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[title]BEST TRADITION TO SURVIVE (SO FAR!) CITY BUDGET CUTS Holiday El
During a few blissful days at the end of each year, it’s a joy to ride the CTA thanks to the holiday El. Employees deck the cars inside and out with lights and festive decor, and pipe in holiday music. Cheery elves ride along, doling out candy canes to good girls and boys of all ages; it even smells good thanks to holiday-scented air freshener. Santa’s the star of the show, riding in an open-air sleigh car with a fleet of mock reindeer. Kids love climbing aboard on its scheduled stops, natch, but our favorite is when we score a surprise ride during our daily commute. All our holiday bah-humbugging vanishes in an instant. Watch transitchicago.com/holidaytrain for the 2012 schedule.