CTA's Holiday Train

This is a cheap holiday activity in Chicago that is sure to impress the kiddos.  For about a decade, the Chicago Transit Authority has had a special Christmas time tradition.  Every year 6 cars are decked out in festive Christmas garb and carry Santa and his elves throughout the city.  We've known about this tradition for a few years now, but it has always seemed to difficult to arrange to ride it.

This year, though, we finally did.  Because the train only runs for a limited time each day, it was proving difficult to find a time when we could all ride what with work, choir rehearsals, Sunday school retreats, etc... But after checking the schedules for weeks as they were released, I was able to pull all the family together last Friday night for a ride on the Santa Train.

DH takes the train home from work most evenings, so I arranged to pick up Humming Bird from a choir concert at 5:30 PM and meet DH at Penny's Noodles (just a couple of doors down from the Damen St. L station) for a family dinner.  We had a limited time because we had to be (back) on the platform by 6:45 to catch the Santa Train.  The staff at Penny's was great about getting us served quickly, and the food was tasty, too.  At 6:35 we walked back to the train, and Humming Bird was thrilled to be able to use her very own Ventra Pass to ride.

The train turned out to be slightly delayed, and it was super crowded because not only were families riding for fun, but rush hour commuters were also using it to get home (Saturday might be a better day to ride).  The train with its many Christmas lights could be seen approaching, and the girls were super excited.  Before jumping on, they glanced at Santa and I took a quick picture.  I got the girls on fairly easily, but DH was cut off by another passenger and almost didn't make it on.  However, I was an obnoxious customer, and stuck my arm out the doors despite the "Doors Closing" announcement.  I was not going to let my family activity get messed up... So, I grabbed DH's hand and pulled him into the train much to the chagrin of the elf standing at the door.  Deep breath... we were all on.

The girls were offered seats by another passenger and excitedly sat on the decorated seats.  Daddy and I stood, holding on to the candy cane poles.  There were Christmas carols playing and the aroma of cinnamon wafted through the car (not my favorite, but fortunately, I was coming down with a cold and couldn't really smell it).  We were in the back of the car , and a CTA conductor was standing by the back door.  He offered each of the girls a Holiday Train button, and he even gave them extras when they asked for ones to pass along to friends.  And DH talked to him about Santa Train logistics.

 

As people got off at various stops, they were able to make their way to a couple of elves who let them pick as many candy canes as they wanted.  I was quite pleased that they each took only two.  We rode the train all the way to its terminus at O'Hare, and we were able to get some more photos before catching a regular train back to the neighborhood.

 The ride home had its own specialness.  The train was much emptier and filled with more traditional CTA riders.  That included a homeless woman who asked for some money.  Not having any, we did offer some leftovers, and Hummingbird gave up one of her candy canes for "dessert."  It was also great to see the girls getting along so well.  Usually, they argue over who is going to sit by the window or some such nonsense, but this time they sat together smiling and talking agreeably.  

So, there may not be a whole lot to do on the train, but for $2.25 per adult (and $1.10 for kids over 7), it's an inexpensive holiday activity that brings together the whole family and everyone will enjoy it.

Celebrating Christmas after December 25

Fear not.  This is not a debate on old calendar vs. new… Rather it is a look at when to lay down the fast and begin to feast.  The rest of the world has already begun celebrating Christmas.  Ironically, one of my local radio stations began their "All Christmas Music" blitz the day we started fasting.  We are nearly a month into the Nativity fast with just a couple of weeks left until we celebrate Christmas.  Since I became Orthodox, I have not participated in quite so many pre-Christmas celebrations, but I certainly still want to enjoy Christmas parties and celebrate the season.  Consequently, I decided early on in my Orthodox life that I would celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas. 

So many people mistakenly believe that the 12 Days of Christmas refer to the days leading up to December 25.  When I was growing up as a Catholic in Southern Louisiana, we did not celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, per se, but we did know what they were, and as such we left our tree and decorations up until January 6.  Then, we exchanged them for King Cake and parades to celebrate Epiphany (The Three Kings journeying to meet the Christ child) and begin the carnival season before Lent.  For me, it was easy and natural to extend this recognition into a full celebration when I became Orthodox.

Before having children, I did this by hosting a Christmas party some time between December 26 and December 30.  I also turned to the latest technology – CDs at the time – to bring me festive holiday music (both secular and religious) long after the radio stations had forgotten all about Christmas.  As our family grew, the way we celebrated evolved.  While I wanted my daughters to enjoy the season and getting presents, it was important to me that they also realize the significance of the feast.

