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The 16 Stages Of Christmas As Told With Uncanny Accuracy By 'The Polar Express'

"All aboard!"

Kelsey Thomas

Nov 19, 2018

James Madison

135

The 16 Stages Of Christmas As Told With Uncanny Accuracy By 'The Polar Express'

Warner Bros. Pictures

Christmas always seems to come and go in the blink of an eye, and "The Polar Express" shows the stages like no other. So, hop on board and go through the stages with me!

"Well... ya coming?"

1. November 1: The excitement begins.

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Once October ends, it feels like Christmas is right around the corner. Although Thanksgiving is sandwiched in between Halloween and Christmas, it seems to tie in with the Christmas spirit. So, comes November 1st comes all the excitement.

2. Planning to transform your house into a winter wonderland.

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Once you're in the holiday spirit, you can't help but picture your household covered in winter decor. You get down your boxes of Christmas townhouses and lights then leave it lying around until you build up the motivation to actually decorate the house.

3. Starting to listen to Christmas music as early as you can.

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I'm sorry, did you say that Christmas music is on the radio? Sorry, turn that song off and play "Wizards in Winter" performed by the Tran Siberian Orchestra, please.

4. SALES! SALES! SALES! Black Friday shopping, you go.

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Once Thanksgiving passes and Black Friday sales have finally started, it's time to brace the crowds and fight for presents for your loved ones. Or, if you're anything like me, you'll go with the mindset of buying things for others and come home with a bunch of presents for yourself instead.

5. The Christmas movie marathons begin, which means it's time to cancel all plans and stay in all day every day to watch.

The Polar Express Christmas Movies GIF

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Is the acting bad and is the main character going to fall in love with the townie over the New York CEO? Yes. Am I going to tune into the Hallmark channel and watch every single one? Absolutely.

6. Realizing you haven't started decorating the house yet.

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You stare at the empty, Christmas-less walls of your home after watching all of the holiday films and become disappointed in yourself for not following through with your decoration plans.

7. Ordering as many of the holiday drinks at Starbucks as you can.

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Peppermint Mocha, Chestnut Praline, or Eggnog? You have to just try them all.

8. Spending all day in the kitchen making Christmas cookies.

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If you're anything like me, it's going to take you a few batches to actually get it right and not burn it. But, once you've perfected the art of cookie baking, your counter-tops will be full of oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip and Christmas' favorite, sugar cookies.

9. Life is moving so fast, you realize Christmas is WAY closer than you thought.

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Wait... wasn't yesterday November 1st?

10. Finally starting to decorate your house now that it's a week before Christmas.

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You finally find the motivation to put the Christmas spirit on your walls now that Christmas is only a week away. But hey, it's better now than never, right?

11. Wrapping gifts at the last minute, just to realize you suck at wrapping.

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I think it's safe to say that after wrapping two gifts, the rest of them are going to be shoved in bags.

12. Christmas Eve: Reminding all the children that Santa is coming.

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Nothing puts a kid on their best behavior than telling them that Santa is coming to visit. As the holiday has finally arrived and the prepping has come to an end, you might as well continue on with the Christmas fun.

13. Christmas Day: gifts, food, and most importantly, family.

The Polar Express Christmas Movies GIF - Find & Share on GIPHYGiphy

Christmas day finally arrives and you spend it surrounded by family. You watch the ones you love smile as they open the gifts you got for them and stuff yourself with holiday feasts.

14. Denial of the fact that Christmas has already come and gone.

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You have to go back to work and reminisce on the good 'ole yesterday where you were able to relax and enjoy the holiday. You can't believe that it's actually over and try to relive every moment by keeping all your Christmas gifts in the living room as if you haven't opened them yet.

15. February 1: Realizing it's probably time to take down the Christmas decorations.

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I guess it's safe to say that an entire month after Christmas is a safe time to finally stop celebrating it. Although sad, you take down your winter wonderland and start preparing for the next holiday.

16. The next Christmas countdown begins.

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But in reality, what other holiday is as good as Christmas? The moment you finally stop celebrating, you start counting down the days until the next Christmas season.

With all the famous scenes from "The Polar Express," there's no way it couldn't depict the various stages you go through when it comes to Christmas. From the preparing, the experiencing, and the reminiscing, Christmas seems to last all year. So, if you haven't gotten in the holiday spirit yet, you better climb on board.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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The 16 Stages Of Christmas As Told With Uncanny Accuracy By 'The Polar Express'​

"All aboard!"

1. November 1: The excitement begins.

2. Planning to transform your house into a winter wonderland.

3. Starting to listen to Christmas music as early as you can.

4. SALES! SALES! SALES! Black Friday shopping, you go.

5. The Christmas movie marathons begin, which means it's time to cancel all plans and stay in all day every day to watch.

6. Realizing you haven't started decorating the house yet.

7. Ordering as many of the holiday drinks at Starbucks as you can.

8. Spending all day in the kitchen making Christmas cookies.

9. Life is moving so fast, you realize Christmas is WAY closer than you thought.

10. Finally starting to decorate your house now that it's a week before Christmas.

11. Wrapping gifts at the last minute, just to realize you suck at wrapping.

12. Christmas Eve: Reminding all the children that Santa is coming.

13. Christmas Day: gifts, food, and most importantly, family.

14. Denial of the fact that Christmas has already come and gone.

15. February 1: Realizing it's probably time to take down the Christmas decorations.

16. The next Christmas countdown begins.

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The Best Lines from the Fab Four

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all I got to give if you say you'll love me too. I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you. I don't care too much for money. Money can't buy me love

All you need is love, love is all you need

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

Obviously the best superpower.

There have been many lessons learned.

1. The importance of traditions.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

3. How to give back.

4. What the word "community" really means.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

10. How to work for what I want.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

12. How to be humble.

13. To be well-rounded.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

16. To be prepared for anything.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

18. How to be creative.

19. To brush off gossip.

I have never been so thankful to know you.

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

Don't freak out

Email the professor

Attend the first class

Keep attending class

Have a backup plan

Remember that everything works out at the end

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