Right now I’m sure many of us are hard at work on our Christmas train display. Putting trains around the Christmas tree is a long standing tradition - whether or not you have a permanently layout. In fact, most permanent layouts have their roots around a pine or blue spruce. As we enter the holiday season, I thought it would be interesting to explore the traditional of putting trains around the Christmas tree and the general association between Christmas and trains.
It turns out that decorating under the Christmas tree is actually a long standing tradition. Setting up scenes under Christmas trees actually dates back to the 1700’s. The most common scenes were of course the Nativity but it quickly became tradition to depict other Bible scenes and eventually small villages, often styled after a family’s own home and/or town.
Trains started making their appearance in American around 150 years later and quickly became ingrained into our culture and history. The train brought family, friends, goods and news into town so it’s only natural that those little Christmas villages started containing wooden and eventually metal trains.
Trains also symbolize the idea of taking a journey. The holidays, particularly Christmas are a time of travel and in the days before cars and planes all of that travel occurred by train. This has led the continual use of the train in art and literature to express both physical and abstract journeys.
We’re all very familiar with a young boy’s journey between doubt and belief in the Polar Express. In White Christmas, the train ride from New York City to Vermont is a catalyst for life changing events. Walt Disney used the train station as the gateway to his theme park and the train tracks as it’s outer boundary.
Christmas is a time of journey and change, so it’s only natural that the holiday and trains became intrinsically linked over the years. We can only imagine that initial excitement when electricity and clever companies like Lionel, Ives and others made it possible for those trains to run through those villages under the Christmas tree. It was quite literally that concept of journey come to life. It also didn’t hurt that the circular and oval track plans fit the space under the tree quite nicely.
The holidays were also the perfect time to buy a train set. Larger scale electric trains have always been among the more expensive toys on the market. Christmas provided the perfect reason to splurge on a train set and a great occasion to keep adding another piece or two each year. Placing that train around the tree made it a focal point the whole family could enjoy.
It’s only natural that trains have become linked to Christmas over the years. As railroad enthusiasts, we owe this holiday a debit of gratitude. The spirit of Christmas has kept the spirt of American railroading alive and well. Trains have never stopped being an important part of our economy and culture. However, they have unfortunately taken more of a supporting role over the years.
Christmas is the one time of year when trains take center stage. The holiday provides a great reason for us to rekindle our passion for trains and share that passion with others.
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