What Do You Do For Christmas?


Larry I love your classic Christmas layout!!!

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Don't think I've ever had a Christmas without a train under the tree. Currently running a 4x4 layout with an MTH Christmas train. All the businesses are named after family members. This shot is before snow has fallen. I used to detail the layout alot more but with a 1 and 4 yr old running around most of the small stuff stays off. They love blowing the horn tho!!!

-Larry

That's because if there isn't a train under it, it cannot be a truly complete Christmas tree.

A so very true statement for most of us here I'm sure!!!

I have had a few "incomplete Christmas Trees", but Christmas is always great. Trains just add to the fun!
 
Years ago, my wife and I were engaged on Christmas Eve. I always enjoy midnight Mass and try to find a few moments of stillness and quiet to contemplate the changes brought by the day.

We have a foam core tree I made sort of as a joke and my girls painted when they were little. We get a real tree at the in-laws, our place is just too small. Hopefully, we also get in some skiing over the Christmas break.

Once I put a train around the tree but the cats thought they were mice and kept chasing them and knocking them over. At least until I got a squirt gun.
 
I do nothing except for watching C. DICKENS' SCROOGE .. two since having to lay my mother to rest Sept 3, 2000 and my Dad May 4, 2012. In the past 1976-1995 my house,ok my parents house was always was a mad house rules were set as youngest to oldest, however, no one paid attention...I had 15 in my family then, it was almost a free for all! Which as one reason why I always went into the kitchen to clean up the dishes from the meal... just to escape all the chaos!

BCK RR
 
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Besides making sure my tree has a train underneath it, I assemble the train sets I've gotten. Then, I give them a test run. Then I open my other presents, if I have any. Then I have breakfast.
 
Part 2 of my reply:


As stated earlier rules were set as youngest to oldest -on Christmas presents and the opening of them no one paid attention,- they were so wrapped up in the conversation that was going on at the time… the only interruption was my mother or I stating who wants coffee or tea it's ready!

BCK RR
 
Hi everyone I didn’t know this Thread existed until Louis asked me to post a video of my Layout. I have to apologize for the poor quality my body isn’t as flexible as it was and someone suggested I use a tripod, but that proved to be worst because it came out jerky.
Anyway I’m still working on it and here is the video.

[video=youtube;_TcxovjVIPI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TcxovjVIPI[/video]
 
Oh and here is another of my modified Ice Skating Display with musical Light Show

[video=youtube;n2IbjR1vkks]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2IbjR1vkks[/video]
 
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And this is my new Bump and Go Trolley

[video=youtube;fWvtMZNrtDE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWvtMZNrtDE[/video]
 
Great videos!

I love the use of light and all the accessories.

I also like the old school track for the trolley, nice touch!

Thanks for posting them.
 
Oh now this is my kind of thread, but I don't have time just now to give you a complete answer but I will soon!

One thing I would ask if you can please post pictures!!!

Here is one of mine form last year.

Lionel Silver Bells set and the Polar Express set, both are the new LionChief sets.

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Now I am off to keep working on Christmas! I don't have a big elaborate set up, but I am very slow!

And now my friend I know why you sent me this thread :)
 
The only thing I regret this season...is not starting earlier and I have had 2 trees up and my layout going since Thanksgiving! To say I love Christmas is an understatement.

I will post pics soon but for now I'll give you the rundown. Right now it's a "full house" so I don't have the space to run an elaborate year round layout--I buy more stuff than I need or can run for sure. With that in my sun room I took some plywood on a workhorses and have a basic loop of fastrack from a RTR set. I also have a separate strip of tube track that I threw a few spot light cars on to give it some light...Now that my house is in full Christmas swing I rush to get home from work and run something different every day...right now, just because I haven't ran it in awhile, I have my US Army 99 engine pulling some tankers that were already on there. I'll put the radar car, cherry picker with Astronaut and AEC security caboose on it--that's my go at an "atomic age" set up. I love that engine to death though. Looks like nothing else, sounds like nothing else, bright and beautiful, firing missiles and man does it have it where it counts!

