The Christmas Tribute Store is now open at Universal Orlando Resort. This themed store is where guests can purchase holiday merchandise and treats, plus search for Easter eggs among the holiday decorations. It’s located in Hollywood section of Universal Studios Florida, across from Five & Dime.
Christmas Tribute Store
Earl’s RV
Outside the store is Earl’s RV. Earl the Squirrel is Universal Orlando’s holiday mascot. According to legend, a squirrel once bit through the lights on the Universal Studios Florida Christmas tree. Team members named him Earl and the rest is history.
There are for lawn chairs outside the RV, perfect for a photo op. On top of the RV is a tree and plastic blow mold decorations. It has a poster advertising the tribute store — “Come Visit Earl & Gerg’s Nutcracker Lodge and Emporium & Museum & Car Wash.” Wreaths hang on the windows.
The exterior is covered in bumper stickers, mostly based around Earl’s holiday adventures. This one reads “The Rock of Mystery Down the Road from Earl-lando.”
Some advertise Earl’s Tree Farm. A few say, “I Got Drenched at Mistletoe Falls at Earl’s North of the Border.” One reminds guests to pick up their trash.
The RV and Tribute Store also reference Gerg the Llama. Gerg first appeared in the 2022 Holiday Tribute Store, where a llama decoration had a “Gerg” collar tag. He’s frequently mentioned in connection to Earl’s North of the Border.
Exterior – Tribute Holiday Market
The entrance to the Tribute Store is between Schwab’s Pharmacy and The Darkroom façades. It resembles a winter lodge with garland and wreath decorations.
A sign above the day reads, “Tribute Holiday Market.”
In the windows are wooden Christmas trees featuring holiday merchandise like these Hello Kitty items.
Room 1 – Workshop
The entrance area is a workshop with workbenches, blueprints, and partially-built toys (mostly nutcrackers).
A board near the door features a map of Mistletoe Valley. Sticky notes point to “Home” and “Landing Site.” There’s an advertisement for a wooden sculpture competition with a squirrel theme, alongside designs for an Earl toy prototype. There’s also a snowman toy design and Holiday Market poster.
A wood-carved “Merry Christmas” sign is above the board.
It seems the owner of the workshop has stepped away in the middle of building a rocking horse, which sits on the workbench in front of a snowy window.
Another bulletin board includes designs for a reindeer, the rocking horse, and carolers. There are November and December calendar pages with Thanksgiving, Sculpture Day, and Christmas labeled. A Bigfoot “Believe” sticker is a reference to the cryptid-inspired 2025 Mardi Gras Tribute Store.
There are references to a Mr. Evergreen, described as a “wealthy stranger” who arrived with “nothing but a briefcase and pack”. He purchased the old logging cabin near Glistening Falls. This newspaper clipping from the Mistletoe Post also includes the headline “Gerg: The Movie – A Retrospective.”
Nearby is a poster for Mistletoe Valley Holiday Market depicting the Northern Lights over a mountain with waterfalls.
More toy designs are on a crate.
In the corner is another workbench and tools. There are shelves of toys, several unpainted.
On the workbench are unpainted nutcrackers.
Buckets hold broken or yet-to-be-installed nutcracker pieces.
The toys on the shelves include a sleigh with a monkey plush, a small rocking horse, a squirrel, a Jack-in-the-box, and various dolls.
The nutcrackers are alongside spaceships, wooden vehicles, and a plane. The shelf below has a dinosaur figure and rolling shark, possibly to reference Jurassic Park and Jaws, both subjects of previous Tribute Stores.
Guests exit the workshop into Mistletoe Valley.
Room 2 – Mountains
The shelving units feature faux rocks and snow, with mountains and trees rising behind them. Illuminated garland and lanterns hang from some of the shelves.
The room is cast in blue light and the Northern Lights are projected on the walls and decorations.
There are barn owl and great-horned owl figures among the snow-covered trees.
Next to the workshop window is a snow figure of the Grinch with a Christmas tree. A sign points to Glistening Falls in .5 miles.
The falls are in the center of the room. A rocky wall has a pair of white “frozen” water falls with interior and exterior lighting effects making them look more realistic.
Decals on the floor look like a partially-frozen river leading to the next room.
This room offers How The Grinch Stole Christmas merchandise. There’s a “Merry Grinchmas” banner above one set of shelves. Some of the garland has Grinchmas adornments like hearts inspired by the Grinch’s growing heart.
Another Holiday Market poster is on the outer wall of the workshop. It advertises “Gifts from across the Universe” and Earl & Gerg’s Nutcracker Emporium. Also note the trim on the workshop building which has elements like an acorn, llama, spaceship, and alligator head.
Next to the doorway leading out of this room is a “Town Center 2 Miles” sign.
Room 3 – Town Center
And sure enough, the town center is through the doorway (not quite 2 miles away). A frozen fountain is in the center of the room. Silver and red tinsel is spread out across the ceiling.
Some Christmas and Hanukkah merchandise is displayed on the tiered fountain. In addition to generic Universal holiday merchandise, this room also has Minions, Hello Kitty, and more Grinch holiday merchandise.
There are more Mistletoe Valley Holiday Market posters and ads for the wooden sculpture competition. A vintage-style poster advertises Gerg Nog. There’s also a missing sign for a “Lost Yote” who answers to the name Philip.
The shelving units in this room resemble buildings with sloped roofs. Each section has themed garland. There are more hearts with the Grinch merchandise.
Minion figures are atop hose respective shelving units. The walls of the room feature fencing and pine trees.
There’s a flyer for Mega Video, a featured faux business in the 2024 Summer Tribute Store.
