(The following article written by Laura E. Davis appeared on the DailyBreeze.com web site on November 29)
LOS ANGELES, Ca. – Children made tracks to join Santa and Mrs. Claus aboard the Santa Claus Express Train for a two-hour ride through the Harbor Area.
About 270 children, many with their parents, gathered at train tracks near Banning’s Landing Community Center in Wilmington and visited with characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks and the California Highway Patrol’s mascot, Chipper, before boarding.
“I like trains,” said 5-year-old Jaion Holmes as he waited to board. “They’re so fast.”
The event was hosted by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.
Most of the children were from the Boys and Girls Club of Wilmington and Harbor Interfaith Services of San Pedro. This is the 17th year the BNSF has hosted the ride.
Rides continue through the weekend, departing from San Bernardino, Duarte and Victorville.
On the train, kids and their parents sang “Jingle Bells” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and ate cookies handed out by BNSF staff. Carolers in one car rewrote the chorus of “Who Let the Dogs Out?” to “Who Let the Santa Out?”
The Clauses stopped to talk with every child, and a rosy-cheeked elf made balloon animals. Leaning close to their faces in order to hear over the singing and bell ringing, Santa would ask the children what they wanted for Christmas.
“Can I have a baby doll?” asked 6-year-old Katerina Rodriguez of Wilmington.
“I want an iPod!” exclaimed 9-year-old Danielle Ornelas, also of Wilmington.
After visiting with them, Santa handed children a white plastic gift bag containing a teddy bear, a coloring book, crayons, a ruler and a pencil.
“Some kids, it’s the only gift they get,” said BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent. “It really brings the holiday spirit home.”
Two-year-old Kimberly Garcia, who was there with her mother and a group from Miller Children’s Hospital at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, where she is being treated for leukemia, watched with surprise as Santa pulled the teddy bear from a gift bag. A big grin crossed her face.
“That smile was worth the whole trip,” Santa said.