As much as I love a real tree I start so early it would be impossible so I have a large green tree and then, sparing a lot of details..I always liked white trees. So I went to Wal Mart bought a 4 ft white tree and some red lights on a white cord and put that in the corner. Under the tree right now I have a little red wagon filled with ornaments no one will let me hang on the tree lol...Spider Man, Pink Panther, Fred Flintstone. Then of course most important I have my Nativity Scene on a table and propped up on the legs of that table are 2 items I scored from ebay that I love...an original working set of Noma bubble lights in the box and a Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby Merry Christmas record...I actually have the lights plugged in and on now but I'm afraid to remove them from the box. The date is 1945 I think--I'd like to make some kind of rack to put the lights in and not have to open the box as the cover is beginning to crease.

I am an LTL truck driver so it's been crazy but dealing mostly with industrial stuff it's starting to slow down as places are closing up. I played it smart this year. Christmas lands on a Thurs, I have a bunch of days accumulated and definitely need a break SO...I took off Weds the Eve, Friday the day after and Mon just to kick back, play with my trains and continue to enjoy the decorations and work that everyone put into this little house.

I did pretty good with shopping this year on Amazon, only 1 cap of a hockey team didn't show up and they refunded me. With that a tradition me and my sis have is last minute shopping and then stopping for a beer and slice of pizza on the way home. So this Tues it will be me, her and my soon to be bro in law to face mall craziness and then unwind before we all head back home and pass out!

This weekend will be a lot of baking and preparing. The Eve is my absolute favorite and I'll take 20 min trip to the town I grew up in and the Church I was Baptized in for early 5:30 PM Mass. My uncle lives around the corner so I will take my mom over to say hello and then back home we go. A tradition we've had in the last few years has been for my close family--mom, sis and now bro in law...to turn off all the lights, plug in the trees and layout, toast each other and then watch the Honeymooners Christmas episode.

Christmas morning we'll have coffee, open gifts, eat breakfast and then get ready for my whole family to come over and enjoy the day!

With that--to those of you that I know (I post erratically) and those that I don't..I wish you ALL a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! I hope you're all happy and healthy!! CHEERS!!
 
You don't need a lot of space to have some Christmas fun!! Run em anyway ya can!

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Much better in the dark...under the snow up front is are chasing mini Christmas lights I found at CVS for 3 bucks almost 6 years ago--2 AA bateries and they haven't failed me yet!

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Nutcrackers from years and years...there is a Philadelphia Eagles one buried in there. Great gift from my little sister years ago.

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It's a mess but it's a "good" mess :)

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I bought these for my mom on ebay. We were sure there would be an issue with them but they plug in, light up and bubble beautifully.

One of the things that makes me most happy in life. My tree, Nativity scene, Noma lights and...yes..that is a Smokey & The Bandit slot car set that I bought myself for Christmas. Now that everyone is together until my sis is married I thought it would be fun to race my bro in law....and he has no choice in the matter :)

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Thanks everyone for reading my post and checking out these pics...Sorry I'm a bit long winded, this is jut my favorite stuff!!
 
What a great thread to look through on Christmas morning as everyone is still sleeping in my house.

Great videos, photos and comments, really top notch!

Thanks everybody!

As I said earlier I will give a run down of my Christmas as soon as I have pictures and more time.

Merry Christmas!
 
Good Morning All and Merry Xmas to you...

I suppose this is what I do for Xmas ... get up early and get back to work on the layout or something while waiting for the sun to come up, or at least for the dawn to break.

As it is only my wife and I, and youngest son (23) we don't do all that much today. Open gifts, cook the Xmas dinner, eat and then get back into normality. It is a quiet day for us, but an enjoyable one none the less.

Enjoy your respective days, family and friends and stay safe as nothing is worth not being here tomorrow.
 
Merry Christmas and good morning Tony!

Not a creature is stirring in our house either. It's the calm before the storm when my grandsons wake up and come over it will be chaos, just how I like it!

Now I am going to play with my trains. :)
 
Good Morning Louis and I don't envy you today. Although, watching the expressions on the faces of the kids and and listening to the excitement in their anticipation, is always a great thing.
 



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