"All aboard!!!"
Kids are all in their Christmas jammies, teeth brushed and ready for bed. Just an average December night in our home. UNTIL....they crawl into bed and see something gold sticking out from under their pillow. What is this?! It's a ticket for the Minivan Express!!
They run downstairs in their footed onsie pjs, open the door and are greeted with blasting Christmas music and our minivan decked out in Christmas lights and decorations. Grandma is there in a Christmas apron holding a plate of Christmas cookies and hot chocolate while Grandpa is decked out in a conductor hat with a hole punch in hand ready to punch their ticket for entry into the festive vehicle.
They get in and even the dog is in there with a jingle bell collar! Dad is at the wheel ready to explore the neighborhood finding all of the best Christmas light displays and mom, who followed the kids down from their bedrooms, is in the passenger seat handing out Christmas light BINGO cards.
This sounds complicated to put together, but honestly you can do it in such a short amount of time. You can prepare in advance and have fancy tickets printed out and great decorations in the car, or you can write it yourself on a piece of paper and toss on a Santa hat and call good enough. It helps the excitement to watch Polar Express before to set the vibe.
The Minivan Express has been one of our family's favorite traditions for a decade now. My twelve year old just asked me this year if we could still do the Minivan Express. We no longer own a minivan, and the boys have grown up, but it is a tradition that withstands the ages. Who doesn't want to spend an hour or so listening to your favorite Christmas carols, with your favorite people, munching on holiday treats and driving around looking at all of the magic of the season?
Over the years the Minivan Express has always looked a bit different. The first year we went all out! That actually made it easier each year after. We made up special tickets and I laminated them so they are ready to go each year, and we purchased battery operated Christmas lights that we use specifically for the Minivan Express. That is about all you need! Hot cocoa is easy to make and there are never a lack of Christmas goodies to eat around this time of year. The easiest way to make a vehicle look festive quickly is to take a string of garland or something you would decorate your tree with and put it through the "oh shit" handles. Most importantly, make sure you are BLASTING Christmas music when the kids come out. Sets the stage that some out of the ordinary fun is about to happen!
Over the years we found the best spots in our neighborhood to cruise by in the Minivan Express including the ones where you need to tune into a specific radio station to see the choreographed show and we always made it a point to visit the "Tree of Life" in a nearby park (even if we had to carry the kids on piggy back in their slippers).
We have made a few moves since those days, and with older boys the Minivan Express has morphed into more of an unexpected Merry Mazda Mahem where three of the four of us grab the closest Christmas decor and get into our SUV to pick up an unsuspecting teenager with blasting music and embarrass them in front of as many friends as possible. This year we got dad when we picked him up from the airport dressed in our craziest Christmas outfits, blasting music in front of his boss and co-workers. You never know when we will strike!
I hope you can adapt the Minivan Express tradition into your family. It's a fun, easy way to entertain and delight the kiddos and to trap the teenagers into some quality time together!
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