For the last eight years, it has been our tradition to put up a few decorations, in particular one small, funky Christmas tree and our stockings, just before the feast of St. Nicholas.  On the eve of his feast, the stockings are filled with a few gifts to make it a little easier to get through the Nativity Fast.  These include things like religious books, fruit, dark chocolate, 3 golden dollars (representing the 3 bags of gold), and perhaps random little things from the dollar section of Target that the kids have been bugging me for.

When we get to Christmas, we needn't to worry about Santa Claus.  At least that was always my goal.  My kids, of course, learned about the jolly man in red, and they asked to visit him at the mall.  So, this has always been a rather imprecise aspect to our Christmas celebration.  Anyway, here's what we do.  After the girls go to bed, I put out one large present – at times they've assumed it was from Santa, other times it was just from us to honor Christ's birth.  I also wrap twelve smaller gifts.  Each day from Christmas day to Theophany, they unwrap one of these presents.  On Theophany, they get one more large gift or big outing to celebrate the feast.   As they get older, I plan to reduce the gifts by one in observance of the strict fast on the Eve of Theophany.

Of course, Christmas isn't all about presents, so upon waking Christmas morning, the girls may play with their exposed present but the wrapped one must wait until we return from Liturgy.  We attend church for whatever services are available, and we continue to light our advent wreath, to which is added a white pillar candle at Christmas, at mealtimes.  I also try to have crafts or meaningful activities to do on some of the days.  While some ideas can be found online, I have also found Celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas: A Family Devotional in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition by Amanda Eve Wigglesworth to be a useful tool.  For each day from Christmas through Theophany, she provides a background to the feast or saint that we remember that day.  She also offers an activity or craft project to do for the day.  Using the famous Christmas carol, she explains the religious symbolism associated with each day.  For example, two turtle doves should remind us of the Old and New Covenants.  The book covers activities from December 25 through January 6 but counts the 12 days starting on December 26.  I have always counted them from Christmas day.  Both ways of counting are common, so as I use the book, I keep this in mind and stick with my own reckoning (it is certainly flexible enough for this).  And given that many of us have other engagements that may prevent doing all of the activities straight through anyway, it is quite likely that while one would do all of the readings, schedules might necessitate picking and choosing a few activity ideas to do in a given year.

As we draw closer to the Birth of our Savior, let us not despair that we can't partake of the feasting the rest of the world is enjoying right now.  Rather let us continue our preparations and make plans for many days of feasting when the rest of the world has forgotten.

Feast of St. Nicholas Golden Ornaments

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas of Myra and Lycea.  This popular saint performed many miracles and helped many people during his life.  He saved the people of Myra from famine.  He protected sailors at sea.  He resurrected three children who were killed by a butcher for food during a famine.  And of course, we all know the story of how he saved the merchants three daughters from a life of immorality by secretly giving their father gold for their dowries. 

We also all know how the legend of this beloved saint has evolved into the secular character of Santa Claus.  In our home, my daughters do get gifts from Santa Claus on Christmas morning, but they also receive a visit from St. Nicholas on his feast day.  St. Nicholas leaves them golden dollars, fruit, a small religious item, and a few trinkets every year.  I make sure they remember his generosity every year, too.  We read The Life of Saint Nicholas the Wonder-Worker by Nina Seco and say a special prayer.   Until this year, I've never done a craft for his feast day, though.   This is a craft that will be a bridge between St. Nicholas Day and Christmas.  So, if you don't have time to get supplies and do it today, you'll have time between now and Christmas. 

Of the many symbols associated with St. Nicholas, this one can also be used for Christmas decorations.  The symbol of three golden balls reminds us of the three dowries St. Nicholas gave to the merchant.  This symbol also makes lovely Christmas tree ornaments that are meaningful to us, but also blend in with other Christmas decorations.  And they're super easy for kids of all ages to create.

Supplies:

3 smooth foam balls

Toothpick

Scissors or paper cutter

Sponge or Styrofoam board

Gold paint

Paint brush

Thin ribbon

Straight pins

Thumbprint St. Nicholas icon

Decoupage glue

Embellishments (optional)

Directions (repeat for each ball):

1. Insert a toothpick into a ball.  Insert other end in sponge or Styrofoam to hold it while you paint and while it dries.

2. Paint the ball gold, and let it dry.

3. Attach the St. Nicholas icon to the ball with decoupage glue.  Smooth it out and paint a layer of glue over it. (You can do this for each ball or just one in the set). Let dry.

4. Fold ribbon over once to make a loop, and attach it to the top of the ball with a straight pin.

5. Add any optional embellishments.

 Instructional Video