Polar Express
The Polar Express is one of my all-time favorite Christmas picture books. When I was a school librarian, I read it to second grade students every year. That’s the year that real doubt about Santa sets in for most of them.
The Grand Canyon Railway, run out of Williams, Arizona, has a Polar Express train that operates in November, December, and January. I had been two years ago with my son, his wife, and then three year-old Abby. We went up and back in one day. It’s a three hour trip from Phoenix.
This year I arranged for a trip to the Polar Express for me, Abby, and another of her grandmothers, Barb. Being cost conscious, I eschewed the hotel- tickets package and booked the tickets directly and used Expedia for the hotel, which served free breakfast. We saved over a hundred dollars! Barb and I are a good tag team with Abby. Both of us are secure in the fact that our granddaughter loves us and we don’t compete for her attention. We take turns with the nitty gritty details.
There was a snow storm a few days before our trip, so my son insisted that we take his huge truck with four wheel drive. Barb is used to driving trucks, and agreed to do all the driving. I picked Abby up from pre-school at 9:30 and we were on the road by 10. Abby has a DVD player and enjoyed “Beezus and Ramona” in the back seat. Barb and I chatted up front.
When we got ten miles from Munds Park, (25 miles south of Flagstaff,) there was lots of snow on the ground but the highway was clear. We stopped in Flag at a newly remodeled MacDonald’s. Abby enjoyed the new play area.
When we reached Williams, we had a hard time finding the train depot, even with the address and a Garmin. We finally drove to it, picked up our tickets, and easily found our hotel a few miles away. We rested for a few hours before going back to the depot. I entertained Abby while Barb drank a glass of wine and read. Good thing we went early as it is difficult to park. We boarded the 5:30 Polar Express. Abby was in her pajamas, as were most of the other children. There were quite a few family groups with adults and kids in matching jammies.
The chefs, in charge of the passengers, told us the rules. They passed out hot cocoa and large snikerdoocle cookies.
There was a gorgeous sunset as we pulled out of Williams.
We went through a “time tunnel” where the children were encouraged to yell to make the train travel faster. The time tunnel was needed to make the 7,000 mile trip to the North Pole.
The conductor, dressed like the one in the book, passed through our train car as the book was being read over the loud speaker.
Then the passengers and chef sang Christmas Carols. We finally arrived at the North Pole, at Santa’s village. The jolly old man was out there waving. The train turned around and stopped long enough for him to come aboard. Santa went through each car and gave each child a silver bell. (And some adults like me and Barb who asked for one.)
It was cold for us desert rats when we got off the train at 7:15. We went to a restaurant for dinner but ate quickly as we saw that Abby was fading fast. Barb did the getting to bed thing with Abby and got up with her early the next morning. When I got up, I took Abby to the breakfast room of the hotel so Barb could get back into bed for some leisure.
We finally all got coordinated and went outside in the fifteen degree weather to build a snowman. Barb grew up in southern California and I in New Jersey. She deferred to me as the snowman expert. The snow was too powdery to make a big snowman, but we found some packed balls in the snow that had been plowed. We used goldfish crackers to make the face. I helped Abby and another child build it. Just as quickly they knocked it down.
Abby had fun lying in the snow, making angels.
She ate snow, tromped in it, and had a great time. We went back through Flag to pick up some yummy bread at The Village Baker and again visit the MacDonald’s and its playground.
Abby was unbelievably well behaved. As were Barb and I. I hope to make a book about our trip and publish it on Blurb.com. Barb and I are looking forward to taking our youngest granddaughter, Savannah, in a few years. It’s great being Granny Annie.