This Steam Locomotive Ornament
is about 4.75 inches long. These Western Christmas Ornaments are a very lightweight ornament, made from resin, showing a very Old Time Steam Locomotive that is towing a small coal or wood car. The Locomotive Unique Christmas Ornaments are trimmed in green with yellow side panels and silver and gold wheels. The small car is mostly dark red with dark green side panels with yellow diamond shaped insets. There is a spot for the Conductor in this Locomotive but it is not covered and neither is the small car. The Steam Locomotive hangs from a loop of metal. Select to see a complete listing of our Christmas Decorations Ideas.
History of The Santa Claus Express.
The Santa Claus Express is a generic name applied to a number of holiday railroad excursions throughout the United States. Often sponsored by railroad museums and incorporating appropriately decorated vintage locomotives and cars, the Santa Claus Express may offer scenic tours beginning in late November and continuing through December. By other schedules, the Express stops at towns and villages along the line, at which time professional or amateur performers aboard provide a Yuletide concert or show for citizens awaiting outside. The Santa Claus Express also is a vehicle for delivering toys and gifts to underprivileged children, an example of which can be found in Appalachia. Since the mid 1440s on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, officials of CSX Transportation have furnished a locomotive and cars so that the Santa Claus Express could wind its way from Pikeville, Kentucky, across Virginia, and into Kingsport, Tennessee. All along the tracks, children and families gather, many having camped overnight to secure strategic positions. When the train slows at each whistle stop, children run behind as Santa, who addresses everyone as “darlin’,” and his assistants, local businessmen, toss candy, small toys, and other gifts from the platform on the last car into eager hands. Local merchants, some of whom were once among those children chasing the train, donate the gifts, which become the only Christmas presents that many children in this region will receive each year. Select this link to view our Christmas Figurines.
Letters to Santa Claus.
A very important question of children around the world is how to convey their Christmas wishes to Santa Claus. For the millions who write letters every year the question is how to get their letters to the right address. For this the post office has made special arrangements. In the United States, the U.S.P.S. Operation Santa Claus takes charge. In Canada children send letters to Santa Claus or Pere Noel at the North Pole, postal code HOHOHO. In Denmark Santa live in Greenland and letters are forwarded to him there through the Danish Tourist Association. In Norway Santa Claus lives in a town called Drobak and has his own postal station to handle his mail. In Germany they have a special ‘Celestial Post Office’ in the city of Augsburg to reach the Christ Child. In Austria kids direct their mail to the village of Christkindl, near Stryr, Upper Austria. Other methods of trying to get their wishes to Santa include putting the letter in the fireplace so the smoke will carry their wishes up the chimney and beyond until they reach Father Christmas. Or leaving the note in a shoe beside the tree or on the windowsill. Swiss children know their letters left on the windowsill have been received because of the chocolate left behind.
70,000,000 letters are processed each year with either the mark of a creche or the Three Kings, depending on whether the letter is mailed closer to Christmas or Epiphany. In Switzerland a December 6 post mark form the town of St. Niklaus is a collectible item.
A recent study of hundreds of American children revealed that boys and girls request the same amount of gifts, but that girls write longer and more polite letters. Select this link to view our Santa Ornaments.
