Georgetown Loop Railroad

Back when pioneers like George Stephenson were laying the tracks of the first steam-powered railroad, they were making decisions that would have worldwide impact. Not the least of which was how far apart to lay the tracks. Ultimately, what he chose would become standard gauge. Those who had other visions of what the distance between the tracks should be would later be run out of business...in some cases, resurrected as tourist railroads.

Friends of the blog and attendees of my work Christmas party know that I've got a bit of an interest in rail. I rarely pass up the opportunity to ride a train — particularly when it's a narrow gauge model carving its way through the Rockies whilst Mrs. Claus hands out chocolate chip cookies. Needless to say, we made a special stop on my most recent trip to Colorado when exactly the above occasion occurred.

Georgetown Loop Railroad

After hauling silver ore from Silver Plume in the 1880s, the historic railroad showed up in 2011 to haul people around Georgetown (with maybe a few more things in between)

Mrs. Claus was aboard and handing out cookies

And on top of all that, I got this awesome old-timey ticket.

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Fun Fact Santa has a resistance to getting his picture taken with a bearded 24 year old

Fun Fact Several "new" Georgetown Loop Railroad cars were recently purchased from the Alaska Railroad

How to do Holiday Grab Bag

Traditionally on or around Christmas, my dad's side of the family gets together. The cast isn't always the same, but one tradition is: grab bag.

Rules

The deal with grab bag is that one must adhere to certain rules, which can change depending on the year. Examples include:

• No food
• Made in a specific location
• One must shop for one's own gift

Gift Selection

Selecting a gift should

1. adhere to all the rules of the particular year
2. be unexpected

Naturally, I chose an eco-friendly door mat.

Decoys

Strictly speaking, decoys are an optional part of the tradition. I prefer to include them, because these gifts are likely to be shaken, rattled, and, yes, rolled.

Level 1

Don't forget to label your decoy

And position it appropriately

Level 2

My 2nd layer of decoy is planted within the packaging.

Packaging

If one is going to shop for his or herself, one may as well create the packaging as well. Kids tend to create the most memorable packaging, especially when young. That's a tradition that I like to keep alive with my fine paper craftsmanship.

The Riddle

Lastly, and new this year, is the riddle.

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Fun Fact Riddles are now required