Writing a workplace column during the Christmas season can make you feel as out of place as an Amish TV critic. There’s no line in “The Night Before Christmas” that says “visions of resumes danced in their heads,” and even the pre-repentant Ebenezer Scrooge reluctantly gave Bob Cratchit the day off on Christmas.

But for those who happen to take a pause from their sugarplum orgy, but don’t want to move too far away from the holiday spirit, here are four career lessons you can learn from watching “The Polar Express”:

— “It doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.”

The conductor, played by Tom Hanks, was talking about trains, but the same point can apply to jobs and companies.

Job prospects are finally starting to improve — yes, slowly — so 2005 will be a good time to at least consider whether to make the move to another company. Too often, people cling to their jobs, not because they love them, but because they’re afraid of the unknown.

Even quitting a job outright is better than staying in something you hate for years, because often your bitterness will come through to bosses and co-workers, destroying your network. If you leave on good terms because the situation simply isn’t for you, people can respect that.

The hero boy in “The Polar Express” (the film isn’t exactly big on names) doesn’t know all that awaits him on the train to the North Pole but decides to get on board and take the risk.

Many companies and careers reward those people who are willing to take risks. If you want to move up, analyze the prospects at your company. Have the top people gotten their jobs by moving up the ladder as you hope to, or have they been brought in from outside?

That may tell you whether to board a different train.

— How do you pronounce “lead”?

As one character finds out in the movie, that fine line in pronunciation makes all the difference between being a heavy metal or a heavy influence.

Keep that in mind if you’re a manager. Good leaders know how to point people in a direction and help them get there. But, just as importantly, they know when it is best to step out of the way.

If workers can’t use their creativity and approach assignments from their own perspective rather than feeling suffocated, the best ones will look elsewhere.

Instead of leading them to greater accomplishments, you’ll be the lead weight that they want to shed.

— “Sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”

That was the conductor again, referring to Santa and the magic he accomplishes. But the words can also apply to people and places, including workplaces.

Great places have a certain vibe, an energy that makes them stronger than the sum of their parts. It doesn’t dawn on out-of-touch managers and corporate executives that a destructive vibe can do just the opposite.

On paper, laying people off can seem like a smart move. But it can destroy the vibe. Gallup studies have shown that those people who have a best friend at work are often more engaged and productive than typical workers. Get rid of the friend and the dominoes start falling.

If you think you’re doing everything right but the results still aren’t there, check the vibe. Get into the habit of walking around and talking with all sorts of workers, so you have a better sense of what it’s like to work outside your corner office.

— Bells and whistles can’t replace human emotion.

“The Polar Express” is a nice film with terrific special effects, but don’t look for it to replace “A Christmas Carol” or “It’s a Wonderful Life.” They pack an emotional wallop that “Polar” simply can’t match.

Workers are best when they feel that sort of emotional connection — to their work, their bosses and one another. If you shortchange that and try to capture their affections with bonuses and benefits, all you’ll end up with is a humbug.