Yesterday we took the kids for a ride on the Candy Cane Express.  I told them about the trip earlier in the week, so it was all they wanted to talk about. Would it be like The Polar Express? What treats would be on it?  How would Santa get there?

When we arrived at Union Station on Saturday afternoon, their enthusiasm peaked.  All the hustle and bustle of a busy downtown train station seemed to funnel right to track 14 where the Candy Cane Express waited for us.

The 50 minute ride might have been on a regular Chicago commuter train, but it was fully decked out in holiday cheer. Candy canes hung from the luggage racks, little Christmas wreathes on the coat hooks, holiday music played over the loudspeaker.  Every little detail made the short trip so sweet!

The whole event was adorable.  Just so cute. Cheerful “elves” passed out milk and cookies, and a fancy conductor came by to punch the kids’ tickets.

About halfway through the trip, the kids started to get a little antsy, but a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus came at just the right time.

It was bitter cold all weekend, but events like this really warm us up. Rather than spending the weekend tucked indoors away from the chill, we ventured out to embrace the season. Cool!