The Days of Christmas Past...

I would have to say my most exhilarating holiday was when a got a train set for Christmas. My neighbor, Todd, had a train layout in his basement and I was captivated. I was so ecstatic after picking it out of the Sears catalog (remember those?). Mom acted like it was too expensive, but I kept my hopes up. I thought Christmas day would never get here -- the days passing by at a snail's pace.

We had to eat Christmas dinner in god's country, Waverly, with my grandmother and her two sisters as we did every Christmas. My father about couldn't tear me away from my train set. This led to my discovery of the very endearing magazines Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman. I was forever hooked on model trains.