In the dead of night on Christmas Eve, a train pulls to a stop outside of a child’s house. Curiously, the only family member awakened by the racket is the young person who’s been having a crisis of belief: is Santa real?
That’s the premise of The Polar Express, a 1985 book by Chris Van Allsburg that inspired a computer-animated movie that was released in 2004. Drawing on wintry mythology that predates and intermingles with Christmas — as well as a perennial childhood fascination with trains — the story focuses on the difficult question of how much belief and joy must be sacrificed on the altar of adulthood. The tale unfolds as a live and interactive drama from now through the end of the year on an actual train that disembarks from Kingston for the North Pole and an encounter with Santa Claus.
Thursday night was the first ride of the year, and each of the five passenger cars on this freshly decorated Catskill Mountain Railroad train was packed full of children — many dressed in pajamas — and supervising adults for the magical journey. On board they experience a retelling of Van Allsburg’s book, and once the Polar Express gets underway, a crew of dancing and singing chefs serve hot chocolate to choreography straight out of the movie. “The hot chocolate was hot, but not burn-your-mouth hot, so the kids could drink it,” wrote one person who reviewed the experience online.
A rare opportunity of a seasonal job that’s open to those as young as 14, the bulk of the actors enchanting this journey are high school students, some of whom return year after year until more adult obligations call them away. Older folk fill roles where a youthful mien would prove implausible, such as the conductor, but the energy and enthusiasm of this endeavor is driven by employing young people. Santa, one might surmise, is never played by an actor at all. What human could possibly fill those shoes?
Once the train leaves the lights and cosmopolitan glamour of Kingston behind, the feelings inside start ratcheting up. This isn’t some boring train ride to visit relatives, as the chefs are quick to remind passengers; they’re headed to the North Pole! The very place that’s been the center of Christmas magic for as long as anyone can remember!
Patrolling the cars, as one might expect, is a kindly conductor who gently but firmly requests the golden ticket of each passenger, for proper punching. Misplacing one’s ticket is a plot point in the movie, this writer realized when asked for a ticket. Having been slipped in the back way rather than boarding properly, there was no ticket to offer. Smiling, the conductor said, “I believe I have your ticket right here,” producing it as if by magic.
Having been built up by volunteers over the course of decades, the Catskill Mountain Railroad has for some years been a licensee of the Polar Express name, which means cleaving closely to the narrative presented in book and movie. That it’s a winning formula is evident in the fact that more than 400 people will climb aboard this train, which will be setting forth up to four times a day as the season’s peak is reached. Passengers travel sometimes hundreds of miles to take this ride, and it’s an annual tradition for many. “My son spent the next day singing all the songs from the movie,” wrote one reviewer from last year. “My family can’t wait to go on the train ride next year,” wrote another.
The entire ride, there and back, is about 90 minutes long. The chefs keep the excitement building all the way to the North Pole, where a passel of elves surround a familiar figure in red, who boards the train with incredible fanfare. “Santa takes a photo with each family,” wrote a reviewer who promised to be back. The accompanying elves help manage that process, and they use the passengers’ own phones rather than slipping in a hidden fee for a picture with Santa, which would surely disenchant the adults and dampen the mood. No, these elves are here for bringing Santa to the people.
“I thought the performers did a fantastic job entertaining the kids and adults,” wrote one passenger in a review. That includes leading them in carols like the “12 Days of Christmas” and playing games with them.
No one is left out of meeting Santa, either. This is no place for age discrimination, nor any other kind. In fact, one of the train cars is specially set up to accommodate those whose senses can get overwhelmed in the holiday hubbub; those who want wide-eyed wonder in a slightly mellower manner. Santa, who understands all children, is ready to connect no matter what needs any one child might have.
Carried on shoulders or wrapped in blankets, scores of children are taken to family cars parked in the Kingston Plaza once the train returns, each clutching in their hand the first gift of Christmas. For information on the remaining available tickets to ride the Polar Express, visit catskillmountainrailroad.com.
Join the family! 
