Polar Express Children’s Breakfast

It’s a tradition now—my brother and SIL, and my husband and I, take all our grands on a Polar Express or Christmas train ride (depending on who’s sponsoring it), sometime before Christmas. We make a day of it, they wearing their cute plaid pajamas, and the adults may wear a reindeer nose or antlers…all in good fun for our babies.

Typically our chickadees spend the night with us, and we have a special breakfast to kick off the special day.

A couple of years ago UPS came to our door, delivering our very own Polar Express electric train! Mr. CHN had “heard” my heart’s desire :). Now we could start yet another beautiful tradition for our babies—a train for the Christmas tree!

Now that we had the train, the theme for our breakfast was, of course, based on the book, THE POLAR EXPRESS.

While the chickadees were snug in their beds, Ata (that’s me!) in her kerchief in her apron was busy setting a magical table for their surprise the following morning! I used a soft, fuzzy blanket as the snow, with thoughts of the trip to the North Pole, through forests and mountains and wildlife. (The mountains and valleys were created with stacks of cookbooks hidden under the deep, deep snow.)

The train comes complete with a hobo and his campfire,

the conductor and the nameless boy, referred to as “Hero Boy” in reviews and book summaries, and…

a silver bell, which I am happy to report we ALL can hear!

When I was in high school I traveled to Europe with a group of friends, and one of the highlights was spending a couple of nights in a Swiss chalet in the mountains, where there was snow even though it was summer. It was my first experience with down comforters, which were an absolute necessity! At night we could see the tiny lights in the valley below, and that beautiful scene I believe will forever be etched in my mind. It was that memory that created the scene for our quiet, snowy village where the babies would have their breakfast.

Conductors need a lantern…

Baby Love Chickadee had made this “snowflake” ornament, so of course it was included in our snowy scene!

The menu consisted of yogurt parfaits, served in the footed holly-and-berries bowls, milk in the bottles Ata decorated and saved from a snowman table (that’s another post, someday…), and yes,

TRAIN pancakes, with whipped cream steam! (The pancake mold is part of a transportation package from Williams- Sonoma.)

Sleepy travelers will soon be energized by the sugar high and the excitement of our adventure!

 

I hope this Polar Express breakfast inspires you to listen for the bell.

  May you always hear it.

I still believe!

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