Christmas in May???

In case you haven't heard (I hadn't) there is a new Christmas movie coming out in November--Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It is created similar to Polar Express (has the same director)--and you all know what a huge Polar Express fan I am. Jason would watch it year round if I didn't show a little restraint. Back to Dickens--Jim Carrey plays Scrooge and many other characters the same way Tom Hanks played the conductor etc.

Sooo, Disney is hosting a "train tour" to advertise for the movie. It was totally free--here's a link to the tour web page (you'll probably have to copy/paste) http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/christmascaroltraintour/ They are stopping in OGDEN on June 16!

My friend Morgan knew about it, invited me and the boys and we headed out for an all day Christmas adventure--just what we needed in the middle of our 90 degree weather! The tour stop was in Williams, AZ at their Grand Canyon train depot which was completely decked out for Christmas--carolers, wreaths, big red bows--the whole shebang!

We got to tour a train that they had turned into a "rolling museum" all about how the movie was created with movie clips, costumes, figurines, scale model buildings etc. We even got to take our pictures and then morph them onto pictures of the characters (put our faces in place of the characters). Disney is having them printed and will email you when done so that you can pick them up at any Walmart! After the tour we headed on an actual 40 min. train ride. The kids were in heaven! We went up into the mountain--pine trees and all--we even saw deer. The conductor came around and took pictures with the kids. They let everyone roam around the train during the ride, we even could walk out the back door onto the platform and watch the tracks zoom behind us. Last they had a mini-theater set up in a hotel meeting room next door to the depot. The kids all got 3D glasses and watched a 15 min. intro & trailer for the movie. It looks like it will be great. We can't wait.

We wrapped everything up by letting the kids play under the fake snow machine--actually we moms realized it was just blowing clumps of suds into the air but the kids thought it was snow (it was meant to be snow) and so they all got their Christmas in May. Now I just need a cup of Stephen's Hot Chocolate (mint truffle please) and I'll be all ready to wait up for Santa and open presents in the morning.

Merry Christmas Everybody