See where Gerg built his fortune at Gerg Mine or “Find your own serenity” at Mt. Eichel, a “Universal escape.”
Behind a retro Flexible Flyer sled is a poster for A Christmas Earl, ostensibly starring Earl the Squirrel as everyone in A Christmas Carol.
Mr. Tape of Mega Video is also pictured above one of the merchandise displays with a “Happy Holidays!” sign and retro TVs. The garland on that display is packed full of Easter eggs.
There are film reels, sparkly silver ornaments, and strings of popcorn, plus VHS cases for various Universal movies. Most of these have been featured in Tribute Stores and/or former Universal Studios Florida attractions. Pictured above are E.T., Back to the Future Part III, and Jurassic Park.
The other VHS tapes — some of which are full-sized and some of which are small ornaments — are for the Woody Woodpecker film Wild and Woody, Jaws, and Ghostbusters.
Between shelves of Hello Kitty merchandise is a Hello Kitty “snow” sculpture. Ski poles lean against the fence behind and there’s a red Christmas tree covered in Hello Kitty decorations.
Matching Hello Kitty garland runs across the shelving units. It features flat candy canes and snowmen, holly, and Hello Kitty images.
Room 4 – Earl & Gerg’s Nutcracker Lodge and Emporium & Museum & Car Wash
The entrance to the next room is a red and green lodge facade with peppermint striping, lights, tinsel, and images of Earl and Gerg. This is finally Earl & Gerg’s Nutcracker Lodge and Emporium & Museum & Car Wash.
As promised, the lodge room is full of nutcrackers of all different sizes. They are on wall shelves, atop merchandise displays, on the brim of another giant nutcracker.
Garland is on the ceiling beams. Various colorful garlands are on the displays. Nutcracker bunting also hangs across the room.
If these life-size nutcrackers look familiar, that’s because there were all part of last year’s Earl’z March of the Nutcrackers scavenger hunt.
A framed photo on the wall suggests the San Francisco Candy Factory nutcracker took a job at a cafe during the off season.
The giant nutcracker head doubles as a fireplace, with faux fire crackling on a screen behind the nutcracker’s teeth.
One wall is a photo op for guests to join Earl & Gerg’s “Epically Curated Collection of Nutcrackers.” There’s a nutcracker outline on a chalkboard with “You Go Here” and arrows pointing at it. Guests can stand against the outline, surrounded by shelves of nutcrackers.
Universal later added a familiar face to the nutcracker line-up. This “delightful freak” is Ygor from Epic Universe.
Earl and Gerg have created and altered various signs advertising their wares. Two say, “Yule B Sorry You Missed These Dealz” and “Savings so Crazy….They’re Nuts!”
One sign reads, “New Used Wreaths 4 Sale $20 Sold Out.”
A sign near the exit of this room points into the next room, advertising “Earl’s Treetz.”
Room 5 – Treats
Sure enough, the next room houses the Tribute Store’s usual confectionery case. Here’s the menu.
- Macarons – $4 (buy 6 for $20)
- Chocolate Pretzel – $6
- Marshmallow Pop – $6
- S’More Pop – $7
- Whoopie Pie – $7
- Sugar Cookie Sandwich – $8
- Chocolate Cookie Sandwich – $9
- Gingerbread Cookie Sandwich – $9
- Cupcake – $9
- Caramel Apple – $13
- Trifle Cake – $13
This room is also decorated. There’s a closet overflowing with decorations and nutcrackers. It even has a “Danger: Closet Full” sign.
More framed photos depict Earl collecting his nutcrackers.
More March of the Nutcrackers figures are in this room. The Mouse King is on top of a shelf, lying horizontal.
The red and green shelving units are lined with garland featuring purple, pink, and green ornaments. There’s a vintage-style poster inspired by The Saturday Evening Post‘s Santa Claus cover. It’s instead The Universal Evening Post with Santa Earl.
A sign declares “Arbor Day Dealz Just Around the Corner.”
Between two displays is a glass case holding the “World’s Smallest Nutcracker.”
Two magnifying glasses are set up pointed at the tiny figure.
Another glass case holds a Santa Claus doll riding a festive lion.
There’s a Santa Claus nutcracker with red glowing eyes in another case. It has warning signs — “Probably Should Not Open” and “Shhh it is sleeping.”
On the wall above the case is “Caution Do Not Speak Their Name” and “Positively No Holiday Song Singing.”
A tarot card taped to the case is for The Red Squirrel.
Inside the case are keys labeled “This Case.”
Room 6 – Checkout
The final room is where guests can finally purchase their many holiday souvenirs. Like most of the other rooms, this one is full of illuminated garland.
There are snowflake, acorn, and tree characters. The wallpaper is patterned with trees, squirrels, and string lights.
In the corner of the checkout area is a nutcracker holding a “Santa Wanted” sign. Applicants must have their own (fireproof) suit and “holiday cheer,” be good with children, work holidays, and not be allergic to pine or chainsaws. Behind the register is a giant Earl the Squirrel flat.
This nutcracker was in Island Market and Export Candy Shoppe last year. It previously held a cane and had a gummy bear on its hat.
There are more Earl photos, including one in front of the Universal Studios Florida archway and another outside the burning windmill from Frankenstein (1931).
Speaking of Frankenstein, the last recycled nutcracker is inspired by Frankenstein’s Monster. It’s located next to a Christmas tree near the exit.
The photos on the wall include one of Earl finding the Frankenstein nutcracker in Dark Universe at Epic Universe.
Video Tour
Watch our full tour of the 2025 Christmas Tribute Store:
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