The Solemnity of Christmas 2023 was still a fresh memory in the first few weeks of 2024: I caught wind of a plan Mom had made to spend time in Washington, D.C., in December 2024, specifically to see A Candlelight Christmas, the annual December concert hosted by The Washington Chorus, my brother's employer.
I was eager to be with my family foursome at such a special time. So I found a very reasonable fare on Amtrak and booked it back at the beginning of February.
Winter gave way to spring, followed by summer, then autumn, and then we came to the threshold of winter, and it was my time for the Candlelight to shine.
Shortly after 5 PM CST on Friday, December 20, I got in the car of Brian, a fellow parishioner, and he drove me to Chicago Union Station in the fresh darkness of an early winter night. We got there in about half an hour. I picked up some treats from Corner Bakery and then went to the splendidly decorated Great Hall to do some spiritual reading while I awaited the boarding call for train #41 the Floridian.
 |
| Inside the Great Hall |
 |
| Someone in the Great Hall kindly photographed me as I eagerly awaited departure. |
 |
| The Floridian train is the 5th from the top on this display board. |
Amtrak reconfigured the Capitol Limited and Silver Star routes and joined them together from a route from Chicago to Washington, D.C., and then south to Miami. By 6:15, I was in a line that snaked through the boarding area and made my way to the platform and onto the train.
I felt the lurch forward right on time at 6:40 PM CST and we were on our way. (Please note that all times in this post are EST unless otherwise stated, in the parts close to my departure from and arrival to Chicago.)
It was already well past sunset when we departed, so it was rather dark without much to see out the windows as we got further from Chicago. Occasionally, a light would show a steady snowfall.
I stepped off for fresh air stops in Toledo as we got close to midnight and then Cleveland around 2 AM the following morning, Saturday, December 21.
A little while later, I awoke to an alarm I set so I could toast the Winter Solstice at 4:19 AM EST, when the train was in Columbiana, OH, and I opened a sparkling water to celebrate.
Then I stepped off for fresh air into the fresh winter season at Pittsburgh around 5:45-6:00 AM.
 |
| Here's the engine as it appears during the extended stop in Pittsburgh. |
The sun rose as we traveled through the Appalachian highlands of Pennsylvania into Maryland and West Virginia.
 |
| The rising sun in Connellsville, PA |
 |
| Traveling through the Appalachian highlands between Connellsville, PA, and Cumberland, MD |
Around 11:15, I decided to have lunch in the train's dining car. I had a burger with chips, accompanied by a butter cake dessert and unlimited nonalcoholic beverages--please see the photo below. It had been a while since I ate in an Amtrak dining car, and I enjoyed conversing with the other passengers at my table.
The train arrived at Washington, DC, Union Station around 1:30 PM. I exited, and headed straight for the Metro Station and made my way to the hotel in Alexandria. Once I dropped off my luggage for storage, I rode the Metro to Rosslyn and then west to Ballston. I boarded a bus, and then stepped off when I reached the Cathedral of St. Thomas More. The late afternoon sun was shining brightly as I walked across the parking lot toward the cathedral.
 |
| The Cathedral of St. Thomas More, view toward the west from the parking lot |
 |
| Above is the front entrance of the Cathedral and below is a photo someone took of me standing in front. |
I got there well before the 4:30 Mass, so I looked around inside at all the decor, including many statues of saints and saints-to-be, and it was very uplifting. At one point, I wasn't sure where to sit during Mass because every seat in the sanctuary had a great view. Two special reasons for visiting were that the Cathedral's renovation had just finished a few months ago and the Diocese of Arlington marks its 50th anniversary in 2024.
 |
| Looking toward the back of the Cathedral sanctuary, with St. Thomas More's statue above the floor |
 |
| Looking toward the altar in the cathedral |
 |
| The Blessed Mother Mary to the left and St. Joseph to the right |
 |
| St. Mother Katharine Drexel |
 |
| St. Michael the Archangel to the left and Pope St. John Paul II to the right |
 |
| St. Paul |
The sunlight passing through the stained glass windows dimmed with the onset of the first winter sunset.
 |
| View from where I sat, looking toward the Advent wreath that appears in front of the Ambo |
Following Mass, I returned to Alexandria, and was delighted to join Mom and Dad for dinner in our unit. I was also amazed at the views out the windows, since we were on the 7th floor. Looking east, we could see all the way to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and into Maryland, all the way to National Harbor.
 |
| Here's the view at night from the window of our hotel unit, looking east. The collection of bright lights toward the left side of the photo are tree lights along King Street. Toward the right is a round shape that is a Ferris Wheel at National Harbor in Maryland. |
I was up right around the time of sunrise the following morning, Sunday, December 22 and it shone brightly through the windows right by the pull-out bed where I slept.
 |
| Sunrise, looking toward the east |
Within the hour, we arrived at St. Joseph Parish in Alexandria for 8:30 Mass.
