December 10, 2025

Sixty-nine years ago, my sister and I celebrated Christmas in our rented house in Paterson, NJ. Henry Körner, a family friend of my parents had this lovely house right next door to their market, I think on 22nd Avenue. We stayed there for a short period of time after moving out of our Mill Street home. My dad liked to give nice presents, always getting them at the last minute. Both my sister and I were so surprised and happy as we both got what we wanted. She got her riding horse and I got Lionel trains. The train set cost $30 back then. Today, I can buy four sections of 10 inches of Lionel Fast Track for $29.

The hobby horse lasted quite a while, but eventually disappeared. My train set expanded when we finally moved into our Clifton home, with the Illinois Central A and B units surviving to this day. The set I now own consists of original 1956 cars, just not the ones I had originally owned.

December 14, 2025
This is the first winter in about 9 years that we have stayed north. It has already snowed twice here in Magnolia, Delaware and we haven’t gotten to Christmas yet. Locals have told us that this is the coldest December in a long time as well. I need to get in touch with Al Gore…..

The picture below is not a black and white image, we are having a “White Christmas”, not a “Blue Christmas”, as Elvis Presley sang.