I see it’s quite common to place these perfectly functional little artificial trains around the Christmas tree or Christmas decorations It’s cute, but is there a reason for it When I see it, I think of the Polar Express
Excellent question I suspect Lionel advertised it at some point It’s been around for over 100 years Or perhaps a department store put it around a tree or in a window display In fact, I can personally confirm it’s been a tradition for at least 50 years
Because it’s fun
I don’t know, but I asked myself the exact same question the other day
I have no proof of this, but my hypothesis is this trains were once a popular Christmas gift for children, and parents would prepare them the night before, after everyone had gone to bed, or the next morning From then on, they became part of Christmas tradition and were passed down from generation to generation, becoming a Christmas object