At this time of the year I get the urge to tell a story that captures the magic of trains at Christmas. I have great memories of family gatherings and good food and playing trains with my dad and brother. Dad was collecting trains even before I was born. Here is my offering for 2012. Get a cup of coffee and enjoy - its a long one.
An American Flyer Tale for Christmas
2012 Edition
Toby wasn’t sure how he felt about Christmas coming. Of course he was excited about the presents that he hoped to get from mom and dad and there was always the growing anticipation to see if Santa would bring the special gifts that he had asked for. He had written two copies of his letter to Santa to make sure that he knew what Toby wanted. He had given one copy directly to Mr. Clark the mailman and the other copy he had put in the big mail box at the department store downtown labeled Direct Delivery – North Pole. Mom had started baking cookies before Thanksgiving and storing them in big tins that had old timey pictures on the covers of people in horse drawn sleighs and wearing old fashioned clothes. Great Aunt Ruby ordered a fruitcake from Texas every year and had it sent to Toby’s family. It always came in one of those tins. He knew that the cookie supply was secure. He had been practicing the songs that his class would sing for the Christmas Concert at school; one of them was in German. He had memorized his lines for the Christmas Pageant at church. This year he was one of the Wise Men with
That’s the one! But only when she took her full length mink out of storage at the beginning of the cold season. [;)] And if you got too close to her she grabbed you, gave you a big smootch, and you smelled like her dusting powder for the rest of the day.
Great story. The CBS news this morning had a boy who worked to save $100 for [I hope I get the name right] a LEGO green train. When he got his money, they were discontinued. He sent a letter to LEGO. Got a I’m sorry reply. This week got a box from LEGO and inside was his prise. He was videoed opening the box. The boy screamed with joy. When the Co-host asked her C-host what in his past made him scream with joy. He replied when he got his train set. [Y]
Wonderful story, and what a great ending. And that locomotive! It’s the first time I’ve ever seen one. you know, 1939 has been called the “Watershed Year” for American motion pictures, a year never matched for the sheer volume of classic films that came out. Looks like it was a watershed year for American Flyer as well.
As a rule, I’m really not that interested in prewar tinplate, but I’d have a hard time passing that one up!
I wish that I was fortunate enough to have gotten trains from my grandfather as Toby did. I did inherit some trains from my father, and those have formed the core of my collection. I have been the one to expand the collection (much like the grandpa in the story). This is one of the sets that I received:
