To Tecate, México
		Train Logistics
		Almost as soon as we are rested from the Christmas Train’s yearly run, we begin to plan the next one. As this is a grass roots effort by hundreds of people across the country, the task is huge, when you consider the need to collect enough school supplies, toys, candy, bags and ribbon to make the gift bags. A warehouse in San Diego stores all the supplies. Volunteers sign up for the packing of the gift bags and the day after Christmas the packing of the gifts begins. Normally, about fifty people at a time work over four to six hours each shift, for five days. Most work just one shift.

Once the gift bags have been assembled (into three types, customized for boys, girls, and infants), they are packed into separate boxes for the categories. 

Only new items are purchased or accepted as donations. It takes two semi trucks to deliver the boxed gifts to the train. The train is usually loaded at Campo, California for its trip to México, though it has departed from San Ysidro, on occasion, with the wise men arriving from the west rather than the east.