Each family celebrates the holidays differently. In Connecticut, you can head out to a winter festival or perhaps you enjoy driving around and taking in the holiday lights displays. However, if you have kids, you’ll want to hop aboard a festive Christmas train. The Santa Special is an enchanting way to see the countryside and capture the holiday spirit all wrapped in one very magical package.

'Tis the season to hop on the Essex Steam Train's Santa Special to chug along through a winter wonderland. Although we can't promise (but we can hope for) a snow covered landscape, we can guarantee a train full of holiday cheer.
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This holiday train is filled with all of your favorite holiday people. Join Santa. Mrs. Claus, reindeer, elves, and Pablo the Penguin on this full-spirited journey.
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The Santa Special will run on Friday, November 23 and Saturdays and Sundays from November 24 - December 23, 2018. Start making your plans now, tickets will sell out early.
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Children will be invited to enroll in the Santa Special Elf Academy while on board. Elf training will be given to groom the next giggly, silly, happy-go-lucky elves to help spread joy and kindness throughout the world!
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Enjoy the festive lights and holiday decor while taking an overwhelmingly cheerful 60-minute ride. Santa will greet all of the passengers and elves will hand out small holiday gifts to each child.
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The Santa Special is a daytime Christmas train perfect for younger children. Choose from departures at 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m., or 1 p.m. Longer holiday train trips are available in the evening aboard the North Pole Express.
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Whether you are young or just young at heart, this excursion will get you in the spirit of the holidays faster than you can say chugga-chugga-choo-choo. After your trip, visit the River Valley Junction for photo opportunities, music, and a treat from the Kringle Cafe.
Facebook/Essex Steam Train & Riverboat
Children under one-year-old do not require a ticket but must sit on an adult's lap. Tickets for all others are $25 each for coach (padded bench seating) and $40 for first class (individual armchair seats). Find the Essex train station at 1 Railroad Ave., Essex, CT 06426. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit their website. Follow them on Facebook for the latest updates.

Are you ready to join the fun aboard the Santa Special? If the holiday season stirs up a sense of nostalgia in you then take a look at these old photos from Christmases past.

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