"" Writer's Wanderings: All Aboard The Polar Express!!

Thursday, December 08, 2011

All Aboard The Polar Express!!

It's five o'clock and I finish off my elf trappings by making my cheeks pink with my lipstick. Mine is not the whackiest elf costume on the block. In fact if you were to rate it with 10 being the craziest, mine would probably be there at 0. But it fits me--sort of a mix between Mrs. Claus and a pointy earred elf.

Bob, my trainman husband, has already donned his uniform. He looks quite handsome in it and the brass buttons we added to the vest and jacket have really set it off. He doesn't have a hat yet. Trainmen earn their hat when they have a hundred hours of volunteer work in.

I grab my large bag to store my coat in later, and a roll of paper towels. The towels are for wiping up the hot chocolate drips and any spills that might occur in the exitement of visiting the North Pole. They also help to wipe off the windows of the train when they begin to steam up from all the excited little bodies of children whose one wish is to see the big guy in red.

Arriving at the train yard, I park my car, say a silent prayer of thanks that it's dark early and no one saw me driving in costume, and scurry off to check in for my assigned car. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway becomes The Polar Express for the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is quite a transformation.

After a quick bite to eat, the train suddenly jolts and then steadily moves toward the station where we will pick up all the eager children and their families for the journey to the "North Pole." I join the other elves in my car and we ready everything for the storytelling, the hot chocolate/cookie partaking, and all the fun, singing, and games along the way.

It isn't long before our car begins to fill with eager voices and spirited Christmas energy. It's what fuels a little elf for the adventure ahead. . .

The Polar Express to the North Pole!
The Special Passenger

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