Riding the Polar Express into Christmas

The Polar Express

All aboard the conductor yells and with a clanging bell and a shrill whistle the dreams of Christmas begin and are fulfilled in a young boy's life--so the story goes.

Today is the day after Black Friday and the traditional Christmas decorating day for my family. Trees will be erected and decorated and the Thanksgiving turkey will make its last ride back into storage for another year. 

The Polar Express on the Rails

The Polar Express has become one of the iconic Christmas stories. We have been reading it on Christmas Eve for many years--since 1986 when the story won the Caldecott Medal. We ave loved the story and the magic which it recreates in our hearts every time we read it. Can you still hear the bell?

This year, I finally have my own Polar Express train set to set up under our Christmas tree. I also have these awesome images of a "real" Polar Express riding the rails sent to me by a friend from Colorado. This is the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad version of the Polar Express.

It is time to put away the turkey, make some soup with the leftovers, break out the cocoa and the Christmas decorations and get to work. The Polar Express is ready to ride the rails into my living room and my heart. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD