Christmas is around the corner, so it’s a sure bet you are busy decorating the Christmas tree and are spending most of your time looking under the Christmas tree. Here you will see some packages piled up under the Christmas tree, for which children are usually excited to know what’s in them.
What Do You Put Under a Christmas Tree?
If you’re like some families, there might be many surprising things (tree skirt, toy train) other than gifts under the Christmas tree. If you observe a Christmas tree, you will come to see that some tracks weave in and out and around the tree containing traditional trains in an endless loop chain around the bottom of the Christmas tree. These tracks are usually found beneath the colorful and small twinkling lights and among the packages of gifts.
The main and basic frequently asked question is that, what is the purpose of putting the trains under the Christmas tree, and how did this tradition get started?
Where Did Putting Toy Trains Under the Christmas Tree Come From?
Unfortunately, no one knows how and when this tradition got started and the exact purpose of putting the toy trains under the Christmas tree. Still, according to historians, this tradition started about 100 years ago, in the early 1900s. It was the time when manufacturer Lionel started making the first toy train for the first time at that time.
At that time, children were more familiar with toy trains than all other automobiles, so toy train sets were the most popular Christmas gift request. Lionel’s electric toy train got very popular and soon became the focus of a new hobby: model railroads. It became natural to assemble the train to make it run under the Christmas tree once you opened a toy train set.
According to modern experts, the toy train’s resurgence may be related to the popularity of contemporary entertainment, featuring the trains prominently. Many American train lovers believe that this old-fashioned toy train tradition at Christmas time reminds them of old and memorable times.
In America, toy train evokes sentimental feelings similar to many other emotions related to Christmas. In the early 1900s, many people traveled long distances at Christmas just to reach their relatives home and celebrate the event together. During this journey, people used to prefer the train ride. On the other hand, the nation’s railroads were a basic means of transportation of gift packages around the country at Christmas events.
From the beginning, it has been very common for many American families to add to their toy train set-up year after year. Many families like to construct entire holiday villages under their Christmas trees just after Thanksgiving.
Even though in this modern era with modern technology and electric machines or gadgets, it still fulfills Christmas wish lists!
