I happened to open up the Classic Toy Trains Web site a couple of weeks ago and saw this:
The photo of the 1872 General locomotive was taken in December 1979. Three months after I got married we went out and picked out our first Christmas Tree and after it was up and decorated I had a little surprise for my wife. I took a ride over to my parent’s house, dug into two steamer trunks that I had stored in their garage, and came back with the yellow suitcase box containing my original 2528WS 5 Star General Set. I used the original Super O Track that came with the set for the little oval under the tree. Shortly after that, I returned to the steamer trunks in search of my “Sheriff and Outlaw Car,” which can be seen in the photo immediately behind the tender.
That was the continuation of a family tradition that had started 23 years before that, and continues 30 years later.
Seeing this photo made me realize that that’s what the Holidays are all about. It’s all about remembering the past, both happy and sad, and recalling all the people that meant so much to us throughout the years. The Holidays brought all those people together for a sort of imaginary group shot. When we think about the Holidays, they are all there, whether they’re still with us or not! That’s the magic of it.
Thanks to Carl and Roger for this little bonus blast from the past. Happy Holidays to everyone!