I like the MTH lighted cars and CP holiday train. But I had already started building my own when it was announced a few years back. It can be fairly easy to install more lights to your train and create an animated stage. Here are photos of my fully lit train;
Posted about a 1/4 of the way down the page.
https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...8#153322190088953348
For the operating stage you can paint up some figures as I have had done. You can might want to try one of the Lemax animated small displays to animate your stage. For mine I picked it up at Walmart many years back when you push a button it spins around and my figures move around. The music comes on and it plays one of several carols and the LED's light the stage. I just cut out my Weaver box car to allow my stage to slide into the middle. Lemax also has some small animated sets with figures that move back and forth rather then around.
You might want to check out Miller Engineering for EL light sheets that you can use to create lighted images such as are on the real Canadian Pacific Holiday train. I copied my images from the real train for the design of the lighted trees, candy canes and other images copied from photos of the real train. I lighted the words on the side of the train with etched plexiglass with LED red lights shining in the ends to light the name "Canadian Pacific Holiday Train" but you could use the EL light sheets.
