We went on the North Pole Express and saw Santa this past Sunday night. My friend Kathryn reminded a group of friends and I this fall to buy tickets and asked if we wanted to go on the same date. The tickets sell out early so I am glad she reminded us to get tickets this fall or we wouldn’t have been able to go!
It turned out to be a very cold evening on Sunday. Well, not Wisconsin’s definition of cold, but cold for Texas. It was in the mid twenties, but with the wind it felt like it was in the teens. That is cold for us here in the Dallas area! Last year Brielle and I went and we had a train car with no heat. It was frigid. I knew that this year would feel even colder, even with a heated train car. I had bought snow suits for my kids- we hope to go skiing in the new year. They all got to wear their ski coats and snow pants on Sunday. I didn’t hear a single complaint about them being cold! Brielle wore the fur hat my Mom had purchased overseas and gave me. China or Russia, I can’t remember where, as she has been to both.
The North Pole express is a cool experience. You go on a train ride that departs and returns from Grapevine, TX. Grapevine is proclaimed the Christmas capital of Texas. They have all the train cars decorated and Mrs. Clause came aboard to visit each and every passenger. After the train ride we took a short walk to a large tent where Santa and his elves put on a little show. The walk is neat too because they make it snow for all the guests!
We had a number of families meeting up for the train ride on Sunday night, but we seemed to get separated. A piece of advice if you are meeting others, wait for one another before entering the tent to get in line for the train. Once you enter the tent they assign you your train car and if your whole group isn’t together then it becomes difficult to get on the same train car. Better to wait for everyone to arrive, as long as everyone arrives early so there is space on a single car for your whole group. Our group got separated from some of the families we intended to journey with on Sunday nights. That’s ok though, it happens, and at least I didn’t lose any of my kids! Charlie moves through crowds way too fast for us sometimes, but we found him, so “officially” he is not lost.
The kids loved the train ride. Charlie and Alex are obsessed with trains, so it was a neat experience for them. They were talking about the train ride for days before we went. Although Alex may have gotten an ever bigger kick out of the fake falling snow. He loves snow! It was a fun night. I am glad we got to see some friends too!
