Cheltsie Holbrook
cheltsie@greenepublishing.com
All children big and small boarded The Polar Express on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at the Madison Public Library.
As children came into the library, they were handed a golden ticket and stood on the railroad tracks. The conductor, Madison County Clerk of the Court Billy Washington, came by and punched everyone's golden ticket before taking off. The conductor led the children into an adjoining room in the library where a Christmas tree stood and Madison County Storyteller Wanda Violet waited for their arrival. Once everyone was seated, Violet began reading the story, "The Polar Express."
After story time, the children were served with chocolate milk and cookies of chocolate chip and sugar. The milk and cookies were donated by Pic-N-Sav of Madison.
But, little did the children know, they had one last surprise before heading back home on The Polar Express. Santa Claus had stopped by to see everyone at the library. Each child had a chance to meet Santa individually and even received a candy cane and a silver bell.
The bell is a wonderful symbol of the spirit of Christmas. It makes a beautiful and sweet ringing sound that only individuals who truly believe in Santa Claus and the Christmas spirit can hear. As each child received their bell and shook it, their faces lit up as they could hear the ringing of the bell.