Check Out These Very Merry (and Over-the-Top) SEPTA Holiday Buses

Photo courtesy of SEPTA.

Guess who was first to clue me into the official kickoff of the holiday season? No, it wasn’t Santa Embiid, although the Sixers did play a part in this delightful winter epiphany. It was SEPTA, of all things, with one of its decked-out subway trains that I took back home from the game last week. (I managed to exit without any tinsel coming along with me.)

As we all know by now, SEPTA enjoys getting into the holiday spirit as much as we do. Who doesn’t prefer holding onto some wrapping paper or garland rather the standard icy-cold silver pole? Each year, SEPTA holds a contest judging the bus best decorated for the holidays – and you can bet the phrase “over the top” is not in any entrant’s vocabulary.

Below you can check out all of this year’s winners — one that boasted a more traditional aesthetic (that, of course, took third place) and two that incorporated a dash of pop culture iconography to go with their Yuletide flair:

Coming in third in #SEPTA’s holiday bus competition is #Callowhill with its gingerbread house. pic.twitter.com/6AQA7cRRxc

— SEPTA Media Relations (@SEPTANews) December 7, 2017

Placing second in #SEPTA’s holiday bus contest is #Frontier with its “Small World” theme. Take a trip around the world on the bus! #FESTIBUS pic.twitter.com/o46lqhtIVO

— SEPTA Media Relations (@SEPTANews) December 7, 2017

Is that the #MysteryMachine ? No- it’s the “Holiday Machine” from #SEPTA’s #VictoryDistrict -the first place winner in the bus decorating contest. It’s complete with the Scooby Doo crew and Scooby Snack. #Ruhroh #FESTIBUS pic.twitter.com/vMGAfis79u

— SEPTA Media Relations (@SEPTANews) December 7, 2017

Want more? We know you want more. Here are some of the best photos of other SEPTA modes of transit all decked out in holiday decor:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bcbl0HslA43/?taken-by=optic.nervous
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcanPLnh8Ig/?tagged=septa
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcVHzZCgviS/?tagged=septa
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcUssTogh24/?tagged=septa
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcUtTDpjc4J/?tagged=septa
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcZsVoLA3UL/?tagged=septa