With a light dusting of snow on the ground, and all the bells and whistles possible, we boarded the Christmas train on Sunday. It is no small feat to gather seven of us on a Sunday afternoon between hockey and work and traveling, but I started planning two months ago. There are things we do in our life that bring us so much joy, and for me, it is always family. I wanted them to experience the train and so I needed to make it happen, which I did.
Of course, it was only for the Indiana
family as the others had events in St. Pete and in Charleston. Not to worry,
they get their special events too. I decided Jonah and Graham would enjoy
taking the girlfriends with us so I invited them too. At 1:00 on Sunday they
all bounded into my house with jackets and hats and did I hear a familiar “Ho,
Ho, Ho?” Not sure, but I think I did! I had everything ready to go. I spent one
day this week filling small cookie tins with my grandma’s sugar cookies making
sure each one of us had our own tin. I filled a cooler with drinks, and grabbed
a few extra blankets, and we were ready to go.
Pleasant Lake was decked out for
Christmas as was apparent as we drove through on our way to the train depot and
the awaiting train! The conductor scanned our tickets and we were on our way to
our seats. Even though my grandsons and their girlfriends are not children,
their eyes lit up as we sat down. Trains are so magical, even before we start
moving! One of Aaron and Rachel’s long ago employees is now working for the
railroad and he came up and swooshed them away for a tour behind the scenes! By
the time they got back to their seats, we were just ready to pull out of the
station.
What is the magic of the train? The
way the conductor’s voice echoes across the tract as he calls “All aboard?” The
way the train sways from side to side as it rumbles down the tract? I am a
seasoned train rider, but the kids were not so I just loved watching their
faces as we ambled from Pleasant Lake to Angola and then off to Fremont. Lucky
for us, the ground was still snow covered which made the woods a picturesque
thing of beauty. We were visited on the train by several key players! The first
to visit was the balloon lady. Everyone chose something different for her to
make. We had a candy cane, an elf hat, a Santa hat, and my favorite a wreath.
Following her we were visited by Santa himself as he came to find out if we had
all been good or bad for the year. We all agreed we had been very good this
year.
There are times when I want time to
stand still, to just stay right where it is as long as possible. That is
exactly how I felt during the train ride with my family. As I watched them all
laughing, talking, I felt this deep sense or pride and love for them. I could
have just gone on riding the train for a day or two or a month or a year. Alas,
alas. The time came to pull back into the station on Pleasant Lake. We gathered
up all of our belongings and headed over to see the Pleasant Lake Museum and
the newly acquired barbershop. It was quite a busy little place as we crowded
into the museum. Of course, the man of the hour, Elten Powers, was there
greeting everyone, telling stories, and sharing his love of the town.
Finally, we headed home. Home to the
purple house where dinner was waiting along with Christmas Crackers, games and
the crowning moment of the day to light the Christmas tree. No matter how many
years I light my tree, each time it is beautiful. I never tire of it. We sang
“Oh Tannenbaum” in German as we gathered around the tree. Each candle was then
put out one at a time. Time had come to say farewell.
Christmas is magical. Families are
magical. Life is magical. It is hard to believe that Christmas is here once
again. From my family to yours, we wish you all Merry Christmas.
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