What does a train have to do with Christmas?

My picture for today is another homemade project that I set out as part of my Christmas decorations.

What does a train have to do with Christmas?

Did you know that the first regularly scheduled steam locomotive passenger train in the US was started on Christmas Day, December 25, 1830 It was called the ‘Best Friend of Charleston’.

Many people traveled long distances to reach home or to see their relatives at Christmas time. Most of these journeys would involve a train ride and also the railroads were the main way that packages were transported around the country at Christmastime.

Historians believe the tradition of placing a train around the base of a Christmas tree dates back to the early 1900’s. Around that time manufacturer Lionel began to produce the first electric toy trains. Since most children were quite familiar with trains, toy train sets were popular requests for Christmas gifts.

Today many communities in the US have train rides. The Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train was started in 1999. The spirit of the Holiday Train is about giving generously and inspiring others to give as well. The train is usually decorated in a colourful array of Christmas lights and a free concert is played to delight the hundreds of people who have turned out at the events at each stop.

This year and last, due to Covid restrictions, the CP Holiday Train hosted a virtual concert instead. CP donates to food banks in communities along its network and in 2019 the Holiday Train stopped in Lethbridge, my home town.

# living life abundantly   # published author