December 2nd...

After taking Alex to school yesterday morning, I noticed the CTA Holiday Train schedule at the L station. I saw that it was running through our station that afternoon and, if the stars aligned, we would be able to make it! So, Alex and I rushed home after school so he could change out of his uniform and we could catch the train! He had had a tough day at school (large group project that is both extremely fun and extremely taxing at the same time... building a large scale Rube Goldberg machine) and needed a little Holiday cheer!

We got to the station in plenty of time...
Here it comes!!
It always amazes me to see Santa riding out there on that flat bed car in winter...
There was a little boy by us who nearly lost his mind... he was so over the top excited about seeing Santa and the train! That really helped boost our spirits! :-)

The inside of the train is incredibly decorated as well. Workers dressed as elves handing out candy canes, poles wrapped in red and white, tinsel, multicolored lights, Christmas music playing, North Pole signs...
... and the kids' favorites... the jokes...
At first I wasn't able to sit by the kids so Clara kept texting me jokes!

I love all of the signs...
And this one on the outside of the train...
We rode the train all of the way to the end of the line. It wasn't a photos with Santa day, but we did get to snap a couple of shots of him in his sleigh as we sat at the station...

Then it was time to board the train to go back south.

I finally got a semi-clear shot of the sign that I, for some reason, feel the need to photograph each year...Then it was time to change trains, so another shot of the outside...And time to say good-bye to the Santa train...
(I was so proud of myself last night for getting a photo of the front of the train AND the back of the train... until I realized while downloading the photos that I just took a photo of the same end twice since the train just reversed directions at the end of the line... LOL!)

We then took Alex over to church for youth group movie night (The Nightmare Before Christmas).

Clara and I took advantage of the emptiness of the garth to take a few photos...

Then Clara and I headed over to the Bloomingdale's building for dinner...
We had dinner and did a little Christmas shopping (actually we didn't do much buying, just planning) and then Jeff picked us all up on his way home from the airport!