Visions of the North Pole are vivid in their minds and the possibility of a train picking them up in their pajamas for a ride to the North Pole is very real. The bell rings for our boys as the magic of Christmas is very much alive for them. So a ride on the North Pole Express was just the ticket to solidify their wonder and create a family Christmas memory.
Before the train whistle blew and the conductor yelled, “All Aboard!” I threw a little party for the boys with North Pole cupcakes and an invitation to announce our destination.
I started by hanging a banner above the island. The banner was made using black, red and white card stock. The “believe” letters were cut on my Cricut. To complete the banner, I hung a snowflake ornament at each end. The invitation to ride the train was found here.
Party Decorations
Down the center of the kitchen island was a strip of red polka dot fabric. Next, I placed a red-lighted Christmas tree at one end and a Santa cookie jar at the other. I used the boys’ wooden train set to make an S-shaped track that I placed North Pole cupcakes and a couple of wooden trains on. The cupcakes were iced with white frosting and sprinkled with white sparkling sugar. Finally, I used pieces of candy cane to make the pole which was topped with a red M&M and a North Pole sign. In addition to an invitation, I also printed out train tickets that were adorned with jingle bells.
After our treat, we made our way to the historic Union Depot in St. Paul for our 6pm departure. Once onboard the steam locomotive, the conductor punched our tickets and elves lead passengers in the singing of carols as we chugged approximately one mile to Santa’s Workshop.
When the train arrived at the North Pole, the boys wrote letters to Santa while we waited for the big guy to make his way to our train car.
After Santa spent time asking each of the boys what they wanted for Christmas, we took pictures. Santa’s gift was a token for a cookie that we redeemed once we were back at Union Depot. It was truly a magical experience.
The North Pole Express makes trips to the North Pole from St. Paul, MN over two weekends in December. The event is a fundraiser for Friends of the 261. For details and tickets for the North Pole Express click here. To create this party, see the supply list below.
North pole express party decoration supply list
- Red polka dot fabirc-1 yard
- Santa cookie jar
- Red Christmas tree
- Wooden train set
- 3 snowflake ornaments (2 small and 1 large)
- Black, red and white card stock (3 sheets each color 12×12)
- Printables
North pole express party food supply list
- Cake mix and white frosting
- White sugar sprinkles
- Cupcake liners
- Full size candy canes
- Red M&Ms