Christmas Gifting, Past Through Present

[MountainDon]

Most of you who have been here a while know I'm approaching geezerhood.  I'm not sure when that begins, but it's out there someplace. This is just a way to state I've been involved in a few Christmases.

When I was young I recall getting lots of gifts, mostly clothes and mainly clothes that were made by my Mom, or Aunts and my maternal Grandmother. There must have been some toys too as I did have some, not a lot though. I received a two wheel bicycle, my first and only I ever received as a gift, at Christmas probably around the age of 12.  It was too big for me and I had to master launching while holding onto the fence.    One of the toys I received and loved best was used. It had been my 10 year older cousin's for a number of years; a Mecano set. That's a British equivalent of an erector set. All metal, nuts, bolts, etc. Dad made a 5 drawer chest to hold all the parts and tools. I still have the chest and use it for grown up tools. My first gun was a used 22 and was a Christmas gift.

As a teen I received my first portable transistor radio, a Marconi. And a lot of clothes, pajamas, bedroom slippers. Gifting was still mostly practical everyday needs. A Bell Star helmet is still a well remembered gift.

When our son was born, he received a lot of toys and clothes from us and his 4 grandparents. We tried to be moderate, and I know were not always successful. Mostly he received things he needed plus a few things he wanted. I made a lot of his early toys, trucks, cars, playground climber. I even scavenged a Radio Flyer wagon from sonebody's trash and refurbished it. he never knew the difference. Some of the toys were expensive, reflecting our "higher than our parents" income. But like our parents gifts were never purchased on credit. Some of the gifts were for myself and our son; radio control race cars (he could wipe my axx when he was 8 years old  ). Then R/C model aircraft. We both had a blast with those. And he flew circles around me. That was good time together as well. Other gifting consisted of things we would have been buying anyways, from clothing to a computer or microwave, DVD player/recorder.  We simply used Christmas as the vehicle of exchanging. Opening gifts is fun.

Now with him grown up and the two of us having everything we need, Christmas gifting within the family is more like token giving. A book or two, a 4 lb engineer's hammer; we view the cabin and property to be a gift to each other.

[Sonoran]

Most of you who have been here a while know I'm approaching geezerhood. 

[sparks]

The memories of the gifts of Christmas Past are fascinating. What we gave or what we got.

Went shopping by myself a couple of days ago...........the wife was helping take things out of my truck.

She came across this 'n' gauge model railroad set and said, in a rather scathing tone "Did you buy this for the baby?"    Uh, no

Well, I wasn't really fibbing, was I ?? 



sparks

[MountainDon]

...this 'n' gauge model railroad set and said, in a rather scathing tone "Did you buy this for the baby?"    Uh, no

Well, I wasn't really fibbing, was I ?? 

It can be agreat father/son thing...

That reminded me of the HO gauge railway! I confess I always wanted a train set. I did have a floor train, no tracks when I was a kid.

We bought our son an HO gauge set one Christmas. It was a simple 36" circle of track. For the next Christmas I built a railroad layout on a 4x8 sheet of plywood. Track, switches, sidings, a trestle bridge, a town, painted roads, fields streams, etc. He got many years of enjoyment out of that. When his interest declined, and with his approval, we gifted it to one of our preschoolers who was a big train "nut".

We also did that when we outgrew the R/C race cars. Although I still have a hankering to get back into it...

[MountainDon]

... self induced thread drift...   

The retirement community my wife's parents lived in until they passed away had a room set aside for the local model railroad hobbyists. It was a suberb setup. Loads of tracks and rolling stock with marshalling yards, mountains etc. You're never to old to play with trains.   

[Redoverfarm]

Don I am like you in that I think my cabin is my Christmas.  That is why I made the earlier comment that I didn't really need anything when my wife asked.

As far as trains.  Men & Trains is a good mix.  I was off work with a herniated disk in 85.  Couldn't stand the "not doing anything" for two months.  So I went out and bought a "N" gauge train.  Before the years end I had made a coffee table train layout.  24"X46".  32' of track, lighted houses , street lights, electric track switches, tunels and the works.  It is all under a hinged glass top.  Now it just gets shuffled from room to room for a lack of someplace to put it.  Seems there is no time to play.  Maybe someday. 

They also make the "Z" scale which can be set up in a brief case.   Be a good project for a end table.  Oh Well.

