All Aboard the Polar Express

“One thing about trains… it doesn’t matter where you’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.” The Conductor – The Polar Express

Waiting for the Polar Express train to arrive, you exhale, watching your breath form a small white mist in the cool night air. A sound begins somewhere down the track, growing steadily louder.

Your children, dressed in their pajamas, smile up at you, faces bright with anticipation, while their grandparents behind them look on with the same quiet excitement.
In the distance, a cluster of twinkling lights appears, small at first, then steadily brighter. The historic Williams Depot glows with color, the platform alive in a light show. Then there it is, unmistakable. The Polar Express.

“All aboard!” the conductor calls.

Every winter since 2001, the Grand Canyon Railway Polar Express has departed from Williams, Arizona, carrying passengers through northern Arizona on an experience inspired by Chris Van Allsburg’s classic children’s book and its film adaptation — part train ride, part theatrical retelling.

Inside the restored 1929 Pullman carriages, the outside world begins to slip away. Lights glow along garlands, and music from the film soundtrack fills the space.

As the train begins to move, a sweet scent drifts through the carriage. Hot chocolate arrives, rich and steaming, served by dancing chefs, followed by cookies still warm to the touch. Conversations soften, and smiles widen.

A storyteller begins reading The Polar Express, the words carrying through the carriage as the train rocks gently through the dark.

A glance out the window reveals lights in the distance — faint at first, then clearer. The North Pole village.

Santa boards the train, moving through the carriages, greeting passengers and placing a tiny silver sleigh bell into the waiting hand of every child. Each bell gives off the softest, most magical chime.

On the return journey, carols begin in one corner and spread until the whole carriage is singing. Voices rise and fall with the rhythm of the rails. There’s laughter and dancing in the aisles.

Back on the platform again, it looks just as it did before. Only now it feels different.

And long after the train has gone, the sense of wonder and delight stays with you, tucked away like a favorite book.