There is a train up in Northern Arizona that operates year-round, making trips to and from Grand Canyon. During the holiday season the train undergoes a bit of a transformation and–with the help of Christmas magic–becomes the Polar Express. It sells out early in the year, and tickets can be hard to come by.
It is for that reason that I was incredibly excited to have been one of the lucky June planners who scored tickets for the whole family.
Last Thursday we left home en route for Phoenix, where we enjoyed dinner out and spent the night in a hotel. After breakfast on Friday morning we kicked off our little holiday celebration with a trip to see Disney’s A Christmas Carol in 3-D. There were a few parts where Jayce was a bit scared, but the bucket’o'popcorn in his lap helped to distract him.
After the movie we drove the rest of the way up to Flagstaff. After a hearty dinner at Cracker Barrel we were on our way, golden tickets in hand. The further north we went the more the temperature dropped. And by the time we had reached our destination I was hesitant to get out of the car because temperatures below freezing don’t suit me well. I sucked it up though, and we all threw our heavy coats on over our PJ’s (as is traditional attire for the Polar Express) and headed for the depot.
It was tough to get good pictures because of the lighting and the unwillingness of anybody in my family to pose for long stretches of time in the freezing air. Can’t say I blame ‘em.
The arrival of the train was announced over the loudspeaker and we took our places in line to board. We were greeted by attendants wearing white chef coats and hats, just like they do in the movie. As soon as everybody was seated they played the song about the “hot, hot, hot, cocoa” and came through the car passing out cookies and hot chocolate. Cassidy would have been pleased as punch if that had been all there was to it. But there was much more in store for us.
We made a short journey to the North Pole, which had been festively decorated with lots of twinkly holiday lights. Santa could even be seen waving from his sleigh full of toys.
And then the train stopped, and went in reverse. When we passed back by the sleigh, Santa had disappeared. He didn’t go far though; he boarded the train!
On the way back to the station the attendants walked the aisles showing pictures from the Polar Express book, as a read-aloud version played on the loudspeaker. Once the book had been read, we sang carols from a songbook that had been provided for us. And once we sang loud enough, the jolly guy himself made his way through the car handing out special gifts for all the children who believed.
It was really cute. And hopefully will make for a lasting memory for all the kids, even the big ones! ;)
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Precious! Now you have me even more excited about the party this weekend. So fun. Great pictures.
What a great experience for the kids… and for you, too, I can’t imagine how fun it was to watch their excitement.
How fun!
Adorable! The last picture of Jayce is priceless!!
The pictures from your journey are precious! Sounds like a lot of fun!!
I would so love to do that someday! Awesome pictures!
What a great family event! Way to go with the planning! And cute pjs.
That is so cool! I would totally plan a trip to AZ just for that, if we had the extra cash. What a great memory for everyone!
Wow…that is REALLY cool. I wish we had something like that here.
Oh my gosh, I so want to do that next year!!! If you don’t mind my asking, how much are the tickets? That looks like an awesome experience. I do love the picture with the texting action, though…not even Santa trumps texting your friends! :)
How cool! We actually just watched The Polar Express for the first time the other night! Great movie!
that’s great. It makes me wish my mother in law was not in such a hurry to leave arizona. Luckily my brother in law has one more year of school in flagstaff, maybe Haley would be ably to enjoy it by next Christmas.
My kids would go crazy for this. We watch the Polar Express every Christmas Eve.
Oh what a great trip. It looks like it was enjoyed by all.
Oh, that does look like fun! We have a train near here that does cool stuff like that, but we’ve never gone. I need to find the time next year.
How did everyone else fare at the movies?
Look at you and your cute pajammies! :-) That looks like a BLAST.
wow that sounds like so much fun. I can tell they really enjoyed it from the big smiles on their faces.
I love that you were in pajamas! The entire trip sounds fun. Coincidently my son’s school played “hot chocolate” from polar express last night in a concert.
Now that looks like fun!
A little kids dream come true. And if I’m being honest, it would be mine too!
Nell
You are SUCH a fun mom…and I love how you pre-plan these great memories for your family. Your kids are lucky to have you!
Also: you and Jeff are awesome for wearing PJs along with your kids. Love that.