All Aboard The Polar Express, without kids?

Alright, folks, gather ‘round, because I’ve got a story for you. A story about a Christmas train, and my husband, Joe, who needed more "magic" in our lives.

It all started, as these things often do, with a missed vineyard train trip earlier in the year. We could only reschedule during this year and the only trains left were The Polar Express! Now, for those of you who don’t have grandchildren, the Polar Express is a children's story about a magical train to the North Pole. 

Because we missed our earlier train, we planned to be super early for this one. We ate lunch in town and arrived at the depot about 4:00pm (an hour and a half early). The lot was decorated very cute but it didn’t come alive until about 4:30. The tree was huge and displayed an entire light show. They had a reindeer land and some cute cabins in addition to some great photo ops. I took a free shot next to the stationary train but if you wanted a head on shot taken by their photo hut, get ready to shell out $45 for one digital picture. I’m sure it was a cute picture that looks like you’re standing on the tracks in front of the engine but that’s more than Disney! They also had a gift shop and a concession stand but they didn’t sell coffee, hot chocolate, cider or anything else you would think of for a really cold evening. 

Key demographic: children. Key passengers on our trip: us. Two retirees, well past the age of believing in elves, packed into a train car with enough excited children to power a small city. I couldn’t help but feel like Miss Flanagan singing “little girls, little girls, everywhere I look there’s little”. Ok it’s not that we don’t like children BUT we didn’t have our precious grandbaby so our patience was a little more easily frayed. The website, in its infinite wisdom, did mention "festive pajamas" were encouraged. But I must have glazed over that statement because I missed it. All these grownups were walking around in pajamas and finally my lightbulb clicked! 

Even though this seemed like it was going to be excruciating, we decided to try to have some spirit and enjoy the trip for what it was. We were in car 1 after all. That was the presidential car. Family friendly but it was a little more luxurious and fewer pint sized cootie carriers. Yeah! The train itself was quite charming, I’ll admit. Decorated to the nines with lights and tinsel. It is not ADA! Getting on and off the steps were a little scary but once onboard, the seats were cozy, roomy, and comfortable. We did have to pass through a couple of other cars to get to ours and they were all cute in their own way but I was glad we saw other veterans bringing blankets with them because it was cold! The closer we got to the front of the train, the warmer it became and the nicer the seating. As we arrived in our car, we didn’t even need to wear our jackets anymore. A themed bag was already on our seats and contained two really nice Polar Express mugs. I’m glad I didn’t buy them in the gift shop. The staff were all incredibly enthusiastic for 5:30 on a Thursday afternoon. They served hot chocolate, which, I have to say, was surprisingly good. Though, trying to sip a hot beverage while avoiding a choreographed dancing chef is a skill I didn’t realize I possessed.

The servers enthusiastically mimed the reading of the story while turning the pages of a giant book like we were little kids getting a bedtime story. The train reached the North Pole as the story ended and you can see dancing elves and Santa in the distance. Then came the caroling. Oh, the caroling. Joe, bless his cotton socks, was singing along, and I was louder than most of the children. The highlight, according to Joe, was when Santa himself came through the car. He greeted each rider, listened intently to their wishes, and took family photos. The most adorable little boy was sitting across the aisle from me and he wanted a flashlight. Santa told him that he knew already and that it would be under the tree (um how does he know that?) and then the little boy’s sister asked for a dream house to which Santa said he would think about, lol. Santa gave each of us a believers bell which was surprisingly really high quality! 

One of the funniest moments was when two grown sisters were getting a picture with Santa and they had to push their little daughter out of the way of the shot. Oh it was funny, stop being like that. The child didn’t cry. Haha. After this excitement, the dancing chefs returned with more singing and dancing. One young man paused by our seat. "And what do you want for this Christmas?" he boomed, with a twinkle in his eye that suggesting he loves his job. I and the other 11 people in our car shook our silver bells with the gusto of a prospector who’d struck gold.

As we disembarked, surrounded by exhausted parents we could overhear conversations dreading the 2-3 hour drive home still-hyper children. I turned to Joe with my eyes still shining "Wasn't that just wonderful, So magical!" Joe agreed but said “Now, let’s go home before I spontaneously combust from holiday cheer." 

So, there you have it. The Polar Express, retiree edition. Would I recommend it? If you have grandchildren, absolutely. If you have each other, well, you might just find yourself on a "magical" adventure you never knew you needed. Just remember to pack your most comfortable pajamas and a good sense of humor. You’re going to need it. By the way, the gift shop was advertising a dinner and wine train through the piney woods. That sounds like potential!