I truly believe that this hobby is one of the greatest in the world. The spirit of camaraderie we share makes us a tight knit group. Some of the people that I consider to be my closest friends are my “brothers in rail”. They know my family and I have met many of theirs. I was able to get to know the wives and significant others during this special season. Because of these friendships, every Christmas, my phone rings with a customer’s wife looking for the North Pole Train Department!

It is so much fun getting just the right piece for his collection or knowing what the ‘ol boy’ needs to give his Christmas that extra kick of a surprise. Be it a new book, building, train car or engine, she knows that the perfect gift is out there to be had. Of course I’m more then willing to give her a hand in the selection process, even in those instances when it isn’t one of my own products! Of course I also like to hear the story about the gift being unwrapped Christmas morning and getting to see the present myself when I go over to run trains.

These connections with real people are what it is all about. I really do enjoy getting to be a part of the fabric of this industry, spending time with friends and helping to make their holiday a bit brighter. If you are reading this, I hope that you get what you want for Christmas. Beyond that, I hope that you take the opportunity to help suggest gifts to the families of your train buddies! When I owned the hobby shop the holidays were a very busy time with many calls similar to the one I mentioned above. Though the phone rings a bit less now, as I do not own the brick and mortar store, it still rings. I still hear the bell, and they ‘believe’!

 Image courtesy of flickr user Amanda