26 Days til Christmas

Tonight we started off the Christmas season by watching "The Polar Express." This is not a new movie, in fact I saw it in the movie theatre with CJ on his first-ever-school field trip, way back in Kindergarten. Ahhh... the memories. Where has the time gone?

Anyway, "The Polar Express" is about a boy, about 9 or 10 years old, who is starting to question whether or not Santa Claus is real. It is Christmas Eve and he is laying awake in his bed waiting to hear Santa's sleigh. Instead, he hears a train come through his yard. He gets on the train and travels to the North Pole with a bunch of other kids. All of the kids have their own reasons for being on the train. Once they get to the North Pole, the boy is chosen by Santa to receive the first gift of Christmas. He chooses a bell that fell off of Santa's Sleigh. The ringing of the bell can only be heard by people who believe in Santa.

I just love the message of this movie. I know that CJ has struggled with believing in Santa for the last couple of years. Many of the kids in his class have told him that there is no Santa Claus. I just keep reassuring him that it is silly to not believe. Those who do not believe do not get a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve! A movie like "The Polar Express" helps to promote the idea of believing in Santa. It helps to give kids and adults a reason to say "why not, why not just believe?" You have nothing to loose by just believing.

I Believe!