All right, blog readers, let’s discuss. What is the true start of the Christmas holiday season?
Some might say it’s when Mariah Carey leaves her cryogenic chamber and belts out “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on every single radio station.
Some might say it’s when entitled people get irritated if someone says “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” instead of “Merry Christmas.” And yes, I know those people. And so do you.
Some might say it’s when some Karen has a tantrum about the artistic pattern on the winter Starbucks coffee cups. I mean … people … it’s a coffee cup. It’s not the golden chalice once possessed by Joseph of Arimathea.
No. THIS is the true sign of the Christmas holiday season.
Yes, yes, yes, it’s back. It’s back for 2025. The CPKC Holiday Train and its rolling stock of brilliant lights and its whistle-stop concerts and its fundraising for food banks.
Trust me. This is MY holiday tradition. Grab as many cameras as I can, and capture this event in all its brilliance.
Now the schedule is a little different this year, due to CPKC adding more stops and moving some stops around. In my area, the Albany (Menands) and Mechanicville stops will take place on November 25, while the Adirondack run – through Fort Edward, Port Henry and Rouses Point – will occur on November 26.
Can you tell I’m psyched for this?
Just a teense?
You better believe I’m psyched for this. I’ve planned a few photo spots along the way for this short two-day run (I will save a run into Main and/or Canada for next year). Trust me. Railfanning the CPKC Holiday Train has brought me joy and excitement and tranquility in my life.
And it will not stop in 2025.
All Canadian stops are available at this link; while all American stops can be found here.
And understand – CPKC operates the Holiday Train as a fundraiser and charity endeavor to help battle food insecurity and hunger. This event has raised over $26 million in donations, and helped provide over five million pounds of food and nutrition for those in need. All the whistle-stop concerts are free, but visitors are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or financial donations to the local food bank or pantry. Barring this, there’s also national charities such as Feeding America. And with the U.S. government shutdown, more families are relying on food pantries and charity. Trust me. No one should go hungry. Not for any reason.
So … I may be a little, shall we say, hyper-focused in the next month.
Believe me. This is how I operate.
Especially when the holidays arrive. 😀
Chuck The Writer 