Who you calling a Ho Ho Ho

With the holidays approaching, I am finding less and less time to write up my adventures. Don’t fret, I am still having plenty of ridiculous events in my life, I am just too busy to write about it. I am currently in the middle of composing my family’s Christmas letter. Yes, we STILL do that. I am half tempted to just write three sentences announcing no one is dead, no one got married, no one was born because who really reads these things anymore. I guess I could go the passive aggressive route and talk about how we have to write our year in summary because that is how long it has been since we’ve received a phone call or lunch date invitation from you.

In the mean time, please enjoy these pictures taken of the CTA Santa Train. Yes, the Santa Train. Every year, the CTA (aka, the “L” or subway) transforms one line of passenger cars into a winter wonderland. It is truly a sight to see. In the middle on a flat bed is a real Santa with his team of reindeers and all sorts of other crap that would make yard art jealous. The inside of the train cars are decorated with tinsel streamers, holiday seat covers, and “ads” from the North Pole (Prancer’s car dealership…although corny beyond belief, it was a nice change from the “divorce, immigration, bankruptcy problems, then call the lawyers at blah and blah” or “paternity questions, do your own DNA test right at home”). A worker greats you with a candy cane and a cheerful “Happy Holidays”. Actually thinking about it, you would think they would say “Merry Christmas” since there wasn’t a damn thing resembling Hanukah or Kwanza on that train. The loud speakers play Christmas music (which is different in every car…I checked).

The best thing about riding the Santa train is seeing the faces of people as the train approached the platform. See we picked up the schedule and actually planned on catching the train (okay, you can now call me a dork). Those who didn’t anticipate it had a surprised joyous reaction, and quickly whipped out their cell phone cameras or called up friends and family. Although it has been cold here in Chicago since, well September, Santa remained cheerful as he braved the cold weather (and wicked wind chill) out on his “sleigh”.