We had a seasonal store in Woodbridge, NJ, called Arcadia Gardens. Every fall they cleared out the pool and garden merchandise and brought in the Christmas goods. We would go there to buy tree ornaments and other Holiday stuff.
They always had a Lionel layout along with American Flyer. Between that visit and Christmas day a new boxcar would somehow show up under the tree. It would join the family layout that came from Montgomery Wards a few years earlier.
My favorite was (and still is) the 3665 Minuteman firing missile car. We would set it to shoot at the lowest hanging ornaments. Of course, ornaments in those days were made of glass. Mom was not amused.
