SANDPOINT — It was an instant classic.

Both the beloved book and the movie version of “The Polar Express” celebrate the magic and meaning behind Christmas. It is no wonder that Ty Swartout quickly fell in love with both the book and the 2004 movie. A few years ago, when the family found out that the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel’s Polar Express in Williams, Ariz., offered a real-life version of the tale, they quickly made plans to take their son on the trip.

However, things did not go according to plan for the family. Ty, then 18, is non-verbal and autistic, and the excitement proved to be overwhelming. Ty became overwhelmed and had a meltdown. While the railway staff did everything they could to help, even holding the train, eventually the family told them to go ahead and take the trip, Ty’s mom, Angie Swartout, said at the time on social media.

"I cried all the way back,” she wrote. “My heart was shattered. I wanted this so badly for my son. He loves trains and he loves the Polar Express. This was a dream come true. But it didn’t happen.”

When they got back to the room, the family was trying to regroup when there was a knock at the door. Ty’s dad, Lloyd, slipped outside and found one of the railway staff who had tried to help them and a police officer.

“They said that they felt horrible about what happened and wanted to know if they could do something special for our family,” Angie Swartout wrote in the post. After they left, she curled up next to Ty and read “The Polar Express” to him. She had just finished when her husband came back in and said someone special wanted to visit.

“Ty and I shook our heads yes and in walks the train conductor,” she wrote. “He sat next to Ty’s bed and chatted with him. Ty was star-struck. He was so excited and happy.”

The conductor not only gifted the youth with his pocket watch but returned later with a special gift — a bell from the North Pole. They wanted, Swartout said, to ensure the family had a special and magical time, working to bring them back another time.

The family was told the hotel and railway wanted to reschedule their visit with special needs accommodations, telling them they wanted everyone to experience something special and magical.

“They succeeded,” Angie wrote. “We may not have gotten to ride a train, but we got something even more magical … We got the gift of human kindness.”

In an update to her post, Angie Swartout said the conductor returned with a special present for Ty — a bell from the North Pole. 

A few days later, Grand Canyon Railway staff invited the family to a special dinner, train ride, tour and hotel stay.

“They want Ty to experience his dream of riding the Polar Express,” she wrote. “My heart is so happy. I can’t thank the Grand Canyon Railway, the conductor, and the entire staff enough!”

That gift of human kindness, of helping others have a merry Christmas is exactly what the Sandpoint Lions do every Christmas through their Toys for Tots drive. With the community's help, the magic of Christmas comes to life.

With just a day to go, the Toys for Tots drive sits at $61,233.52. There were no donations received today.

The goal for this year’s campaign is $75,000 — the same as it has been in past years, but time is running short.

The Lions make the most of the money by shopping bargains and with the assistance of generous local businesses. The Toys for Tots program provides free new toys for children living in the Lake Pend Oreille School District, from Sandpoint to Clark Fork and all points in between. A Christmas dinner for the family is also provided.

Donations for Toys for Tots can be dropped off today, Dec. 31, at the front desk at the Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Donations made by check are preferred. Be sure to include a note with your check indicating that it is a Toys for Tots donation. If you wish to make an anonymous donation, please include a note.

If the donation is being made in someone’s name, be sure to also include a note.

Information: Sandpoint Lions Club, 208-263-4118