The Polar Express

Last night we went on the Polar Express! If you are familiar with Chris Van Allsburg's Caldecott Award-winning children's book and the movie based on the book, you know that the story is about a nighttime train ride to the North Pole where children get to see Santa and his elves in action.

This is an illustration from the book

Van Allsburg's Polar Express is an old-fashioned steam train that takes children to the North Pole on Christmas Eve to meet the red-suited gentleman and to see him off on his annual sleigh ride. This is a personal retelling of the adult storyteller's adventures as a youngster on that train. The book's message is for young and old alike - belief keeps us young at heart - if you believe, you too will hear the ringing of the silver bell that Santa gave him and taste rich hot chocolate in your ride through the wolf-infested forests of reality. Van Allsburg's express train is one in which many of us wish to believe.

In our area, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad offers its version of the Polar Express - a 2 hour round trip train ride where the story is told to pajama-clad children just like in the book. This holiday program has been enjoyed by thousands over many years. At the "North Pole", through train windows, children see holiday characters, the silhouettes of elves hard at work, and Santa. It is so popular that you have to get in a lottery starting August 1st of each year, just to get tickets.

This is the actual train we rode

We went with Kellie, Dawson, and Kellie's mom. Thanks to Kellie, we got the tickets last week from someone she knows who wasn't able to use them. We hear that something like 32,000 people will ride the Polar Express this year with 10,000 others who didn't receive tickets in the lottery.As we arrived at the station we could see lots of other people waiting in their pajamas to board the train. When it stopped the conductor called, "All aboard". We found our seats as we were greeted by three elves for Grace's first train ride. The elves told the Polar Express story and shared hot chocolate and cookies with us until we got close to the North Pole. Grace really like Elf Janet who was wearing a necklace that lit up! Then, all the lights went out and outside the windows we could see tons of elves, reindeer, snowmen, Christmas trees, and colorful lights at the North Pole. There was a candy cane factory and a toy factory right near the train station! Santa even drove by our train in his sleigh!Pretty soon the train started moving again and we sang Christmas carols all the way back home. I think Grace and Dawson heard that a special someone boarded the train at the North Pole. They kept getting up an looking for him.But when Santa finally came into our train car and picked Grace up this is what happened! He gave us a magic bell from his reindeer, but that didn't seem to make her feel better until after he put her down.

Even though Grace was afraid of Santa we had a really nice time. But, I think for the rest of 2008 this will be the only type of Santa we get close to!