The irony of sneaking trains into the house.

Michael,

You have a wonderful and caring wife! Wouldn't it be fantastic if all wives sneak some new trains into the house? Yes, yes, yes.............

I second that.

Of course, you realize she's using your smuggling tactics against you.

Before the holidays wife would ask me what I wanted for Christmas (train item of course!).  I would give her a list of things I wanted and left it at that.  But this one Christmas she really surprised me.  She called my good train friend and asked him what "train items I really wanted", knowing I did not place the expensive stuff on my list to her.  Well, that Christmas morning I opened her gift and it was the item I had told my friend I wanted but could not afford at the time......the Lionel scale Alaska F-3 AA set.  That next summer I surprised her with a trip to Hawaii for her birthday.  Life was good back then.

TEX

Steve

I'm planning to do that shortly (Their stuff is on layaway.)

--Becky

Pretty funny---my wife just did the same thing to me over the weekend!

Luckily, she supports my interest in the hobby even though she's not really interested in it much.

--Greg

I still haven't figured out where my wife is hiding mine.  But then it's only a single freight car, so it is on the "smaller" side as O-gauge goes.  But she didn't have to sneak it in the house, I was at work when she brought it home from the LHS.

Michael,

Maybe that is why they call Sullivan county "God's Country" ,this is the way things should work everywhere.

Merry Christmas,

Brad

Hi Michael, your story brings tears to my eyes and very happy for you trears they are!

MY wife has all of my Christmas trains well hidden. They are on Nicholas Smith shelves waiting for me to pick them out and pay for them.

Michael

YOU are a lucky man, and she is a keeper! IMO you better be a very nice Santa.

Pretty cool!

Here is my good wife story:  My wife planned a train vacation for us last June.  We flew to NYC and took in a few off-Broadway shows.  We rode the train from NYC through the Andirodacks to Montreal Quebec.  There were interpreters in the club car that were great.

In Quebec, we took in the sights, took a cruise, explored the old town, and were there for the Jazz festival!!  The jazz festival is multiple days of no-charge open-air concerts.  And we took a boat to the old Olympic site on an island in the river and explored that.   Awesome!

Then, we took VIA to Toronto and explored that city (Montreal is more interesting), but we did go to the roundhouse and the roundhouse pub, and picked up some glasses to take home.  We also explored the Chinese section. 

Then, we rode the train from Toronto to Buffalo (over the Niagara river).  And flew home. 

Fabulous trip!  I guess I have to keep her, even though she is crowing now as she reads over my shoulder.  -Ken

You guys crack me up! What's really happening here is that you're too excited about  the "shiny" for you in her left hand to notice what she is sneaking into the house for herself in the right hand. Or worse...she's collecting "chips" for the next hand. Beware buddy....Beware!

Or maybe she's just really sweet and loves you. Enjoy the irony.

Or maybe she's evil like me and is thinking "If I get them that, they'll run it, I'll get to watch it, but I don't have to maintain the darn thing!"

Witz

At the age some of are at, we don't care what she  has in her right hand when she has a train in her left hee.

Irony can be so ironical at times! You're lucky she isn't sneaking things out of the house! Whatever you get, if it's train related count yourself lucky.

With the engines I bought in 2013, the only thing I've asked for is a battery powered tie rack. This is the one gift item I have asked for during 2013 and if I don't get it for Christmas, I'll order it for myself!

Gilly

I'm Jealous of a lot of you guys on here, I got Lucky in a lot of ways with my Wife, but her appreciation(rather lack of) of my interest in trains, isn't one of them. I'm 48, and this will be our 5th Christmas together, 4th in this house. The 3 previous years, I put two loops around the perimeter of our Familyroom and Diningroom which are adjacent to each other, nothing elaborate like a lot of you guys do just two loops of realtrax around the outside of the room, not having a permanent layout, that constitutes 90% of my running for the year. She has always "Tolerated" my Hobby, which was a "Pre-existing condition" when we met. well she didn't want the trains out this year, and while "Discussing" it her True feelings about the subject came out. Not such a Merry Christmas for me this year.

Those of you who have Supportive, or even better Involved spouses, be Very Thankful for what you have,

Doug

I tell her it helps to keep me sane, and since I am borderline anyway, she is grateful for the stability.    I imagine a lot of wives won't need much convincing as to the first part. 

Having been on two marital merry go round rides I can say if a spouse is stinkie about the trains I bet that isn't the only place they are difficult!

People who got their stuff together can be reasonable about things in which they share no interest.

If you have friction quite likely it's not the trains, it's the person. 

That is good for you, and as long as you keep your curiosity in check until Christmas you will be fine!

Wasn't sure where this was going, and I though it might have been about you sneaking trains into the house.

As a repair tech, I have a built in way to sneak trains in to the house, by declaring they are a repair.  On the serious side, I don't need to sneak them in, which is good.   G

Life has it's ups and downs.

My Main layout is boxed up from the recent move.

My Wife and Daughter have never liked a train under the tree.

They don't like any limit on piling the presents in there.

In the past I have stacked and arranged presents into tunnels so they can co-exist, but the women are not enthused about it.

So this year I set up 2 tables in my new Den and put the Christmas loop on them.

I don't have to get down on my knees and the visiting kids still love to re-arrange the scenery.

In that line I reset most of the trees and people last night while listening to my new Trans Siberian Orchestra CD. They had been lined up to ride the train 

Good Times

Those of you with wives that are involved with your hobby are blessed.

In this Season especially, Let us give Thanks for our Blessings.

I am prepared for her Christmas! Thank you for your kind words.