This Santa doesn’t need reindeer!
The Santa Train recently had its 81st run, spreading holiday cheer to children in eastern Kentucky, eastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia.
For the past eight decades, freight railroad company CSX has shut down 110 miles of track to distribute holiday gifts to children in Appalachia.
“It’s the longest Santa Claus parade in the United States,” says Bryan Tucker, 44, vice president of corporate communications for CSX. “The joy we see on people’s faces is what makes it most special to me.”
Santa’s Train 2023.
Founded in 1943, the Santa Claus Train distributes 15 tons of toys, treats and clothing each year.
Ruth Mann Collins, 80, remembers walking more than a mile as a child with her five brothers and five sisters to meet the Santa train; now he volunteers for the adventure, helping with loading and distribution of gifts.
“There’s a train coming down the track, honking and kids screaming and laughing and jumping up and down,” says Collins. “It’s just worth every minute… It’s just beautiful.”
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Collins says her parents couldn’t afford Christmas presents for 11 children, so they visited the Santa Claus Train.
“They never let us down,” she says. “Without them I wouldn’t get much for Christmas.”
The annual holiday train has had celebrity guests such as Amy Grant, Allison Crowse, Marty Stewart, Ricky Scaggs and the Judds over the years.
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Santa’s Train 2023.
Collins works alongside about 100 volunteers – about 30 from her own family – helping to load and unload the train, handing out cookies and breakfast cereal along with toys and winter clothes.
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“I want to give back, make sure other kids get something for Christmas like I got,” she says. “Because I was that kid on that track years ago.”
He says he likes to see the happiness on children’s faces.
“We make sure that every child has a Christmas,” says Collins. “It may not be much, but only one toy makes a child happy. That makes me smile.”
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Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education