Following Mass, we went to have breakfast at the Executive Diner. I had chicken and waffles, in the photo below. When I looked at my plate, I was reminded of the California State Route Sign that mimics the shovels of the Gold Rush diggers.
We returned to the hotel after getting groceries at Aldi. That afternoon, they had a hot chocolate station, which is in the photo below.
Later, I went to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, specifically for Evening Vespers. I got there around 3 PM, which gave me time to pray in my own way, look around inside, and pose for photos that I intended to share. Many of the Christmas decorations were up, including the evergreen trees, waiting to be lit.
 |
| The front view |
 |
| The crypt church |
 |
| Tree near the sacristy to the side of the crypt church |
 |
| The Great Upper Church |
 |
| The Advent werath with four lit candles |
 |
| Chapel for La Virgen de Guadalupe |
Vespers started at 4 PM. I sat close to the front, and got into the incense cloud as the procession passed me. You can see an archived video of it
here, and see me, too, wearing a liturgically appropriate purple shirt.
Soon after Vespers ended close to 4:30, I departed and made my way on the Metro back to Alexandria. Dinner was ready, and we three sat down to eat.
Around 6:20, we were on our way for our evening outing to A Candlelight Christmas conert. We rode the Metro Blue Line to Foggy Bottom. There, we boarded a shuttle bus for the short ride to the Kennedy Center.
We arrived around 7 PM, well before the concert was to start at 8 PM. So we went to the terrace level and admired the amazing view of Washington, DC, and Arlington at night.
 |
| Looking toward the northwest toward Georgetown |
 |
| The view looking east toward the National Mall, showing the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial |
After walking around the whole perimeter of the terrace, we went back inside and returned to the main level and went to the area outside the Concert Hall and met Eric.
 |
| The throngs waited in the Grand Foyer to enter the concert venue. |
His supervisor kindly took a family photo of us.
 |
| From left to right, Naomi, Eric, me, Mom, Dad |
By 8 PM, we were inside the theater and ready for the start of the concert. It had a great selection of music. At one point, we got to stand up and do the "Santa Shuffle". A local high school choral group participated in part of the concert. One highlight for me was the Parranda, a Puerto-Rican inspired selection.
 |
| Inside the Concert Hall before A Candlelight Christmas Concert began |
The concert was done by 9:30. My parents and I bid farewell to Eric and Naomi. We went outside, got on the shuttle bus, and then got on the Blue Line for the return to Alexandria.
The next morning, December 23, had a relaxed feel. The rising sun once again shone brightly through the windows of our unit. Around 10:30, I went out for a time of sightseeing. As I boarded the Metro at the King Street Station, I met a family of 5 from South Carolina and got talking with them on the ride on the Yellow Line to the Archives-Navy Memorial Station.
I exited the train at the Archives station and went straight to the Archives to view the Charters of Freedom. The first time I visited the archives as a 2nd grader, I knew I was looking at important documents, but didn't fully understand them. When we visited 20 years ago, as an 8th grader, I had a much greater understanding of them, and appreciated viewing them then. 20 years ago was also when National Treasure debuted in theaters. So for these reasons, it felt even more special to visit the Archives.
 |
| Above is me inside the rotunda with the Charters of Freedom. Below is my pose by a copy of the Declaration of Independence in a hallway to the west of the rotunda. Both were taken by fellow visitors. |
Subsequently, I walked west intending to visit the Old Post Office Tower. When it was unexpectedly unavailable, I took a cue from the family I had met on the train ride that morning and continued walking west to the Ellipse by the White House. There was the large National Christmas Tree, and smaller trees for all the states and territories. I was delighted to find the Illinois. I saw the same family there and the mom photographed me by the Illinois tree.
 |
| The tall Christmas Tree in the Ellipse Park stands in the middle of this photo and the Washington Monument appears to the right. |
 |
| Close-up of the Illinois tree |
 |
| The mom of the family I met photographed me by the Illinois tree, which appears second from the left. |
 |
| Close-up of the ornaments on the Illinois tree, including images of the cardinal, the state bird |
 |
| Nativity scene |
Next, I walked back to the Federal Triangle Metro Station and went over to the US Capitol. I was unable to find the Nativity Scene I heard was there, but I got pictures of the large Christmas Tree there.
 |
| The Christmas Tree at the Capitol appears near the center of this photo. |
It was another moment of reconnecting with the trip 20 years ago.
 |
| From a family photo album is this picture from December 20, 2004. While out visiting the eastern end of the National Mall area, Dad took this photo of me with the US Capitol appearing in the background. |
 |
Here I am by the southeast side of the US Capitol. A fellow visitor photographed me.
|
Then I got on the Metro for my return to Alexandria, where I arrived by 1 PM. At the hotel, I had a light lunch. Then I got packed.
