Hey Melanie!
You are going to love the beautiful decorations and holiday happenings at Walt Disney World during your visit. This year, the holiday decorations will likely to start going up around the weekend of November 7 as the first occurrence of
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is November 8. I expect the resort and parks to be fully decorated by Thanksgiving Weekend. Some items, such as the Magic Kingdom icon tree in Town Square, can not be put up until after the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade is taped in early December.
You are correct that Disney's Hollywood Studios does close periodically for special parties. These dates can be pretty easy to find with a little detective work. When consulting the
Park Calendar you will notice there are dates (such at the day before you arrive, November 17) where the park closes at 4:00pm. This is a good indication that something special is happening there after hours.
I hope this helps with your planning. If you have any more questions about celebrating the holidays or any other aspect of your Walt Disney World vacation please come back and see me.
Wishing you a
*MAGICAL* vacation and a pixie-dusted day!
Sue N., IN