ST. PAUL — The evening truly felt magical.

Snow that earlier had lengthened commutes and fell in droves suddenly felt sparkling and whimsical, floating past train windows and bright-colored Christmas lights.

C.J. Ham, the Vikings Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Club Winner, and his family joined Verizon Tuesday to host children from Annunciation Catholic School and their parents for a night highlighted by the North Pole Express, a holiday-themed train ride from St. Paul Union Depot to … well, you know, Santa Claus' headquarters.

"I'd better mark that I was 'mostly good,' " pondered a young boy, looking over a Santa letter template.

"That sounds about right," laughed his dad, offering him a wink and a smile.

Wearing a Justin Jefferson jersey, Vikings beanie and even some "Jets"-style shades, the 9-year-old started to craft his Christmas wish list — which he topped with Madden 26.

Families were welcomed by the train's conductor and engineer, who encouraged the youngsters to watch closely out the windows as they chugged leisurely through the North Pole village. Elves dressed in green-and-red and with pointy ears played tricks on each other in the rising snow; then the Grinch suddenly appeared, sprinting alongside the tracks holding a large, wrapped gift above his head.

"He's stealing presents!" A girl yelled incredulously.

Riders enjoyed multiple entertainers, including a magician, a face-paint artist and a snow princess who rapped about reindeer.

But what really stole the show was when Santa Claus himself boarded the train, prompting wide eyes and excited whispers.

Each family had the opportunity to meet Kris Kringle, many of the children eagerly crawling into his lap and relaying what they wanted for Christmas. His excited visitors included C.J. and Stephanie's two youngest, 7-year-old Stella and 4-year-old Trip.

"I asked him for a remote-control monster truck," Trip later informed.

Family photos were the perfect way to end a fun-filled evening that started with a catered dinner, sprinkled Christmas cookies and activities inside the depot. A special Verizon station featured a rotary phone children could use to call and leave additional messages for Santa.

C.J. was introduced to the group as the Vikings WPMOY Club Winner for the second straight season and presented with a trophy, as well as a custom-painted Vikings helmet.

He took time to connect with families, signing autographs for the kids and shaking hands with parents, looking them in the eyes to encourage them. Less than four months after their lives were violently disrupted by the mass shooting at Annunciation, many of the guests wore navy blue sweatshirts bearing the school's logo and the words "Move Your Feet," referencing the "When you pray, move your feet" motto they've adopted in response to tragedy. On the sleeves were two white hearts with the initials of 10-year-old Harper Moyski and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, who were killed in the shooting.

"I know you all have been through a lot," C.J. told the group. "I can already tell the reason you are able to make it through is by leaning on your faith, and also community."

As C.J. spoke, a mother sitting near the front of the room nodded in affirmation, her eyes welling with tears.

"The way you kids and the parents have interacted with each other just in this short amount of time, I can see there's so much love," he continued. "There's so much compassion, and I love to see that. I'm honored to share this night with you all and have fun with you. Thank you for being here."

Vikings Director of Community Relations Logan Johnson and C.J. both emphasized the desire to honor the Annunciation community in whatever way possible.

"We know nothing the Vikings or anybody else does can change anything these families have had to go through," Johnson said. "But if we can do something as simple as providing them with a new memory for tonight, that's really important to us.

"We will have more touchpoints with them moving forward, because we understand how important it is for them to continue to create those new memories," Johnson noted. "That's something that we're going to take very seriously as an organization."

C.J. later reflected on the evening and expressed gratitude for being able to spend time with parents and young people.

"I can't even imagine what they've been through," he said. "But they're leaning on each other, leaning on their faith, doing things together.

"Right before we got on the train, one of the moms came up to me and said, 'Thank you,' " continued C.J., who paused for a moment to gather his emotions. "It's hard for me to even put into words. Because she said, 'It's nice not to be forgotten.' And it just hit me right in the heart, just to know what some of these young children had to see, had to endure.

"I'm just grateful I was able to share this night with them, celebrate with them, hopefully bring them some hope," C.J. added. "Because honestly? It's them who gave me a lot of hope."