The magic and wonder of Christmas seems to multiply every year that our little family grows. We’re beginning and forming our own sweet family traditions. Now that Ruby is a toddler we’re constantly brainstorming how to make this time memorable and exciting for her. This year we added a new tradition that everyone in the family is very excited about, a Lionel Polar Express Train.
The Lionel train was actually more for my husband than our toddler. Jordan has been talking about having a train under the Christmas tree for years, even before kids. His love of Christmas with childlike wonder as an adult is something I love about him. In an effort to spur on his inner child, I talked with Lionel, the kindest people, to see if they could help me make this Christmas one to remember.
And did they ever. Can I just go ahead and get the wife-of-the-year award? This train is making Jordan’s Christmas. Although I’m not sure what I’ve started, he already has plans to expand and add on his Christmas village. (Yes, he has a Christmas village) We have a baby due any moment, but since this train’s arrival it’s been all about The Polar Express.
I also started a new tradition of giving Ruby her Christmas pajamas to wear while decorating the tree. We also gift one Christmas book each year, can you guess this year’s book? The Polar Express! We also watched the movie with Ruby this year and she didn’t flinch while watching it, which isn’t like her to sit through an entire movie. Her papa has truly shared with her a love of trains. We’ve been reading the book often too, which has helped to make this Christmas experience so rich.
Note Ruby’s ornament placements.
Trimming the Christmas tree has always been an event in our family. In the early days, we’d invite our friends over to help and make it a party. This year it was a fun family night with hot chocolate and a Christmas movie playing.
The star of the evening was The Polar Express Train, we watched amazed as it lit up and the smoke puffed from the engine. Ruby is out of that destroy everything phase, so it’s been fun to share this with her. She understands that she can’t touch the train, but she can help use the remote.
I’m going to turn it over to Jordan now to give you a more detailed review of this train:
jordan’s review of the Lionel Polar Express Train
As a kid, I had lots of great toys, but none did I treasure more than my train set. As I got older, I outgrew a lot of my toys, but I never outgrew my love of model trains. Most of the year I would forget about them until I would see a display at a museum or the mall during Christmas time. When Kaytea told me she got Lionel to partner with her for a post I was ecstatic.
They were very kind and sent us a ready-to-run Polar Express set. The first thing I noticed was how heavy the diecast engine was. It is also incredibly detailed, including a working smokestack. No wonder Lionel engines last so long (and go for so much on eBay!) Our O-gauge set came with their Fast Track which snapped together in minutes. After attaching the coal car and three passenger cars we were ready to roll. The train also came with a Bluetooth remote making it very easy to control (Ruby hasn’t quite mastered the speed dial yet).
The next day we watched the Polar Express movie with Ruby and she didn’t move an inch the entire time. Afterward, she couldn’t wait to start playing with the train again. The set even came with some figurines from the movie that can be attached on top of the train. She loves to hit the bells and whistles button on the remote. The train looks fantastic under the tree and is just the right size to make one loop around. The ready-to-run set is definitely more a collector’s grade item so I’m always reminding Ruby to be careful with it, but she’s already got the hang of it.
Thankfully, Ruby shares my love of planes and trains, so I’m glad we got to experience this together. Putting this train under the Christmas tree is something I know we will look forward to for years to come. Lionel has lots of great sets too, including some more “kid-friendly” versions like the ready-to-play set which can handle a little wear and tear from toddlers. It is a little bit more budget friendly as well.
This Christmas season is just beginning, but already it’s one of my favorites. If you’ve been thinking of ways to make the season a little more magical for your little ones (or your spouse as well!) think about adding a Lionel train under your Christmas tree. They’ve been around for a long time and for good reason, the quality, and timeless design will last for years to come!
—
Thank you, Lionel, we are very grateful for this sweet gift. We’re glad that you can be a part of our family’s Christmas this year and a now a tradition for years to come. We’re already looking forward to next Christmas, Jordan already has something up his sleeve and I think you may have turned him into a model train hobbyist. 🙂
