"The Bell Still Rings For Me!"

 

Hint: if you ever spot a group all wearing pajamas out for a family meal - ya gotta know that "Hot Chocolate" is soon to follow! And that is certainly what happened in our case when we decided to make our group Christmas a gift an experience for our family instead of a bunch of toys and trinkets from Amazon - we decided to get on board The Polar Express! And it ended up being the most memorable gift we had the experience of giving - and receiving! 

We watched the movie in 3D at Navy Pier in Chicago when it first hit the big screen in 2004. And it has become one of our favorite holiday classics (and we got a lot to chose from using Phyl's collection of over 400 Christmas movies!).  

For "the littles" (aged 18 months to 6 years) the experience was a first time event - and the magic in their glittering eyes as the conductor and stewards sang and danced up and down the train carriage aisles was priceless!  For our two teens, who were attempting to remain very cool - even they couldn't help but be drawn back into hearing the Christmas bell once again! 

And then there was the arrival of "The Big Man"... Santa himself, complete with magical Christmas bells for each and every one on board!  At first he stood at the front of the train car and shook a bell, then paused with a question, "Can you hear it?!" Our six year old, turned to Phyl and asked in a most sincere tone "Grammy do you believe, did you here the bell?!" There will probably be few other moments as precious as a child who truly believes - an inspiring moment!

As one film reviewer put it, "The silver bell is the main symbol of the film. It signifies one’s belief in Santa. If you can hear it, then you truly believe. The silver bell is not just childhood innocence, but the core of any belief personified. If you can hear the bell, then you believe wholeheartedly. It means you believe in Santa in the film, but the silver bell can be applied to just about anything in life. If you believe in something enough, then you’ll hear the metaphorical sound of the bell, too. This is the greatest lesson, and message, to emerge from The Polar Express." 

And it rings true for us! In fact Jer keeps his bell tucked in a corner of the instrument panel of our suv, and every once in a while when we make a sharp turn or sudden stop, we can hear the bell ring, signified by a slight grin on both our faces in recognition!

"Just Remember, The True Spirit Of Christmas Lies In Your Heart." -Santa

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! From our hearts to yours...may we always believe!