A Train Ride Back In Time
BY DAVID WARREN
Trains were invented to transport things and this past weekend a number of trains transported my wife and I back in time. The trains were part of miniature train sets that were displayed at Union Station in Kansas City.
The train sets were fabulous and they took my wife and I back to our childhoods. We each gazed in wonder at the displays. They included tiny villages, mini mountain ranges, amusement parks and much, much more. For as far as the eye could see there were train sets of every type and variety. When I saw them I recalled the thrill of receiving my first train set and my wife had fond memories of the spectacular train set and village her Dad had built for her brother and her!
More memories of my childhood came flooding back when I saw brightly colored boxes and giant stuffed animals.
Children surrounded us and they gazed at the trains, the décor and the sheer magnitude of the displays. Besides the trains, we saw giant Christmas trees, colorful nutcracker soldiers and festive Christmas decorations. At one point I glanced over at my wife and could see she was enjoying the displays as much as I was. I dodged a few kids that were racing back and forth to see as much as they could and then realized I was doing the same thin.
I noticed a young boy putting a letter in a giant red mailbox that said “Letters for Santa”. He had folded the letter with care and made certain it went in the mailbox correctly…you can never be too careful when it comes to corresponding with Santa. I heard little girls singing Christmas songs that were playing over the loud speakers. I hummed along, if I had sang it would have ruined the moment for everyone.
The entire scene was mesmerizing to me and it made me forget all the hustle and bustle us adults get too caught up in during the holidays.
In the center of it all, kids were riding a small train that carried them around the grand decorations. They all smiled from ear to ear. For a minute or two I envied them and wished I could be a kid again, then I realized that at that moment I was! At that moment, I was experiencing one of the best parts of Christmas. I was taking part in the anticipation of the big day. I had nothing but warm feelings and joy! More memories of my childhood came flooding back when I saw brightly colored boxes and giant stuffed animals. The entire scene was mesmerizing to me and it made me forget all the hustle and bustle us adults get too caught up in during the holidays.
In a grand old train station in the middle of America my wife and I received an early holiday surprise. For a few hours, we forgot about our worries, our responsibilities and we got to be young again. As I walked past a giant gleaming tree on my way out of Union Station something occurred to me: if a couple of middle aged adults can become wide eyed kids again, then how can one doubt the Magic of Christmas?!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: DAVID WARREN
David lives in Kettering OH, with his wife Angela. He’s a father to Marissa, Vice President and writer who has appeared in various magazines (including Grand Magazine) and Chicken Soup books. He has also had 2 Children’s books published