Dad drove me to Naomi and Eric's place, where we spent a few minutes visiting with them and Weasley. He was excited to have company.
 |
| Weasley enjoyed this bone. |
 |
| Dad enjoyed being by Weasley. |
Around 2:30, Dad and I left and he drove me to Washington, DC, Union Station.
 |
| St. John's Espiscopal Church just north of the White House, looking east along H Street |
 |
| Looking south from H Street toward the White House, which is partially blocked by stands for the Inaugural parade |
I lingered a while since the train was slightly delayed.
 |
| Outside Washington, DC, Union Station |
 |
| Inside the Great Hall of Union Station |
 |
| Model Train display |
By 4:30, I was on the platform to board the train. As we headed down to the platform, an Amtrak employee distributed special cookies.
 |
| Here's a sign board on the platform with some of the stations ahead on the route. The train appear to the left toward the bottom of the photo. |
 |
| Sign board on the platform |
 |
| The cookies that were given to passengers |
It left about an hour late, around 5 PM EDT. There was a colorful sunset as the train traveled out of DC into Maryland--please see photo below.
I had my chicken pita sandwich for dinner, which I bought at Union Station.
By the time we got to Harper's Ferry, it was dark outside, which made it feel like the train was traveling through a tunnel. I got into a very relaxed mood as I read and surfed the web when the Wi-Fi signal was strong enough. I also chatted with Paco sitting next to me, a college student who just finished his penultimate semester as a White House intern.
During the night, I stepped off for fresh air at Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Toledo.
As the daylight emerged as the train traveled on the airline stretch west of Toledo, there was little sun with overcast skies taking hold. The train made good timing through northern Indiana and then into Chicago. I had some breakfast as we made our way.
 |
| View toward the Lake Michigan shoreline near Hammond, IN |
 |
| View toward the Loop Downtown Chicago as the train crossed the I-90/94 Dan Ryan Freeway |
The train arrived at Chicago Union Station around 9:30 AM CST. As I made my way out of the station, I stopped to get a chicken biscuit at Chick-fil-A. Then I came to Terri's car for the ride back to Oak Park.
This trip was filled with so many special moments, particularly in how it brought our family full circle back 20 years ago when we visited Washington, D.C. With all there is to see, it's nice to have one memorable part of the trip, and there's no doubt that for this trip, the concert was a top highlight. After hearing so much about my brother's work, we got to experience The Washington Chorus in concert. And as I've mentioned before, there is so much in Washington, D.C., that speaks to our values as a nation and their importance. There was something notable about being there at this time of year when we focus on the glorious celebration of the Lord's Nativity and how significant it has remained as a pillar for our lives and our world through centuries.
It was spiritually invigorating to be in Washington, D.C., as Advent drew to a close so I could church-hop in a place with many splendid spots to encounter God's presence. The Cathedral of St. Thomas More is such a splendid space, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to attend Mass there. Attending Mass at St. Joseph in Alexandria was wonderful, as was attending Advent Vespers at the National Shrine. These were all amazing encounters with God at a special time of year.
Indeed, in the month of December, as the daylight lessens toward the Winter Solstice Day, there's an abundance of focus on illuminating lights. Candles play an important role, especially on the Advent wreath as we anticipate celebrating the birth of Christ, the Light of the World. These days of December are sacred as they point us toward the celebration of Christ's Birth. How blessed we were that we could be together join together as family and mark these days as something significant as we follow the path marked by various lights that draw us toward the Light of the Word and be renewed in its glow.
 |
Here I am inside the Chapel for La Virgen de Guadalupe, photographed by a fellow visitor. The mural behind me on the wall shows a procession of saints in the Americas throughout history with candles facing toward the great Light of God's revelation in La Virgen de Guadalupe.
|
 |
Someone kindly photographed me out in front of the National Shrine. It was a special time to be at a place near and dear to my heart for how it reveals God's presence to me.
|
