Christmas Magic: The Polar Express

This past weekend we went on the Polar Express train hosted by the Vermont Children's Trust Foundation. The whole experience is based on the book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. It is a highly coveted event for young families around the region. Due to its popularity it can also be very hard to get tickets. Last year I unsuccessfully entered the lottery to buy tickets, so for this year I made the required donation to VCTF before June 30th to buy the privilege of not having to enter the lottery just to buy tickets. I wanted to make sure we got to do it before kids at school tell my son that Santa isn't real and some of the Christmas magic is lost.

When the day finally came, we got the kids in their most Christmas-y pajamas and headed into Burlington. Before boarding the Polar Express train, we had an early lunch/dinner at a seafood restaurant conveniently located between the parking lot and the train station. We saw other kids in pajamas there, so we were not the only ones with the idea.

To board the train we lined up in a large hall that was decorated with red and green spotlights. There were tons of kids in pajamas with their parents and everyone was excited and not sure what to expect. The conductor walked down the line saying hello to kids and told them to look out the train window to make sure their were no reindeer on the tracks.

The walk out to the train was magical. The sun had set so it was dark except for streetlights and a light snow falling to the freshly snow covered ground.

We boarded the train and sat at tables. The conductor, chef, and other helpers welcomed us and gave us Christmas carol song books. The lively conductor and chef in our train car led everyone to sing boisterously as we enjoyed cookies, Lake Champlain Chocolates, and hot cocoa.

 

My sister had recommended going when it was dark to preserve the magic more. I do think this was key because the train goes south for about 15 minutes before reversing and returning to the same station. As we got off the train the pathway was lined by elves who greeted kids by name (all kids were given nametags). This time we entered the main train station and were serenaded by a women's choir. The station was decorated like the North Pole and the kids were given mats to sit on so they could listen to an elf read The Polar Express. 

After the story was done we went up to the second floor of the station with elves high-fiving my son the whole way. Once at the top, he got to meet Santa. My son was bouncing around and could hardly contain his excitement. My daughter was a bit overwhelmed but happy and taking it all in quietly.

As we left some of the elves handed each of my kids a bell from Santa's sleigh, just like in the book. It really was magical.