All Aboard the Santa Train

 After the previous weeks debilitating flu, by the time Monday rolled around I was still feeling delicate, but was well enough to work again. I’m quite lucky in that 90% of the time I work from home, so at least I have comfortable surroundings and don’t have to commute every day. If I did, I wouldn’t have been back to work so soon. 

I’d been looking forward to our work Christmas party for weeks. Fully paid for and in one of York’s swankier bars, I was looking forward to getting dressed up and dancing the night away. It wasn’t to be. By the time Thursday rolled around, I was still coughing and thoroughly exhausted. The prospect of putting my glad-rags on and hopping on the train to York was not high on my list of priorities. I was definitely feeling sorry for myself for missing out though, and needed to inject some Christmas spirit. What better way than decorating the Christmas tree.

Little Miss was so excited that we were getting the tree out, and this year she was able to help much more than in previous years. Draping tinsel and deciding which baubles should go where. It was tiring, but well worth it and now my lovely tree is up.

Saturday, I had tickets for us to go and see Santa on the Santa Express at North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The railway is a beautifully historic one of steam trains and diesel engines which goes between Pickering and Whitby. This train wasn’t going that far though, it was a shortish jaunt from Pickering, with Santa coming along to see the children and dish out gifts.

For a minute, I thought I was going to be adding this to my list of ‘things the flu or the weather has ruined this Christmas’ as little Miss had felt really poorly. She was also desperate not to miss it though, so I wrapped her up and off we went. 

It was magical. We got some delicious hot chocolates from the tea room before boarding the train. Inside, the halls were well and truly decked with Christmas lights and gifts in the parcel shelves. Christmas music streamed out through the carriages, and honestly, it’s the first time this year I’ve felt truly festive. 

Little Miss loved it, especially when Santa came through with beautiful snowman plush toys for the children, and then we all sang a really weird rendition of the 12 days of Christmas as we headed back to the station. 

Back in Pickering, we had a very short peruse of some shops before settling into Capelmans for a fish and chip dinner (although mine was gammon and chips, which I haven’t had in a very long time). It was pretty evident our appetites hadn’t fully recovered, and I returned home with a good chunk of my gammon for Thelma. It had just felt good to actually get out of the house, and to make it to something we’d had planned for ages.

Sunday, the chap came over to set up one of little Misses Christmas presents. We went out for coffee, and I made us a delicious chicken casserole. It was a laid back day, but it was lovely and just what we needed. We’re all still (hopefully) on the mend, but taking it easy to try to make sure no other plans go out of the window.