[John_C]

I don't know if you are familiar with the Inglenook and Timesaver railroad puzzles.  They are perfect for the small cabins here on country plans.  I built an N gauge Inglenook a few years ago on a 1' x 3' piece of foam core.

http://www.wymann.info/ShuntingPuzzles/index.html

http://www.wymann.info/ShuntingPuzzles/sw-inglenook.html

[Sassy]

Trains aren't just for guys    My 1st train set was from my dad after he'd been on TDY in England for a few weeks.  It was a Lionel & I was just 4 y/o.  It had a round track & could put little pellets in the smoke stack & it would puff smoke.  I loved that train.

Over the years I've collected several train sets & have them set up around the house on upper ledges underneath windows...  everyone seems to notice them.  The sets are miniature to huge.  Glenn got me a really neat miniature train set. 

Maybe sometime in our old age we'll set up a landscaped table.  I had a friend in Washington whose husband had built a really elaborate village - was neat to watch the train traveling around it.

[Redoverfarm]

Cool site John.  I have several pictures of the coffee table but unfortunately they are on 35mm and not digital.  I once had a catalog with nothing but train layout material.  About the size of the old Sears & Roebuck catalog.  Shoot you could even order nude sun bathers if the setting was right.  The "Z" scale is amazing in that you can do so much with so little.  I had seen a layout in an executive brief case.  Full city more ir less.  That is what sparked my intrest in doing the table.  I used a 50 pair telephone cable as my trunk line for all the individual house, track switches and street lights.  Everything is mounted in a drawer which you pull out and plug an extension cord into the side of the drawer.

Sassy it's great that you have other intrest other than Glenn. .  At the Cass Railroad & Park they have a working computerized train display of the old town of Cass when they used to use the Shay engines.  Neat to just watch.

Oh I almost forgot that I do have a Lionel.  I got it when I was little.  That is about as far as I want to take this or I will tell my age.  Anyway still packed away. 

[ScottA]

Trains and Christmas kinda go together but I've no idea why. I've been an on and off model railroader all my life. Built and demolished several layouts over the years. I currently have a small HO I work on from time to time. I did N scale for years till my eyes got too bad to see the tiny parts.

[Redoverfarm]

I am like you Scott.  I don't think I could tell the engine from the caboose on anything smaller than N guage now.  My fingers are not as agile as they used to be or the eyes to see the fingers if you know what I mean.

[southernsis]

I will always remember going to my grandmothers house for Christmas. She was the greatest cook and the minute you walked into her house, the smell of her cooking would make your mouth water. The amount she cooked was enough to feed an army. It was never just 1 or 2 pies, but 2 or 3 of every kind she could come up with. We always had her home grown blackeyed peas and pickled beet. I don't remember the presents, but the warmth of my grandmother and how wonderful she was will always be remembered.
This year we have gotten the things we needed through out the year and feel that we are blessed because we have no worries, so we are not going to buy anything. We really don't need anything that we don't already have.
In February, we are going to get us another Newfoundland. Our little girl (11 1/2 years old) is getting old, so we found a great breeder that has a champion female who had a litter on the 20th. So in a way, I guess we will be getting a late Christmas present.

Merry Christmas to everyone. Enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

[glenn kangiser]

Sounds like we had similar grandmothers, Sis.  Mine made all of that and the greatest raised rolls and homemade bread.

She used to be a lumber camp cook - long gone now, but the memories of her and her cooking remain.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Well, my husband got all practical stuff he needed.  He got PJ's and work gloves from DDs and in his stocking he got a grilling marinade, canned sardines (which he loves but usually won't buy for himself), new toothbrush, etc.  The girls also got new toothbrushes and toothpaste for Christmas (they think that the toothfairy is Santa's cousin or sibling or something...)
I didn't get much of anything, and what I did get wasn't exactly practical... DH got me a pearl necklace that is really pretty (to match my wedding ring, which is also a pearl.)

[glenn kangiser]

That's good, Homey.  You are a Diamond, so it should agree well...

[Redoverfarm]

I had mentioned the coffee table in an earlier post when the discussion was about trains.  I thought I would post a few pictures of the table and train layout. 

The layout is in a 24"X 60" table.  It was made to where the glass lid can be tilted up for easy access.  The top banding and glass top can be removed for access to the tunnels in case of a de-rail.  The controls are in a door made in the skirting.












It is amazing what you can come up with to do when you are bored huh.

[MountainDon]

 

Twin power packs too! Double the fun. 

[ScottA]

Nice work John. When we get settled at the new place I'm planing to build a larger HO train layout in my shop.