All Aboard! Riding the Santa Train

What an adventure. On Monday we boarded the Santa Train at the Alexandria station en route for old town Manassas. The station was packed with toddlers and young ones waiting for His Jolliness to lead them aboard.

Harry is a regular at the train station. He sits there almost daily with a group of old guys -- former railroad bigwigs who now watch the trains and listen to train traffic on their walkies. They know him. So it was with great anticipation that we took Harry and Charlotte on this not-so-cheap holiday adventure. I really wondered if we'd board and he's say "Mommmeeeee I want to go hooooome." But he was so ramped to be on that train.

We made the two-hour round-trip with Jack and Sabrina's families. The threesome sat together and peered out the windows -- they screeched with delight, pointed out tunnels, marveled at Santa, who made periodic strolls up and down the cars to visit the kids and yes, licked the windows.

The trip is a must-do next year, complete with the stop in Manassas for cocoa and stories. On our way out they presented each child with a wooden train whistle, which even miss Charlotte can blow. Hurray for the Santa Train!