resort, and relax until dinner. After dinner we'll go back to the parks, depending on what's open late/has EMH.
I think Christmas week is perfect for seasoned Disney vets. You're not going to be able to see and do everything, so I don't recommend it for a first or even second trip. As long as you go in knowing what to expect, you'll be fine.
With that said, FP+'s are not impossible to secure. We've never had a problem, even traveling with 8 people this year. We ride 7DMT on Christmas Day, we've always gotten Frozen Ever After and TSMM, no problem. You HAVE to book at your 60-day window and book ADRs at the 180-day window, but you'll be fine. There's a lot of strategy involved, but it's not all that impossible. I book the most popular attractions first, regardless of dates (Flights of Passage on 28th, followed by 7DMT on 12/26, etc.)
So really...
It's up to you. Are you ready to spend a little less time in the parks and take a less-than-ordinary trip? Are you willing to put the hours into booking your trip and planning everything out? Then I see no reason why you can't pull it off.