the "polar express"

We went with the Shelleys down  to the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven.  At Christmas they decorate the trolley cars and even take trips to the North Pole!  This was a night to remember, and it all started with this guy...

Let's just say our conductor must have been quite confused that night. It's hard to say if this man has ever been lucid, and while explaining the rules he started out with his creepy Halloween voice.  He even threatened to use his wrench (pictured above) to "bash anyone who stood up" over the head.

   Once we approached the "North Pole" we were allowed to get off the trolley and visit Santa!  The North Pole was actually what looked like an abandoned train yard with old trolley cars scattered to and fro.  They were decorated with twinkle lights, and Santa scampered to his seat just as we approached his special car.  The kids got to visit with a noticeably disheveled Santa and were given a gift.  There was hot chocolate and cookies waiting for us which was especially nice since it was FREEZING outside.  We grabbed our goodies and headed back to our trolley only to find an empty track.
   Oooops! I guess our simple conductor forgot to call out "all aboard!" or give any warning at all for that matter.  No head count. He just left our two families alone, in the cold, dark, abandoned train yard. After wandering around for a while, we decided to go back to Santa's car since it was heated.  It was also abandoned, but at least we were warm.
   The next group finally arrived and we jumped onto their trolley and waited for them to finish visiting Santa. Their conductor was equally creepy and didn't seem to notice the 9 extra people on his car.  Back at the station we were too tired to enjoy the historical displays and headed home instead.
In light of an evening that could have been awful, we were with great company who made the experience really fun, and we were able to laugh through all of it.