Memory Maker: North Pole Express

Today has been one of the greatest Memory Maker moments we've had this year. I've been wanting to do this North Pole Express train ride for a while, but we've always had little babies that I wasn't sure would be able to handle the LONG drive out to it or I wondered if it would be worth how much it cost to go or it was booked up (because it books so so quickly). This year, it felt like the right time to go and I got tickets back in June so it was great timing!

As a note, the kids talk a lot about if the Santa's they visit are the real one. We talk a lot about how they feel about it (because I want to keep the magic alive as long as possible so I'm not about to tell them what to think or feel, but I will encourage more fun, magical thinking whenever they ask) and when we did our Santa picture this year, we stayed nearby for a while so the kids could color the fun coloring pages they had, but I noticed Lucy was watching the Santa a lot while he talked to the photographers (I tried to distract her, but she was being SUPER observant) and later she mentioned she didn't think it was the real Santa because he was so fat, haha (I did tell her Santa is supposed to be fat according to the stories)

So we tell the kids we're going to this North Pole Express ride and get them all hyped up, we even read what the ride includes (it said cookie, hot chocolate, a mug, and a gift from Santa - which I told them would probably be a candy cane so don't get too excited) and everyone was pretty excited to go. The car ride there didn't even take too long, but maybe that was because most of the kids slept and Cara read her Harry Potter book, so it was nice. 

We got there just in time to get our (very ornate and beautiful) tickets and they immediately started loading our car (which was very close to the front) and we got to have 3 benches to ourselves (though we really only needed 2, but we traded off who got to sit on the 3rd one) and we got visits with the elves on the car and the lady who was "hosting" our car was nice. We had perfect seats, they were always stopping by us to talk and announce things, so that was nice.

We got to sing and dance in the aisles, which our kids didn't do much of, but they still tried to make it fun. The cookies were really good (I got Larry's since it was chocolate chip) and the hot chocolate was good (after it cooled down a bit, which took some time). Then we got to the "North Pole" where Santa was out waving at our train. I will say I wish I had gotten tickets for a day that had snow, but there's no way to know which day will be best when you have to book so early. 

After the North Pole, we stopped and Santa came on the train to tell us about our gifts, which was NOT candy canes, but a bell from his sleigh. He mentioned we need to put it on our tree, and then ring it right before bedtime on Christmas Eve, which signals him to start loading up our gifts, and then immediately go to bed so he can stop by our house. He looked so legit I mentioned to the kids "I'm not sure, but he seems pretty real" and they ALL lit up and felt like he must have been real. Lucy even said "yeah, because he has a real beard!" haha. Gwen mentioned she can't wait to go back to school to tell her friends she saw the real Santa. The bell was really cold so I told Cara it had to be cold, it came all the way from the North Pole! She was so excited.

After we got the gifts, Santa came by for us all to get some pictures with him, and it was just so memorable and sweet. The kids all loved it and I loved that it really ignited the magic in their minds. They all said they want to do it again, but in pajamas next time. I felt it was SO special I don't know that I'd want to do it again. Maybe when Pierce and Lucy are a bit older so it can be magical for them to (it was for Lucy, but I'm sure Pierce didn't really understand what was going on). 

This has been a very great Christmas Season already and we're not even in December yet!