Once again I am missing my friend who passed away in April. Dale loved X-mas; it was his favorite time of year, and he was an avid collector of vintage X-mas ornaments, lights, and electronics. It pains me to think that his nearly lifelong collection, some of it very valuable, probably wound up in a landfill somewhere, and I won’t be surprised if my own stuff winds up the same way. I’m not selling though, at least not yet, so as X-mas 2023 approaches, my collection continues to grow. I’ve bought over half a dozen new items just in the last week, but with the increase in package volume comes an increase in postage time, so I have nothing to new to share on this here blog until some things are delivered.
A preview of coming attractions: just a sampling of the many things that are on order and should be in the mail..
So, with a heavy heart, I put up my little X-mas tree today, and as in 2021, I decided to build a ring of slotted track around the base (using some of my copious amount of unused Tyco track) and take out some examples from my “Ultra G” collection to decorate the base. This is a mixture of cars from both the Numbered Racing Fleet and the Muscle Car Fleet, with no particular consideration given to what I chose, other than 1) pleasing color contrast and 2) making sure I didn’t use any of the same ones I used in 2021 (2022, incidentally, was made up of my original tradition of vintage Matchbox cars). My awesome black Ferrari 250GTO got front and center presentation!
And so, here is the 2023 version of “Rally ‘Round the Tree,” with AW Ultra G T-Jets augmented with a few die-casts, this time a bunch of brand new Hot Wheels just I have just bought over the last few days at none other than the local grocery store! I also added a couple of new ornaments; a friend brought me these new Hallmark ornaments from their “Li’l Classic Cars” and “Li’l American Trucks” series, which I think are just adorabobble. Unfortunately, I couldn’t add the big ’73 Mustang Mach 1, as it’s too big for the little tree, but perhaps it will adorn a big tree I may have someday in the future if I ever have someone to share the holiday with again. As it is, I will be headed out of state this year like I did in 2021 to spend X-mas with my family in Arizona.
I will probably add some more cars and other decorations in the coming days. Things just seem to get more and more grim every year, but I try to keep my spirits up a little decorating, and celebrating the little things that make me happy.
Such a beautiful tree. Congratulations.
Well, thanks! Its not much but it does come loaded with sentimental value…and all the more so every year, it seems
I can’t imagine how hard Dale’s loss is but this tree is a bright spot and the new ornaments are charming. I know this tree and tradition are important, especially in these times!