We are aboard the Holiday Train. The year has had ups and downs. We have booked a sleeper car for the journey. Meals served and a complimentary drink. A little bed to lay our weary heads. It could be that train travel will become our new go-to transportation. Planes are a bit stressful. The hurry up and wait is painful. Everyone is looking and few are talking. They know they are soon going to be in the air. Being in the air does not come naturally to us. We do not have wings. Angels have wings, but we are no angels. We are angels with dirty faces. We muck about in the dirt and broken potsherds. Some of us seek an advantage over our fellows. Perhaps we can get more if our neighbor has less. It is a zero-sum game for some. We are the country that proclaims, Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’ Now we say America for Real Americans…and how do the powers that rule come up with their definition of Real Americans?

The Holiday Train offers many delights and treats. There is a car designed for bobbing for apples. There is another for Ghost Stories. The vehicle that has the family Thanksgiving Dinner is always in demand with its stuffed turkey and giblet gravy. Several train cars have a Christmas theme. There are Santa, Mrs. Claus, and all of the elves sitting around a fireplace. Rudolph and all the reindeer take up two cars. They are smoking cigars and drinking holiday beer while playing poker. The reindeer are a rough and ready lot. The manger and the baby Jesus are the most desired characters to visit. The shepherds stand vigil at the baby, surrounded by animals and straw and all the common elements of a barn. There is no flash or glitz. The lambs smile contentedly. The Son of God has come to earth. He has come for the good of all creation. Everyone is welcome, and no one is turned away. The Conductor calls out All Aboard. The Poor of the Land climb the train steps. The immigrant and the stranger in the land take a seat in one of the pristine train cars. All are welcome as the lame and the blind take their seats. There is a peace that passes understanding. There is a calm that you can breathe. Hope is palpable.