December 26th.
#1
As a teenager I was hard to buy for since I didn't want the newest transistor radio, record player, model car kit or other like items for Christmas so I ended up with a lot of money and clothes and in that light December 26th was my Christmas.

On the 26th I would head for Woolco before they open so I could pick over the model train stuff now on sale. The year I remember the most is the year I had a $100.00 and that was a lot of cash back then and would buy a lot of goodies-far more then $100.00 today. The 26th was the great after Christmas sale and "toy trains" was 50-60% off.

Anyway here's what I ended up with that year from Woolco all for around $30.00.

2 AHM PRR E8As

7 AHM PRR passenger cars and three PRR baggage cars. I rebuilt these with Central Valley trucks and body mounted X2F couplers. These of course was used at the Columbus HO club.

2 AHM structure kits.

3 sets of AHM figures.

The remaining money was spent at Halls hobbies on Central Valley 6 wheel passenger trucks,X2F couplers with draft gear and a United Models PRR K4..

A great Christmas.
--------------------------

How did you spend your Christmas money?
Larry
Engineman

Summerset Ry

Make Safety your first thought, Not your last!  Safety First!
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#2
My father & I used to hit the hobby stores the week after Christmas. He was an O Scale traction guy, but I was always an HO short line guy. Of course, that was when there were brick and mortar hobby shops. His favorite run was W.45th Street with The Roundhouse, The Red Caboose, and The store where the Red Caboose is today (my father used to call it Ma Barkers). Then it was lunch at Nedicks, Nathans, or White Casstle and on to Polks & American Hobby Center.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines

" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
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#3
I don't recall getting money for Christmas as a kid. Money was tight and I guess I was fortunate to get socks and underwear along with maybe a board game and a toy of some sort. Well, I do remember getting some of those gold-wrapped chocolate coins in my stocking, so maybe things weren't so bad off after all, although they were eatable, but not spendable. No interest in trains at that time, we had neither the room or the means so Santa wouldn't listen, even if I asked.
Don (ezdays) Day
Board administrator and
founder of the CANYON STATE RAILROAD
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#4
Although I did receive a train set when I was 7 or 8, my thing when I was younger was Lego. Usually under the tree, lthough if I did get money, it almost certainly was spent at the local hardware store toy section on acquiring more Lego. Wasn't until my mid to late 30's that Christmas money was spent on trains.

I also don't recall stores being open on Boxing Day...

Andrew
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#5
Never got money for Christmas. We weren't that well off. Always got practical stuff, and the 26th was the day I visited my friends to see all of the neat stuff they got. Besides, nothing in my area was ever open on the day after Christmas.
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#6
MountainMan Wrote:Never got money for Christmas. We weren't that well off. Always got practical stuff, and the 26th was the day I visited my friends to see all of the neat stuff they got. Besides, nothing in my area was ever open on the day after Christmas.

Maybe that was a Columbus, Ohio thing because all department stores but, Lazarus Department Stores open on December 26th and its was a mad house as people rushed around to shop and return faulty gifts..

Oddly enough the major manufacturers shut down Dec 23rd and reopen January 2. Railroads resume operation at 12:01 Am Dec 26th.

I wasn't a rich kid by any standard but, my family was railroaders and that was one of the top paying jobs in Columbus..That $100.00 was the first and last time I got that much for Christmas.
Larry
Engineman

Summerset Ry

Make Safety your first thought, Not your last!  Safety First!
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