A Ride on the Santa Train!
Today we took Nicholas to the New Hope Valley Railway to ride on their special Holiday Santa Train. Although it was one of the coldest days we’ve seen of the season, the sun was shining and we had a good time. I made Christmas tree and candy cane shaped sandwiches, packed the camera, dressed Nicholas in a couple layers of warm clothes and off we went. We got there early and watched the garden model trains, which he loved. And why not, they were just his size! Then we took a short walk to the big diesel engine and cars that we would be riding on. They also had a steam engine nearby that we watched for a bit too. All the trains were decked out with decorations and Santa was making the rounds before we boarded. Nicholas was in awe. He was so quiet, except for the occasional “choo choo”, just staring at the engines and cars. It was adorable. I think he could have spent the entire day in the freezing cold just watching them.
It came time to board and we found good seats. Nicholas insisted on standing for awhile then sat down and watched the woods and trees as we went by. At one point, he just about fell asleep! But he didn’t, despite what he looks like in the Santa picture. He was okay with Santa, didn’t talk to him but at least he didn’t scream at him either. He did get his first candy cane though and seemed to like that alright. After eating his lunch as the engine turned around to head back to the station, Nicholas perked up right at the end and got all excited. Better late than never I suppose! Matthew and I think he enjoyed himself and we sure had fun, despite the cold. I can’t wait to go back next year, but with a few blankets! We took a lot of pictures, here are just a few favorites. And by a few, I mean a lot.
