Our 2024 Christmas Train Layout Featuring Lionel's Polar Express

Welll, right now it looks as if I'll be taking a couple of days off of posting. Not just for Christmas, but I do believe I'm catching the cold my granddaughter and oldest daughter have been fighting this week! arrrgh! 😠 Great timing!

That said, here's the finished 2024 Christmas layout and tree. A couple of weeks back I posted it when the cheapo Lionel Harry Potter Hogwarts Express train was running around the tree. Since then I added more details, retired the Hogwarts Express, and added Lionel's Polar Express. Until next time - Merry Christmas! Opa Fritz

The latest YouTube video featuring the layout.

Our postage stamp-sized house is just big enough to squeeze in this 4'x6' board. This year, as well as last year, the board has been raised up, however, the granddaughter is already talking about putting up the large green tree for next year, meaning the board will be on the floor.

TRAIN TIME: 2023 Christmas Train Layout - Pt 4 Final (Maybe) K-Line #K-012103A North Pole Village (2004)

This may be pretty much the last update to this year's Christmas Garden. It all depends on my energy level and whether I throw in another building or add to the layout in any way. Anywho, all the buildings from two K-Line Christmas Village sets have been posted so for now I'll post some more layout photos.  Enjoy! Opa Fritz

This sequence of photos shows the changing colors of the Kurt Adler trees

Erzgebirge Wooden Postman 'Smoker'

Blogger's everywhere who celebrate Christmas are probably sharing their favorite Christmas tchotchke's and knickknacks just as we've been doing since starting our blog. This little guy however is one of those decorations that can be used all year 'round. It's an incense burner we would dig out only for Christmas but for the past couple of years it's been on the shelves with the other decorations. We got this in Germany back in the '80s from the main Käthe Wohlfahrt store in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.  Käthe Wohlfahrt, is an importer and distributor of some of the finest holiday decorations you'll find anywhere. Many of their items are wooden folkart gems which came from the Erzgebirge (Iron Mountains) region of what used to be Communist East Germany in a toy making tradition that goes back many generations. [okay, with all the Christmas specials on TV what immediately comes to mind is 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' the stop-motion animation special narrated by Fred Astaire and starring Mickey Rooney and Keenen Wynn. Remember the Burgermeister Meisterburger? ]

If one were to compare these figures with just about any 'copy' made in China you'll notice a 100% difference in quality. The originals are heavier and the paint jobs are neat and durable. The workmanship is of the finest quality. Figures include incense burners (or 'smokers'), nut crackers, and a variety of figurines. Our little guy represents an old fashioned Postman (mailman) smoking a long-stemmed pipe and measures 9" (22.86cm) H. He splits in half in the middle to provide a platform on which the incense cone is placed. Enjoy and have yourself A Frohe Weihnachten & a very merry Christmas!! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

The top half is hollowed out into a funnel shape.

2015 Small Christmas Display

I've always marveled at big, elaborate Christmas displays with villages, lots of people and cars, animated gadgets, and so on. But really a lot of us either don't have the room or the energy to do that kind of work, only to tear it down and start all over again next year. But ya know, having been into either scale model railroading and toy trains nearly all my life, the appeal of doing some kind of Christmas village display is too strong. But we're in the same boat so many folks are in - no room for a big display. Ours is a small house and if it weren't for having a garage (aka The Cave) I wouldn't even be a collector, there'd be no room to put the stuff. Then we have the added challenge of trying to find space for the grand baby's stuff, like the playpen, little playhouse, etc. 

But for those limited by a small space there's always a place to carve out a little room for a display. Our German shelving unit has a 21" (53.34cm)  x 35 1/2" (90.17cm) spot up and out of reach of the little one and so is just right for a little display. Because The Cave is in such disarray I pulled the nearest boxes of Christmas stuff I could find. We have some beautiful Little Glitter Houses custom made by Howard Lamey of Florida (all of which have been covered here on Toys and Stuff), along with lighted trees, people and other scenic details from a variety of manufacturers. You may notice a little cartoon type house on the left side of the display. This is a new acquisition this year and was actually a German Lebkuchen cookie box. The backing is simple: three pieces of Navy blue covered foamcore board laying atop white cotton batting.

I know it's not much but it allows us to continue a holiday tradition in limited space. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina