Ryan put up the antique train set he got from our dad around the Christmas tree. Trains have a special kind of meaning in our Kirkwood family traditions.
When my dad was very young, in about 1950, it had been a hard year for his family. His dad sold his set of tools to buy my dad the train he wanted for Christmas that year. This is the train you see around the tree, I think. Grin.
When I was maybe four, my dad built a train platform in our dining room. We used Fisher Price buildings for the buildings, and gave the little people rides in the baggage car. It was such an event that I remember it even now. Dad (mindful of his two visually impaired kids) built a hole in the middle of the platform so that we could stand in the middle and see everything up close. It also made it easier to play.
A few years later Ryan got his own set of trains for Christmas. Dad built a train platform for them in our basement, and I helped. It took weeks and it was quite a job to keep Ryan out of the basement and not give away the surprise! Even though the trains were Ryan's trains, we both played with them for hours. It was something we could really enjoy playing together.
A few years after that Ryan bought several sets of trains in the former East Germany that look like the East German railroad and even say DDR on the side. We played with those, even when we were probably considered too old for such things. Someday I hope those trains will be good collectors items.
For now, they're awaiting a time when the next generation of the Kirkwood clan can enjoy them.
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