Dad’s incredible DIY Polar Express train for daughter goes viral—see the magic

A dad’s Christmas wish for his daughter is melting hearts everywhere. Mason Smith built her a custom ‘Polar Express’ train and shared the elaborate DIY project in a viral TikTok video that’s racked up over 55 million views since December 10.

Mason Smith’s time-lapse video captures him transforming plastic canisters, plywood, industrial paint, and colored tape into a magical holiday train in his driveway.

“This is year 2 of a tradition that I hope lasts forever! Don’t let this video fool you. This little Polar Express took me 3 long days, 2 smashed fingers, 20 sheets of plywood, and a whole lot of Christmas spirit,” Smith wrote in his caption.

The video ends with Smith taking his daughter and her friends on a ride through town in their own Polar Express, creating lifelong memories.

@dadsocial This is year 2 of a tradition that I hope lasts forever! Don’t let this video fool you. This little Polar Express took me 3 long days, 2 smashed fingers, 20 sheets of plywood, and a whole lot of Christmas spirit. And what you didn’t see is that 2 hours before the parade it came down to the wire, our generator quit working, the mower exhaust broke, and it started dumping rain, but we didn’t let that stop us. Because there was a dream that needed to be made… To be 7 years old in a parade with all your friends and family handing out chocolate in a city you love… Does it get much better than that? #parade #float #christmas #Christmasparade #paradefloat #tractortrain #train #polarexpress ♬ All I want for Christmas is YOU – 𝒞𝒽𝑒𝓁𝓈𝑒𝒶 𝐿𝑒𝒹𝓃𝓊𝓂

“And what you didn’t see is that 2 hours before the parade it came down to the wire, our generator quit working, the mower exhaust broke, and it started dumping rain, but we didn’t let that stop us,” Smith added. “Because there was a dream that needed to be made… To be 7 years old in a parade with all your friends and family handing out chocolate in a city you love… Does it get much better than that?”

Related: 10 magical train rides to take with your family during the holidays

The comments were filled with admiration for Smith’s effort, with one person calling him “father of the year” and another jokingly asking, “Can you adopt me?”

Smith regularly shares his creative parenting ideas on TikTok through his series “POV: You’re a dad,” which features heartfelt projects like this one. 

He built another train for his daughter’s birthday in October after she fell in love with one she saw at a fair. “My daughter saw this at the fair and hadn’t stopped talking about it, so I found some of the supplies second-hand on marketplaces and the rest at my local hardware store and got to work,” he explained to Good Morning America.

With projects like these, it’s clear Smith is making magic happen for his daughter—and inspiring parents everywhere to sprinkle a little more holiday cheer into their lives.

Related: This dad’s toddler-safe Christmas tree hack is pure genius